Governments must decarbonise their own operations to tackle climate crisis

Their report, “States Regenerate: Greening Government for our Planet, Wealth, and Health” has revealed that in order to fully tackle the climate crisis, governments must not only focus on the economy, but on decarbonising their own organisations and operations. 

Global governments in particular are in a unique position to drive decarbonisation due to the extent of their purchasing power and their role in financing and managing polluting assets and infrastructure. Public procurement forms at least 12% of global GDP, while in developing countries alone 83% of investments in infrastructure projects are sponsored by government entities and state owned enterprises.

Startups can push green government

The report not only recommends how global governments can shift £7.8T towards green purchasing and decarbonisation efforts, but recommends 50 leading tech companies across the globe which can help develop the collaborative ecosystem necessary to push forward decarbonisation efforts.

The companies identified were sourced from Nebula, the public-purpose technology intelligence platform and came from 22 countries around the world covering sectors such as AI, machine learning and data analytics. Europe is home to the largest number of companies singled out by the report for green government, generating 41% of the total number of startups identified.

Those distinguished in the report  include Environmental Management and Restoration startup Carbfix, UK-based community engagement tool Commonplace and Germany’s green public procurement tool IntegrityNext. 

Dr. Tanya Filer,  founder and CEO of StateUp and head of the Digital State program at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, said, “Governments must do more than state ambitions and commitments.”

“Governments around the world have a tremendous opportunity to be change-makers.

“Governments which invest in decarbonising their own operations will reap benefits in terms of a head start in meeting climate goals, health benefits from cleaner air and more liveable buildings, and economic benefits in terms of economic stimulus: new skills, new jobs, and new companies.”