María Mendiluce

María Mendiluce is CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition, a global leader in organizing and advocating for business transformation to address climate change and nature degradation. In September 2023, WMBC launched the Supplier Cascade, a tool to help companies better manage efforts to reduce emissions from their supply chains.

What is the single most important action you think the public, or a specific company or government, needs to take in the next year to advance the climate agenda?

Businesses and national governments need to have a deep understanding of their use of fossil fuels so they can design and implement a well-managed and just transition to clean solutions. This is smart risk management and sound economics. Many businesses are already making the switch because of increasing business benefits and demands from employees, customers, and suppliers. But they can transition much faster when policymakers set clear policies and timelines for fossil fuel phase-out. Don’t wait for too long. We need bold leadership now.

What sustainability effort do you hope will gain popularity with the general public this year, and why?

While it is for governments and businesses to take the lead, every individual can play a role in the clean energy transition. I hope people everywhere will adopt clean solutions and help make phasing out fossil fuels a reality by bringing We Mean Business Coalition’s Fossil to Clean movement to places of work, home, school, recreation, and more. This could include switching to heat pumps at home, driving electric, voting for climate-friendly policymakers, asking employers to phase out fossil fuels, and only rewarding dollars to the companies that are taking credible action to move investments from fossil fuels to clean energy solutions.

Where should climate activism go in the next year?

We’ve seen inspiring commitments from businesses and policymakers that have boosted global ambition to address climate change. Now it’s time to turn targets into action. By phasing in clean solutions and phasing out fossil fuels on a science-based timeline, companies can help deliver on global emissions reductions to address climate change and boost governments’ confidence to set the policies needed to protect people and economies The businesses joining our Fossil to Clean movement are the visionary leaders that know the clean energy transition is underway and full of opportunity. I hope thousands more will join them in the year ahead.

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