McKinsey’s COP Insights
Reflections post COP29: The landscape has shifted—are you adapting fast enough?
After COP29, as everyone looks ahead to 2025, the outlook on sustainability and related investments is not straightforward. This article captures reflections from our discussions in and around COP29 and some views on the path ahead.
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Global Energy Perspective 2024
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As the global energy transition enters a new phase, our Global Energy Perspective 2024 presents a data-driven view of the possible road ahead.
Interactive
Resetting expectations for the energy and materials transition
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As a reality gap emerges between net-zero goals and the actions needed to achieve them, what happens in the energy and materials sectors will determine the pace of low-carbon technology rollout.
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Global Materials Perspective 2024
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As the energy transition continues apace, the global materials supply is adapting. Our Global Materials Perspective 2024 presents a data-driven view of the road ahead.
From the Sustainability Blog
Blog Post
COP29: Green business building and climate tech
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McKinsey Sustainability recaps the key takeaways leaders need to know. Here, we take a deeper look at green business building and climate tech—and their role in the net-zero transition.
Blog Post
COP29: Climate finance and adaptation
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McKinsey Sustainability shares updates and key takeaways leaders need to know. Today, we take a deeper look at finance and adaptation—and their role in the energy transition.
Blog Post
COP29: Energy and mobility
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As the conference gets under way, McKinsey Sustainability shares updates and key takeaways leaders need to know. Here, we take a deeper look at energy and mobility—and their role in the net-zero transition.
Blog Post
What to expect at COP29
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Sustainability in Action is our monthly blog series, featuring a curated selection of new and relevant sustainability insights and actionable recommendations for leaders to drive climate action and growth. In this edition, our McKinsey Sustainability experts Vishal Agarwal and Anna Granskog share what business leaders should watch for at COP29.
Featured insights
Report - MGI Research
The hard stuff: Navigating the physical realities of the energy transition
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The energy transition is a physical transformation in its early stages. What challenges lie ahead?
Article
Managing carbon: A new role for the CFO
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Better carbon management can be a competitive advantage. Here’s how CFOs across industries and markets can move beyond “check the box” compliance and enable strategy-driven, carbon-based decision making.
Article
Europe’s economic potential in the shift to electric vehicles
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The growth of electric vehicles presents both opportunities and challenges for Europe’s economy. How can the automotive industry thrive in an increasingly electric world?
Podcast - The McKinsey Podcast
A net-zero reality check
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Optimists, pessimists—who’s right? New research breaks down the physical realities slowing our progress toward net zero: what’s simpler, what’s tough, and what’s vital to transforming our energy system successfully.
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Materials ‘green’ premia: Trends and outlook to 2030
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With the markets for sustainable materials subject to recent headwinds, what will be the impact on green premia? A new survey paints a cautiously optimistic picture.
Article
What is the global stocktake?
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The global stocktake is an assessment of progress made toward mitigating global warming since the Paris Agreement in 2015. The results from the first-ever global stocktake were discussed at COP28.
Article - McKinsey Health Institute
Health-related climate adaptation: How to innovate and scale global action for local needs
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Solutions for adapting healthcare to meet the threats posed by climate change remain immature. Enabling innovation and scaling solutions is a critical priority to protect vulnerable populations around
the world.
Article
What is COP?
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COP refers to the United Nations’ annual conference on climate change. Its 29th meeting, COP29, is scheduled to begin November 11, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
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Retailers’ climate road map: Charting paths to decarbonized value chains
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Most emissions captured in the average retailer’s Scope 3 metric are generated via product value chains. These value chains can be decarbonized—but only with targeted multistakeholder actions.
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Nature stress test: Assessing exposure of five African banking systems
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Nature-related risks are impacting Africa’s natural ecosystems and economy. An enabling environment could accelerate action from Africa’s private financial sector to manage risks and opportunities.
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A radical approach to cost reduction at climate tech companies
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The single most effective way for companies to scale climate technology is to aim for cost parity with carbon-intensive alternatives.
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Climate Transition Impact Framework: Essential elements for an equitable and inclusive transition
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This framework seeks to provide an initial approach at quantifying the socioeconomic impacts of climate action. A roundtable with more than 40 climate leaders at COP28 underscored the need for this lens.
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Companies are broadening their commitments to nature beyond carbon
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Nature-related commitments by Fortune Global 500 companies are rising, but progress is incremental and from a very low base.
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Solving the climate finance equation for developing countries
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To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, it will be vital to mobilize sufficient capital to drive decarbonization in developing countries.
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Future-proofing health systems for climate risks and pandemics
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Climate change and infectious-health risks are threatening health systems across the globe. High-impact investments that address these risks concurrently could also help build resilient health systems.
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Carbon removals: How to scale a new gigaton industry
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CO2 removal (CDR) capacity is far from the gigaton scale needed to round out businesses’ net-zero efforts by 2050. We explore a mature CDR market’s potential and possible first-mover advantages.
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An affordable, reliable, competitive path to net zero
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A successful net-zero transition will require achieving not one objective but four. We offer a guide to getting it right.
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Paving the way to resilience: Strengthening public sector adaptation planning and execution
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Increasing resilience to climate change requires a more systematic response than ever before. Governments and public entities play a central role in defining, enabling, and executing it.
Interactive
A sector progress tracker for the net-zero transition
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This interactive tracker aims to measure the progress and preparedness of ten key sectors on the path to achieving global net-zero emissions by 2050. It may be viewed as a contribution to the first global stocktake of progress against the Paris Agreement.
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What is net zero?
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Net zero is an ideal state where the amount of greenhouse gases released into the Earth’s atmosphere is equal to the amount removed. Emission removal and reduction through decarbonization efforts are needed to reach net zero.