The Climate Change Report Card Is In

The Lempert Report
February 18, 2019

Each year, the CDP issues a report card to see just how well, or not, businesses are responding to climate change

CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, runs the global disclosure system that enables companies, cities, states and regions to measure and manage their environmental impacts. They have built the most comprehensive collection of self-reported environmental data in the world and each year take the data from over 6,800 companies to issue a report card to see just how well, or not, businesses are responding to climate change. The grades range from A to Ds.

Split across climate change, water security and forests, the A List provides a holistic picture of how the corporate world is addressing environmental issues.

  • 120+ companies make the A grade for their action on climate change, including ChinaMobileDanoneInfosys LimitedKlabin and Microsoft.
  • ACCIONA, GapFord and KAO Corporation are among the 25+ companies on the A List for their water security action. 
  • Seven companies receive an A for their efforts to address deforestation, including BeiersdorfTetra Pak and UPM-Kymmene
  •  , the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance & flavor company, and French cosmetics company L'Oréal, are the only companies to get A’s across the board for their actions on climate change, deforestation and water security. 

CDP also asked the companies how climate change could affect their businesses. Here’s what a few had to say:

•    Bank of America is concerned homeowners facing flooding could default on mortgages.

•    Disney worries its theme parks will become (even more) unbearably hot.

•    AT&T is losing sleep over the prospect of hurricanes and wildfires knocking out its cell towers.

•    Coca-Cola bites its nails wondering if there will still be enough water to make soda.

•    Visa worries that global warming could increase pandemics and armed conflicts... in turn slashing global travel demand.

•    Apple said that more disasters would make iPhones more indispensable. 

 The full report and grades will be released in March 2019. Stay tuned.