This document is a non-technical introduction to some key climate change concepts for readers who are less familiar with climate change. It explains how climate change could affect businesses and is designed to accompany Shift’s report Climate Action and Human Rights: How the UN Guiding Principles can help companies respect human rights when responding to climate change.
- Part 1 provides an overview of the causes and main drivers of climate change, explains why the 1.5°C and 2°C targets are important and why limiting climate change cannot be postponed.
- Part 2 explains the relevance of the Paris Accord targets and highlights the scenarios used in the most recent IPCC reports and their relevance.
- Part 3 explains the impact that climate change may have on businesses, the concept and relevance of net zero targets and greenhouse gas accounting.
