Guardian steps up net zero and climate coverage commitment

The Guardian outlined today how it will meet its ambitious goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, alongside a raft of other initiatives aiming to confront the climate crisis through both its business operations and its journalism.

The company will work to eliminate at least two thirds of emissions from its operations and full supply chain by 2030, editor-in-chief Katherine Viner said in a letter to readers published today, taking into account all aspects of the Guardian's business including energy use, digital operations, packaging, and travel. Any remaining emissions will then be eliminated by certified, auditable carbon offsetting schemes, she added.

The plan was informed by a full audit of greenhouse gas emissions from the Guardian's direct and indirect emission, Viner added, which identified newspaper production and the subsequent supply chain as the biggest contributors to the firm's carbon footprint.

The company is also launching a new climate data dashboard visualising the latest metrics on a range of climate indicators, including carbon levels in the atmosphere, global temperature change, Arctic ice extent, Greenland ice mass, and sea level. Named, Environment Now, the new dashboard builds on a number of editorial decisions announced last year including the change in language to describe the urgency and scale of the climate crisis.

The Guardian also stopped accepting advertising from fossil fuel extractors in January 2020 and switched to 100 per cent recyclable wrapping paper for its supplements last month. Moreover, Guardian Jobs recently launched a new Green Jobs hub for sustainability professionals.

The Guardian will also continue to treat coverage of the climate crisis as a priority, Viner added, building on recent in-depth investigations such as the Polluters. This includes an environment special named 'Edition Earth' out later today on the Guardian's Editions app, available to subscribers.

"The global climate crisis is the emergency of our times. That is why the Guardian will keep reporting on it, raising the alarm, investigating the crisis and possible solutions, until we begin to see genuine systemic change," Viner said.

 

The Net Zero Leadership Hub is brought to you in partnership with BT, as part of its support for the Net Zero Leadership Stream at the world's first Net Zero Festival this autumn. All the content on the Hub is fully editorially independent unless otherwise stated.

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