Science will help push companies towards a low-carbon future

The business community hasn't done enough to help curb global warming. Now, companies can rely on science-based targets and data to help get results

• Best Buy's e-cycle program is ambitious, successful and financially unsustainable
• The new bottom line: money is no longer a dirty word in sustainability

Momentum is building in the private sector to curb climate change now more than ever. Investors worldwide have pledged to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from $600bn in assets under management. Hundreds of companies have committed to reduce emissions, use more renewable energy and put a price on carbon. Decades of progress have brought us to this point, made even more concrete by the Paris agreement in December.

If the Paris agreement is to succeed in stabilizing the climate, the private sector must increase ambition beyond current practices. The 1,000 largest companies alone are responsible for one-fifth of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Many companies have been working on environmental sustainability for years, but emissions from the corporate sector are still growing. So how will we know if each company is doing its part to solve the climate problem?