Science Based Targets initiative approves Danfoss’ climate targets
NORDBORG, Denmark, 23 June 2022: Danfoss said its science-based target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Elaborating, Danfoss said the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has validated that the corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets submitted by Danfoss A/S are in conformance with the SBTi Criteria and Recommendations (version 4.2).
According to Danfoss, the science-based target provides a clearly defined pathway for companies to reduce GHG emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and to help prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
The SBTi’s Target Validation Team has determined that Danfoss’ scope 1 and 2 target ambition is in line with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C. As part of the science-based target, Danfoss said, it will reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by at least 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 base year. In addition, Danfoss has committed to being carbon neutral in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030. Danfoss said it will reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 15% in the same time frame.
Kim Fausing, President & CEO, said: “We have built a strong foundation to achieve our science-based target, an important pillar of Danfoss’ new 2030 ESG ambition. Our science-based target expands our GHG emissions reduction goals beyond our own business, across the entire value chain. It reflects our continued dedication to taking action on climate change and becoming the preferred decarbonization partner to our suppliers and customers.”
Danfoss announced in March 2022 that it had reached its 2030 target of doubling the energy productivity in its factories globally – nine years ahead of time. Energy productivity improved by 104% in 2021 from the baseline year 2007, and energy intensity was halved between 2007 and 2021, Danfoss said, adding that it produced twice the output in 2021 as in 2007, with the same energy consumption. Subsequently, Danfoss had said it would put sustainability at the centre of its Core & Clear 2025 strategy and has the ambition to take leading positions in decarbonisation, circularity, diversity and inclusion.
Martin Rossen, SVP, Head of Group Communication & Sustainability, Danfoss, credited by the company as responsible for developing Danfoss’ ESG strategy and setting the ambition for reducing emissions across the business, said: “The validation of our science-based target confirms that Danfoss’ climate ambitions are in line with science and the goals of the Paris Agreement. But it’s more than order in our own house. Customers, employees, and the public increasingly demand transparency and reward action on ESG. For good reasons. Companies can’t simply get away with saying that they act, they need to document it. The science-based target provides a level playing field. It gives a competitive edge to the companies that truly care and take action. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said, ‘Who cares wins’, and we believe that companies that care will win.”
Danfoss said it is on track to making its 250,000 m2 headquarters in Nordborg, near the city of Sønderborg, carbon neutral in scope 1 and 2 in 2022 by implementing available energy efficiency solutions and sourcing renewable electricity and heating.
The Danfoss headquarters campus was one of the field trips taken by ministers during the International Energy Agency’s 7th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in the City of Sønderborg, Denmark, which ran from June 7 to 9. Dubbed “The Global Capital of Energy Efficiency” by Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director, IEA, Sønderborg acted as a global showcase of energy-efficient solutions when more than 300 leading politicians, government officials and business leaders joined the conference on energy efficiency.
ICOS: Lockdown cut up to 87% CO2 emissions in Europe
HELSINKI, Finland, 24 May 2022: As COVID-19 first hit Europe in the spring of 2020, most countries laid out strong restrictions to limit the spread of the virus. Human economic activity and mobility in cities stopped almost instantly, and many people had to move their work from offices to homes.
A recently published study in Science of the Total Environment by Giacomo Nicolini et al shows that daily urban emissions were reduced by 5-87% during the lockdown period across 11 cities and 13 measurement sites, when compared to the same period in previous years.
According to the study, led by ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observation System), the largest reductions were seen in Heraklion in Greece; Pesaro and Florence in Italy; Berlin in Germany; Basel in Switzerland and London in the United Kingdom. In London, for example, emissions were reduced by 58%, in Berlin by 63% and in Florence by 66%, the authors of the study reported. In all cases, reductions happened mostly during daytime, except for Vienna, Amsterdam and London, where the restrictions had a clear effect also at night, they added.
“Looking at the diel cycle of CO 2 fluxes, the reductions range on average from 67% in the city centre of Heraklion to about 10% in a residential area of Basel,” Dr Nicolini, the lead author of the paper, said. Dr Nicolini was also responsible for processing the data at the ICOS Ecosystem Thematic Center.
The study was initiated and led by other scientists from ICOS, which produces greenhouse gas data in Europe.
The main reason for the reduced CO 2 emissions in all cities was the reduction of vehicular traffic caused by the limitations on mobility, the authors said. This explains why residential areas saw the quickest rebound of emissions after the restrictions were lifted, they said.
In four cities – Berlin, Pesaro, Amsterdam and London – emissions remained statistically lower even after the restrictions were lifted, the authors said. In Amsterdam, the lower emissions can be explained by fewer tourists in the observed district, they said. Decreased tourism was likely to have affected Pesaro and London, as well, they pointed out.
To effectively mitigate climate change, the authors concluded, there must be a bigger systemic change in cities’ ecosystems and in people’s lifestyles. As the COVID-19 lockdown showed, changes in human behaviour have a direct, immediate and significant effect on urban CO 2 emissions, they said.
The research highlights the importance of measuring urban emissions. To develop best practices in this emerging field, ICOS said it has taken the task to evaluate different observation methods in its recent EU H2020 project, called ICOS Cities.
Professor Dario Papale, University of Tuscia, in Italy, and Director, ICOS Ecosystem Thematic Centre, said: “The ICOS Cities project will bring an extensive urban greenhouse gas exchange data collection for the global scientific community, available through the ICOS Carbon Portal. This data collection will be useful for additional analysis on the complex urban greenhouse gas exchange dynamic.”
IEA: Global CO2 emissions rise to all-time high
BERKELEY, California, 11 March 2022: As You Sow, an advocacy non-profit that promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility, quoted the International Energy Agency (IEA) as saying that global carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from energy combustion and industrial processes rose to their highest ever level in 2021. Making the announcement through a Press release, As You Sow added that a six per cent increase in 2021 pushed emissions to 36.3 gigatonnes, erasing the five per cent reduction in 2020, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As greenhouse gas emissions continue to climb higher when the effects of climate change are increasingly being felt it highlights the need to go beyond targets and implement immediate tangible emissions reductions, As You Sow said.
More than 70 countries, accounting for more than 80% of global CO2 emissions and 90% of global GDP, have committed to net-zero, as have more than 5,000 companies, As You Sow said. In order to see progress critical for keeping global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees C, there is a need for companies to pursue ambitious near-term targets, robust transition plans detailing steps to achieve targets and leadership in advocating for sweeping climate policy, As You Sow added.
As You Sow’s recent report, Road to Zero Emissions scores companies on net-zero progress and is in step with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s findings that near-term action is needed by prioritizing year-over-year emissions reductions aligned with 1.5 degrees C.
Danielle Fugere, President, As You Sow, said: “Investor value is being put at greater risk as emissions continue to rise. It is imperative for the safety of human society and the global economy that emissions are reduced immediately in line with the Paris Agreement. When it comes to climate change, we will not be given second chances, so the private sector must create climate transition plans that prioritize accountability and transparency.”
