Climate action must be joined up for success - Oxford report

The global climate change movement has been mapped for the first time in a ground-breaking Said Business School report, which calls for greater coordination of eco-action.

If enthusiasm is not to be squandered and ambitious Net Zero targets achieved, urgent action is needed to bring together agents of change from business, civil society and government

The Decisive Decade: Organising Climate Action - Saïd Business School

The success of the Paris Agreement owes much to this widening engagement and commitment. But, if such enthusiasm is not to be squandered and ambitious Net Zero targets achieved, the report insists urgent action is needed to bring together agents of change from business, civil society and government.The report was commissioned by the global non-profit Mission 2020 which was established to encourage speedy implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Focusing on the distinct roles of business, philanthropic, civil society and public sector organisations, the report calls for ‘catalytic collaboration’ to achieve results.

Christiana Figueres,  convenor of Mission 2020, insists greater coordination is needed across these diverse organisations in order to seize the opportunity unleashed in the wake of the Paris Agreement. Ms Figueres, also Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) during the Paris discussion, says business, civil society and government need to work together to stand a chance of achieving targets such as Net Zero.

Former United Nations climate change executive, Christiana Figueres insists greater coordination is needed across these diverse organisations in order to seize the opportunity unleashed in the wake of the Paris Agreement

The report uncovers key barriers to realising this potential and finds that involvement in climate action remains fragmented across sectors and suffers from limited participation of organisations in key regions of the world. Meanwhile, the various groups and organisations often frame the problem and its possible solutions differently. All of these factors, the report argues, impede coordinated, collective effort and require new strategies.

'[The extraordinary challenges we face] will not be overcome with the efforts of just one sector or community. This report … provides critical guidance for how we can be more impactful and effective together,'  says Ms Figueres.

[The extraordinary challenges we face] will not be overcome with the efforts of just one sector or community. This report … provides critical guidance for how we can be more impactful and effective together

Christina Figueres

The report’s Saïd-based authors offer concrete advice on how organisations with a stake in the climate crisis can harmonise their actions, without giving up their distinct positions and approaches.

The report makes the case for ‘catalytic collaboration’ – bringing together organisations from different sectors that adopt distinct yet complementary approaches to addressing the climate crisis, grounded in nature, health, finance, sustainable development and economic justice.

  Three key strategies for fostering catalytic collaboration are identified:

• Develop a shared narrative that captures the imagination of everyday citizens and powerfully conveys how social and economic systems can be transformed for the better.
• Build trust and create opportunities for joint action across sectors, regions and communities with different stakes and interests in the climate crisis.
•  Strengthen accountability by creating clear pathways for corporations to meet net zero commitments and ensuring those most responsible for environmental damage are responsive to those most affected by it.

'More and more people are recognising that they, and their organisations, need to be involved in addressing climate change. This report helps them to understand how they can best contribute – what roles they can play and how to amplify their collective impact,' says Professor Besharov.

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