3rd October 2024

AXA Climate announces the official launch of Altitude for businesses, an innovative platform designed to measure the impact of climate risks, implement an adaptation strategy and feed into their CSRD reporting.

 

Based on a set of proprietary data derived from the latest IPCC report, Altitude quantifies the medium- and long-term climate risk weighing on companies' sites and activities, taking into account the specific local characteristics of each company, business sector and biodiversity. It helps companies to manage their climate strategy, from anticipating and measuring the impact on their activities to implementing adaptation measures.

 

AXA Climate, which has been working with industrial companies for a long time through its consulting and training activities, is thus strengthening its offer of support to make climate adaptation effective. Capitalizing on these years of experience, the development of Altitude has been carried out in close collaboration with existing CSR managers and Risk Managers, partners of AXA Climate.

 

A science- and data-based solution to support business strategy and risk measurement

Altitude meets the strategic needs of companies faced with increasing climate risks in their day-to-day activities. The platform can be used to identify the sites most exposed to climate risks and assess the potential impacts, in order to define effective adaptation strategies. For example, thanks to Altitude, a global industrial player in the agri-food sector was able to measure that the duration of heat waves in one of its refrigerated warehouses could increase from 10 days at present to more than 40 days a year in 2050, according to certain IPCC scenarios, impacting on employees' working conditions and the operation of refrigerated areas. Similarly, Elodie Dunant, Risk Manager at Forvia, praises "the usefulness for risk managers of analyzing the exposure of assets to climate risks and assessing potential claims".

 

Altitude is also an asset when it comes to developing new assets or carrying out mergers and acquisitions, by analyzing the present and future risks of target sites.

 

Adapting businesses to climate change, taking account of the local context and specificities

Faced with an increase in the intensity and probability of climatic hazards, companies need to adapt their buildings, production processes and site management. As well as providing data on exposure to climatic hazards, Altitude also describes the potential impacts through a precise diagnosis of vulnerability, and recommends possible adaptation measures. Michelin users particularly appreciate "the catalogue of adaptation solutions, which helps them to guide their strategic decisions". Another example: a European pharmaceutical group, using Altitude, identified a very high risk of water stress in one of its plants in Mexico, where one of the processes uses a large quantity of water. After consulting on adaptation measures to reduce water stress, and involving local technical management, the group initiated a site visit that led to the implementation of a more water-efficient cleaning system.

 

 

In addition to a company's own sites, Altitude enables risks to be analysed across its entire supply chain. Purchasing teams can engage in discussions with exposed strategic suppliers to understand their level of climate adaptation. The Bouygues Group's climate coordinator highlights "the relevance of the tool for assessing dependencies and vulnerabilities to environmental challenges, in a context of multiple crises".

 

A tool built as closely as possible to users' needs

Altitude is already providing concrete, customized solutions to a range of players faced with a variety of climatic hazards. For the past 2 years, Altitude's platforms have been used by investors and companies in the agricultural sector. To develop this new platform, more than 70 interviews and user tests, as well as the participation of 20 beta-testing companies, enabled the team to understand users' needs and design innovative functionalities to meet them.

 

This development method means that users quickly get to grips with the tool. The CSR managers at Imerys and Sandaya respectively appreciate "the quality of the visualization" and "the time saved" by the tool. Finally, Knauf's risk teams praise the "cartographic, interactive and intuitive" aspect of the platform.

 

A platform in line with the regulatory agenda

In the current context, where companies are facing increased reporting requirements, particularly with the implementation of the CSRD, Altitude makes it possible to feed the Dual Materiality matrix and extra-financial reports with accurate data. For the 50,000 companies that will have to report under the CSRD, Altitude provides reliable scientific data for both climate risks (ESRS E1) and biodiversity risks (ESRS E4).

 

"Faced with the urgency of climate change and its growing effects, Altitude is an essential decision-making tool, based on rigorous scientific data", explains Théophile Bellouard, Director of Altitude by AXA Climate. "It enables businesses to accurately assess the exposure of their sites to climate risks and to model various adaptation measures in order to determine the most effective strategy. With Altitude, AXA Climate is strengthening its commitment to a sustainable and resilient future for all businesses. "

 

China Needs 'Ambitious' Climate Goals to Meet Commitments: Report

China should set a "strong but achievable" target of slashing emissions at least 30 percent by 2035 when it submits updated climate commitments in coming months, a report urged Thursday. Report BSS/AFP from Beijing

 

Signatories to the 2015 Paris climate accord must announce by next February their updated roadmaps to achieve the treaty's goal of limiting global temperature rises.

 

China currently aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

 

But its policies and targets are rated "highly insufficient" to limit global warming to 1.5 Celcius above pre-industrial levels, according to the Climate Action Tracker project.

 

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a think tank that tracks climate progress, said Beijing should aim for an absolute emissions reduction target of 30 percent.

 

As the world's largest emitter, China's "ambition in its climate agenda is decisive for keeping the international community on track," CREA said in a report.

 

To meet that target, Beijing would need to slash electricity sector emissions by 30 percent and emissions from industry by a quarter.

It should also set a target of reducing non-CO2 emissions by more than 35 percent, the group said.

 

The cuts are substantial, but within reach given China's significant progress on everything from renewable energy installation to electric vehicle uptake, said CREA's Belinda Schaepe, lead author of the report.

 

"While this is an ambitious target as it requires substantial emission reductions across all major sectors, it is achievable if current trends in clean energy deployment continue and power demand remains constrained," she told AFP.

 

This week, China's Electricity Council said non-fossil energy accounted for 40 percent of the country's power consumption, and its installed non-fossil energy generation has risen by nearly 80 percent from 2021.

 

But Teng Fei, deputy director of Tsinghua University's Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy, called the "extreme" goal of a 30 percent emissions cut "too ambitious to be achievable".

 

"I think China is in the process of stabilizing its emissions, so it's quite uncertain, for this period, to what extent China can reduce its overall emissions," he told AFP.

 

China is currently moving to bolster its flagging housing market, which could trigger higher demand in industry, and increase emissions.

 

And progress in other sectors remains uneven: coal installation is continuing in a bid to secure baseload supply, and methane emissions are also rising.

 

"We see a lot of significant progress in almost every sector, but the difficulty is how to coordinate," said Teng.

 

China has not indicated when it might announce its new commitments.

 

Top US climate negotiator John Podesta visited Beijing in September for talks on climate policy cooperation ahead of UN climate talks in Azerbaijan in November.

 

Three KM Area of Dhaka Airport ‘Silent Zone’ from Today

A 3-km area around Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has been launched as ‘Silent Zone’ on Tuesday, aiming to make the area honking-free.

 

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change inaugurated the three kilometer area as ‘Silent zone’ officially at the headquarters of the Civil Aviation Authority in Kurmitola, Dhaka on Wednesday.

 

 

Addressing the event, Rizwana Hasan said to change the longstanding habit of honking, people will first be made aware, and then law will be enforced strictly.

 

DNCC declares 'Silent Zone’ around Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport

 

Initially, the initiative will focus on key areas and then will be expanded to entire Dhaka city, and eventually, divisional cities will also be brought under the program to curb noise pollution, she said.

 

She added that the renewal of driving licenses will include a condition of prohibiting the use of horns.

 

“A fine of Tk 500 will be imposed for the first offense. Mistakes will be reviewed during October and November, and from December, the fines will be strictly enforced,” she said.

 

The Advisor noted that noise pollution poses a serious threat to public health, leading to heart disease, high blood pressure, and neurological disorders.

 

She thanked all involved in the initiative and expressed hope that similar programs would be implemented in other parts of the country.

 

1-km radius area around airport to be declared noise-free Oct 1: Environment Ministry

 

Representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority, Dhaka North City Corporation, BRTA, Department of Environment, Bangladesh Air Force, and the Police were present.

 

Additionally, representatives from NGOs such as Green Voice and CAPS, as well as students, journalists, and professionals from various fields, actively participated.


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