2024 Company Assessments Show Decarbonisation Is Underway For Many Of The World’s Largest Corporate Emitters

• Climate Action 100's Net Zero Company Benchmark assesses focus companies' decarbonisation strategies and alignment with a 1.5°C emissions pathway. The annual assessments are a tool for investors to understand their exposure to climate-related financial risks and opportunities.
• Most of assessed focus companies have reduced their emissions intensity over the past three years: This year’s Benchmark includes the first analysis on historical emissions reductions.
• However, fewer companies are reducing emissions at the pace necessary to achieve a 1.5°C aligned pathway.
• The vast majority of companies have set net zero 2050 emissions targets for their operations and assigned board responsibility for climate risk oversight, demonstrating widespread recognition that climate risk is financial risk.
• Despite stronger disclosures related to companies’ decarbonisation strategies, capital allocation, and just transition, few companies reveal how they will align their business practices to achieve their net zero commitments.
• Climate Action 100+ also announces that 90 new signatory investors have joined since 1 June 2023.

Climate Action 100+, the world’s largest investor engagement initiative on climate change, has released the latest round of company assessments against the Net Zero Company Benchmark. The Benchmark assesses the performance – based on disclosures and alignment assessments – of 168 Climate Action 100+ focus companies against the initiative’s three high-level goals: improved governance, emissions reduction and enhanced climate-related disclosures.

The Benchmark’s assessments provide a useful tool to help inform and support investors’ corporate engagements during this critical decade, as well as outlining the steps companies can take to reduce climate-related risk.

Overall, the assessments show companies are responding to investors’ requests to see more details about their climate transition plans, showing the most improvement in their reporting on capital allocation to low carbon solutions, and how they’re planning a just transition for workers. However, most companies are still not meeting all expectations of the Climate Action 100+ Benchmark in terms of delivering a comprehensive decarbonisation strategy.

A summary of results can be found here and the full dataset can be found here .

Key Results:

• For the first time, Climate Action 100+ has assessed the emissions performance of focus companies, finding 65% have reduced their emissions intensity in the past year. More and more companies are reducing their emissions intensity; however, fewer are reducing emissions at the pace necessary to achieve a 1.5°C-aligned pathway (Indicator 11). There are instances of some sectors working faster than others – with a majority of the assessed Climate Action 100+ focus companies in airlines, autos, cement, diversified mining, electric utilities and steel industries showing reduced emissions intensity over the past three years (Metric 11.1b), making up 32 Climate Action 100+ focus companies that have reduced emissions intensity in line with a 1.5°C scenario (Metric 11.1c).
• Companies continue to perform well on net zero targets, climate governance and climate-related disclosure outside of the financial statements, showing growing evidence of companies - and their shareholders – viewing climate risk as financial risk. Over 90% of all companies assessed have disclosed evidence of board-level oversight of the management of climate change risks (Metric 8.1.a), reflecting their recognition that this is material to business decision-making and the long-term success of businesses. 88% of companies are publicly committed to implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) OR International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Standards (Sub-indicator 10.1.a). 80% of companies committed to net zero across at least Scope 1 and 2 emissions (Metric 1.1.a).
• Overall, this year’s assessments show progress in companies’ disclosures associated with their decarbonisation strategies and capital allocation plans. The number of companies presenting a decarbonisation strategy explaining how they intend to meet their medium- and long-term GHG reduction targets and specifying the role of climate solutions (Indicator 5) is higher in 2024 than 2023. A large majority of these companies (78%) have set a target to increase revenue or production from climate solutions, indicating that those companies setting targets are signaling additional clear commitments to invest (Metric 6.2.b). While only 39% of companies satisfy at least one Metric on the Disclosure Framework Just Transition Indicator, there’s been an overall improvement of 9 percentage points since 2023.

Additional Key Findings:

• Target setting is not happening as fast as we’ve seen in the past. This is specifically the case across short-term target setting which has seen a decline since 2023. This year, there are seven companies whose targets have expired and four companies who have removed their short-term targets (Sub-indicator 4.1). No companies have rescinded their Net Zero ambition, nor long or medium-term targets.
• Despite improvements in company disclosure, capital allocation alignment assessments continue to exhibit limited progress. CTI’s assessments show just over a quarter of the electric power companies assessed are aligning their coal capacity with their interpretation of 1.5°C alignment. CTI also shows that the alignment of oil and gas companies' capital expenditure and broader transition strategies has regressed since the 2023 assessments, increasing their exposure to financial risks in a 1.5°C-aligned future.
• Companies are not effectively reviewing if their climate policy positions are aligned with the Paris Agreement. 2024 has seen marginal increase in companies producing and improving the quality of their review process, however companies are still not effectively reviewing if their climate policy positions are aligned with the Paris Agreement. Additionally, despite a decline in misalignment since previous iterations, the large majority remain partially aligned in their climate policy engagement actions (direct and indirect via their industry associations).

New joiners represent growing and global impact:

Climate Action 100+ is a growing global initiative that has taken on 90 new joiners since June 2023 representing a net increase of 19 over the period. The regional breakdown of new signatories is as follows:

• Africa – 2,
• Asia – 10,
• Australasia – 12,
• Europe – 52,
• North America – 10, and
• South America – 4.

Three quarters (75%) of new signatories have joined as contributing investors on company engagements. Contributing investors may provide inputs into company engagements and attend meetings with companies, as set out in the Signatory Handbook (linked here) More information about new joiners including supporting investor quotes available here. As of 17 October 2024, Climate Action 100+ has over 600 signatories.

Rebecca Mikula-Wright, CEO, IGCC, AIGCC and global Steering Committee member: “This year's company assessments show the brighter spots in Asian and Australian companies' climate progress.

“In Australia we can see the rewards from climate disclosures becoming mandatory. In comparison to other regions, Australian companies are doing well showing investors the climate risks and opportunities they face.

“In Asia, investors want to see more transparency and disclosure from companies, progressing from setting long-range targets to making credible plans. Companies that lay out detailed plans signal to investors that they are ready to transition to net zero and will attract investment capital needed to future proof their businesses.

“This is a significant step forward, but there is still more work to be done to accelerate a just transition in Asia-Pacific. We need significant capital expenditure on climate solutions in the region.”

Michael Cohen, Chief Operating Investment Officer, CalPERS and global Steering Committee chair: “The annual Benchmark serves as a reminder that Climate Action 100+ is dedicated to providing the information necessary for institutional investors to measure climate risk and to track companies’ plans in response to that risk. This year’s report offers some encouragement that the urgency of our engagements is breaking through. But make no mistake: More must be done and there’s no time to waste.”

Mindy Lubber, President and CEO, Ceres and global Steering Committee member: “This year’s Benchmark shows that investor momentum is moving the largest emitters to address climate-related financial risk. Corporate emissions are going down - especially in the transportation, steel, and electric utility sectors - and more climate transition action plans are being published. While it is good to see companies moving in the right direction, they still need to move faster. The US is still not on track to reach a 1.5-degree alignment by 2030. We have the roadmaps and solutions to reach our climate goals. Every company needs a transition plan detailing how they will get there. We look forward to supporting investors and companies as they make further progress on their climate journeys.”

Stephanie Pfeifer, CEO, IIGCC and global Steering Committee member: “Climate Action 100+ remains the most significant investor-led engagement initiative to address climate-related financial risks and opportunities with the addition of 90 new investor signatories a sign of its continued value and importance. While more companies need to make greater progress in ensuring their business is fit for purpose in a low carbon economy, including identifying the opportunities associated with the transition, corporate engagement – particularly in Europe – is leading to constructive dialogue and some positive action. Investors will want to build on the pockets of positive company progress as they look to further manage their investment exposure to climate risk and opportunities.”

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