Pop Quiz – Answers

🙏 Thank you so much to everyone who played along, this was fun!

First the important bit: no one got 5 out of 5.

Which is awesome, as it was actually my point. Had someone got them all right I had no plan B for this email…!

Here are the answers (I had to Google a couple).

TBL = Triple Bottom Line: Rather than just the traditional “bottom line” of profit, the Triple Bottom Line also gives equal consideration to people and the planet. The term has been around since 1994.

DEI = Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: (from Wikipedia): “DEI is a conceptual framework that claims to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, especially in the workplace, including populations who have historically been under-represented or subject to discrimination because of their background, identity, disability, etc.” It’s not as new a concept as I very ignorantly thought… apparently kicking off in the 60’s around the Civil Rights movement in the US.

ESG = Environmental, Social & Governance: “ESG can help investors better understand the nonfinancial factors that influence corporate performance, minimize portfolio risk, and produce competitive returns.” ESG Investing is a massive thing at the moment, yet numerous articles and surveys show that most ESG investors and their customers don’t know what ESG means.

COP = Conference of the Parties: The huge annual UN climate change summit, where 192 countries meet up to discuss how to fix climate change. The Paris Agreement is one of the more popular outcomes of the COP summits. They’ve been running since 1992.

SDG = Sustainable Development Goals: The United Nations came up with 17 goals that, if all were met, would eradicate things like poverty and water shortages, fix shortfalls in education, provide clean energy, protect the oceans, and so on. Many organisations build strategic plans around the SDG frameworks.

My point:

People in climate roles, even people specifically working in one of the acronyms above, don’t know what these things stand for.

You can get so caught up in all of this – writing your DEI policy, or following the progress of the COP summits.

Or, you can just get down to work.

Ultimately when you’re kicking off on your climate journey, none of the acronyms matter. They’re helpful resources for sure, but a question like “what’s your SDG strategy?” is more likely to slow you down than help you.

So the climate guy who had to Google the answers gives you permission to commit to starting a sustainability strategy, and figure it out as you go.

But where should you start? I’ll tell you tomorrow 😜