Implementing climate and environmental commitments – An introduction to Climate Action Accelerator’s tools

An increasing number of organisations providing essential services – whether in health, international aid, or education – are making commitments and taking action to reduce the climate and environmental impact of their operations. While many challenges in implementation are sector-specific, a significant portion of the measures needed to reduce emissions and environmental impact exist and are applicable across sectors. Examples include reducing air travel, adopting sustainable procurement practices, and implementing environmentally friendly office practices. This shared foundation also creates opportunities for inspiration and learning across sectors.

In this webinar, Climate Action Accelerator staff presented methodologies, tools and resources, developed by the Accelerator, to support organisations in reducing their climate and environmental impacts in line with the Paris Agreement. An overview of key resources and case studies developed by the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, one of the leading global initiatives on scaling up climate action, allowed participants to connect to larger decarbonisation efforts.  

• Louise Rehbinder, Director, Exponential Roadmap Initiative, presented cross-sectoral resources to emission reductions developed by the Exponential Roadmap Initiative. She also shared experiences and key learnings from her work with private sector organisations.
• Béatrice Godefroy, Director of Public Policy Engagement, presented top emission sources of the humanitarian sector, and outlined key elements of the Playbook to halve emissions by 2030 for the humanitarian sector.  The Playbook summarises key steps towards building a roadmap for effective emissions reduction, climate and environmental solutions, methodological tips, co-benefits of climate solutions, and the findings from financial impact assessments. It also includes good practices from across the sector and beyond.
• Sonja Schmid, Head of the Solutions Team, provided an overview of additional open-source tools and resources that were developed by the Accelerator to provide organisations with inspiration, knowledge about climate solutions and practical implementation support. 

The presentations were followed by a short Q&A session. 

When and where?

📆 9 January 2025 (Thursday) | 12:30 – 13:30 (CET Geneva time)

💻 Online

🇬🇧 Language: this webinar was be conducted in English and translated simultaneously into French.

Speakers

Louise Rehbinder, Director, Exponential Roadmap Initiative  

Louise is a Director of the Exponential Roadmap Initiative (ERI), based in Stockholm. With over 15 years of experience in the private sector, she has a background in IT management before transitioning into sustainability, focusing on reducing environmental and climate impacts within operations and across supply chains. 

ERI brings together innovative organisations committed to bold climate action aligned with the 1.5°C goal. The initiative has developed impactful tools, such as the 1.5°C Business Playbook, to guide corporate climate strategies. ERI also leads the 1.5°C Supply Chain Leaders, a coalition of companies dedicated to supply chain decarbonisation. As an accredited partner of the UN’s Race to Zero, ERI co-founded the SME Climate Hub, empowering small and medium-sized enterprises to embark on their climate action journeys.  

Béatrice Godefroy, Director of Public Policy Engagement, Climate Action Accelerator

A seasoned professional with a 20-year experience in peace, security, humanitarian action and climate, Beatrice currently holds the position of Policy Engagement Director at the Climate Action Accelerator where she leads efforts to drive climate transformation across humanitarian actors. In this role, she developed a roadmap for halving emissions in the humanitarian sector by 2030.

Prior to the Climate Action Accelerator, Beatrice was Europe Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), where she engaged European Governments, the EU, and NATO to advance civilian protection, and led CIVIC’s operational portfolio in Eastern Europe and Ukraine. She also conducted pioneering strategies to protect civilians in conflict and mitigate the impacts on communities of the privatization of war, security force assistance activities, and hybrid warfare.

Throughout her career, she was deployed in multiple conflict-affected countries across Africa, Europe, Central America and Asia. She has held several leadership roles within the UN and in the NGO sector, including serving as Deputy Executive Director at Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland.

Beatrice serves on the advisory board of the International Code of Conduct Association for Private Security Providers (ICOCA), is a commissioner at the Consultative Commissions for International Solidarity of the Canton of Geneva and sits on the board of Groupe URD.

She holds a master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University and graduated from Sciences Po Paris.

Sonja Schmid, Head of the Solutions Team, Climate Action Accelerator

Sonja Schmid is leading the Climate Action Accelerator’s Solutions Teams and is one of the thematic focal points for procurement and supply. She has over ten years of experience in the field of sustainability, specialising in purchasing and procurement standards. She was previously Corporate Responsibility Manager at a major retailer in France and Senior Manager of the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative at a private sector association. Prior to that, she worked for a leading consultancy on climate, environment, and development based in Germany. Sonja holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Political Science from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and speaks German, English, and French.

Missed the webinar? Watch the recording below or watch it directly on our YouTube channel!

Cover photo: Gyan Shahane/Unsplash