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RBC Thought Leadership Climate Action How Mary Robinson is fighting climate change
Climate Action
Climate Action

How Mary Robinson is fighting climate change

John Stackhouse interviews Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and global statesperson, for RBC Capital Markets’ first annual ESG Conference.

Read time 2 minutes

I interviewed Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and global statesperson, for RBC Capital Markets’ first annual ESG Conference. As head of the Elders, a group formed by Nelson Mandela to help resolve global conflict, Robinson is focused on the climate crisis and upcoming UN summit in Glasgow. Here’s some of what she had to say:

  • COVID has shown what’s needed to resolve crises:

  1. Collective action.
  2. Government.
  3. Science.
  4. Compassion.
  • Historically, pandemics have caused great loss and change, but also galvanized societies. COVID has made people reassess their values and the way we’ve been living, working and consuming.
  • Business innovation and private enterprise will drive the recovery. The direction of the recovery needs to be towards net-zero.
  • 127 governments have a net-zero goal, covering 63% of the global economy.
  • Pace is still not fast enough.
  1. Need to phase out coal 5x faster.
  2. Need to ramp up renewable energy 6x faster.
  3. Need to transition to EVs 22x faster.
  • Public opinion is shifting.
  1. The U.S. elected a president with the most ambitious climate policy in history.
  2. Young people have stepped up, imploring us to listen to science.
  • When it comes to ESG, the “S” (social impact) gets left out more than environment or governance.
  1. Need to see importance of a just transition, with new jobs and new training.
  2. We’ve learned to spend money to help those affected by COVID; we need to learn to spend money to help those affected by climate.
  • We have to do a lot in a very short amount of time. We need to reduce carbon emissions by 45%.
  1. often tell people that everyone can do three things:
  2. Make the climate crisis personal.
  3. Get angry with those who should be doing more.
  4. Imagine the world we need.

You can watch the full interview here.

 

This article is intended as general information only and is not to be relied upon as constituting legal, financial or other professional advice. The reader is solely liable for any use of the information contained in this document and Royal Bank of Canada (“RBC”) nor any of its affiliates nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents shall be held responsible for any direct or indirect damages arising from the use of this document by the reader. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date but we do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the authors as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by Royal Bank of Canada or any of its affiliates. This document may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, which are subject to RBC’s caution regarding forward-looking statements. ESG (including climate) metrics, data and other information contained on this website are or may be based on assumptions, estimates and judgements. For cautionary statements relating to the information on this website, refer to the “Caution regarding forward-looking statements” and the “Important notice regarding this document” sections in our latest climate report or sustainability report, available at: https://www.rbc.com/our-impact/sustainability-reporting/index.html. Except as required by law, none of RBC nor any of its affiliates undertake to update any information in this document.

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