Davos CEO wants to move towards sustainability but says government will interfere

In it, consultancy Accenture released the 12th Annual United Nations Global Compact – Accenture CEO Survey. The survey surveys thousands of global CEOs on their progress in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It covers various environmental and social issues.

Simply put, the status quo is not good.

“Having reached the halfway point between the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Paris Agreement milestones, I doubt we are winning,” said Accenture Global Sustainability Services Lead and Chief. Director Peter Lacy said.

An Accenture survey found that 83% of CEOs feel that current geopolitical instability is limiting the world’s ability to achieve the SDGs. More than 90% of CEOs lamented that their businesses face more than his 10 crises simultaneously, including inflation, talent shortages, public health crises, and (fourth) climate change, citing these He laments that the complexity of compound issues is hampering his work. About sustainability.

The CEOs taking part in the survey also overwhelmingly feel that government support is “limited”, with 90% of the 2,600 respondents saying that the lack of government action makes their businesses more sustainable. They argue that they are limited in their ability to respond effectively to sexual challenges. Accenture says CEOs are “ready to act, but feel government’s short-term focus is holding back progress.”

Frankly, from what I’ve read in Accenture’s report, many business leaders — most of them championing the concept of free markets and the role of business in guiding amelioration of social ills — still believe that government on a level of dishonesty, claiming:Policy makers must act first before businesses act actually Step up and lead.

Accenture reports that 93% of business leaders say “government’s short-term focus discourages them from finding long-term solutions to complex global challenges,” with CEOs calls on policy makers to provide “clear direction” on sustainability.

However, both the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the 2050 Paris Agreement goals point in a clear direction, as short-term interests of shareholders, not governments, discourage companies from long-term investment. , companies tend to miss long-term deadlines. Return value. Meanwhile, major economies have pledged hundreds of billions of dollars in climate finance through schemes such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and the EU Green Deal, providing financing for companies to meet their sustainability goals. increase.

I spoke to Lacy, but she disagreed that the CEO was just shifting the burden onto the government. Lacy reads the report as showing that the challenges facing the world require what he calls a “new era of cooperation” between the two worlds: government and business.

“They’re not blaming the government or saying there’s nothing they can do, but regulatory clarity is needed in terms of the speed and scale needed to align all companies with industry leaders. We’re going to need government reports, policy standards, and other issues,” Lacy said.

Perhaps this year’s Davos will usher in that new era of collaboration.

Eamon Barrett
greeninc.news@gmail.com
@emonbarrett88

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