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Despite his initial feelings of hopelessness, Mr Stewart has found ways to cope; he does mindfulness exercises and aims to do his best to limit his own carbon footprint.
Ms Woo, frustrated with climate inaction, is doubling down on efforts to raise awareness. She runs @theweirdandwild — an Instagram page where she pairs her technical expertise with creativity to make climate and environmental science more accessible to her 11,900 followers.
However, there is a limit to what individuals can do in their daily lives. “The remaining action has to come from systemic change, brought about by regulators, governments and corporations,” she says.
It helps that sustainability has become mainstream. How climate action is implemented will shape the landscape going forward, she believes, especially as companies and investors place greater importance on sustainability.
“The global dialogue on net zero has become the new normal,” says Mr Steve Howard, Chief Sustainability Officer at investment company Temasek.
“Addressing climate change is a collective responsibility,” he says, adding that partnerships can play to each partner’s strengths, and create a positive impact that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Temasek is stepping up on climate action. The investment company has two goals: To reduce its net portfolio carbon emissions to half its 2010 levels by 2030, and to reach net zero by 2050.
“Climate action to Temasek is not just a cost, but also an investment opportunity,” explains Mr Howard. “While there may be near-term transition costs in the move towards net zero, communities, businesses and governments will reap more sustainable returns in the long term.”
“We are also committed to working with our portfolio companies on their decarbonisation journeys for change, rather than divest them. Divesting simply transfers the carbon problem to someone else, but does nothing to support the necessary transformation.”
The investment firm aims to use its capital to catalyse transformative solutions to help pave the way to net zero for a more liveable future.
