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Unprecedented momentum is being delivered by over 600 companies committed to bold climate action, through the We Mean Business coalition's Take Action campaign. The campaign brings together strategic climate commitments, facilitated by the We Mean Business coalition partners, which are collectively helping these companies tackle some 2.31 gigatons of Scope 1+2 emissions - equivalent to the total annual emissions of Russia. These initiatives are also helping companies to harness climate action as a driver of innovation, competitiveness, risk management and growth.

Net zero energy (NZE) buildings-responsible for the production of as much (or more) clean energy as they use annually-have been gaining global momentum. In our newly released Insight Brief, RMI presents an innovative business model for developing net zero energy or ultra-low energy districts in a way that creates significant business value. Net zero energy business models are financially attractive to investors because the large capital investments in solar PV, district heating and cooling, and energy efficiency are repaid over time on utility bills, generating a steady return that benefits from enhanced credit because of the utility-customer relationship.

ust 18 months after its launch, the Science Based Targets initiative announced that 200 companies have committed to set emissions reduction targets consistent with the global effort to keep temperatures well below the 2-degree threshold. In the past year, the initiative has seen a growth rate of over 2 companies per week committing to set science-based targets, far exceeding the project's timeline and signaling that climate action has gained tremendous momentum in the private sector.

At this years, annual Greenbuild, the U.S. Green Building Council's gathering dedicated to green bulding in the world, one this was clear. The momentum around materials transparency and health in tthe built environment is becoming more important then ever.

Companies that own as-yet-unextracted fossil-fuel reserves could be left with stranded assets if the regulatory atmosphere changes, experts say. Expensive fossil-fuel sources, such as Alberta's oil sands, could be among the first to become uneconomic to extract. "I don't see this discussion going away. If anything, it's gaining momentum," says Ceres analyst Ryan Salmon.

China is burning as much as 17% more coal than had previously been thought, adding about a billion tons a year to its national carbon footprint. The new figure is troubling for climatologists but could make it easier to create momentum for changes in China's energy and climate policies. 

In yet another announcement about "sustainable apparel," Levi Strauss & Co. has said that it is funding $350,000 toward new approaches and innovations in the apparel supply chain.