We are facing a climate emergency.

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is unequivocal. The world needs urgent and collective climate action from governments, standards setters, businesses and all aspects of society to limit global warming. Failure to deliver policies and standards that decarbonize our economies will result in catastrophic impacts for society and the environment.

→ Failure to act on global warming in accordance with the Paris Agreement will wipe 18% off global GDP.

→ Half of the world’s GDP is dependent on functioning natural systems that will be severely impacted by a changing.

→ Companies have complex supply chains that are exposed to both physical and transition climate change risks, which could impact global financial stability. To limit losses across the global economy, an orderly transition to a sustainable economy by means of climate change adaptation measures is essential.

→ Significant macroeconomic impacts are already being felt in agriculture and fisheries due to rising temperatures and changing patterns of precipitation.

→ Approximately 3.3 to 3.6 billion people are living in contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change.

→ Weather and climate extremes are causing economic and societal impacts across national boundaries and will significantly affect water, energy and food sectors.

→ A 2°C rise in global temperature would increase by 13% the probability of “conflict risks” due to reduced food and water security, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of many.

International Standards are vital in adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

The wide-scale adoption of climate-aligned International Standards will play a vital role in helping governments and industry adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as accelerate the transition to zero-carbon economies.

→  ISO and its members have committed to align International Standards with climate action. This means that we are putting climate action at the heart of our standards development system and are working actively to ensure existing and new standards are climate- aligned.

→ ISO and its members are committed to working with those most effected by climate change to develop International Standards that meet the world’s needs.

→ International Standards are already supporting businesses and organizations to effectively measure, manage and verify their impacts and contributions to mitigating climate change.

International Standards help financial institutions monitor, assess and report on actions they are taking toward achieving the Paris Agreement. Research by AFNOR, ISO’s member for France, shows that ISO 14097 has already helped a number of financiers establish their climate strategy and assess and manage exposure to climate- related risks and opportunities.

→ International Standards provide organizations with a consistent, structured and pragmatic approach to prevent the harm caused by climate change.

→ International agreements have already recognized that climate change adaptation must go hand in hand with mitigation efforts in order to reduce and effectively manage the risk to our societies.

Climate-aligned International Standards are regulation ready.

International Standards are developed in response to a market need. Informed by global expert opinion through a multi-stakeholder consensus process, they constitute essentials tools to help governments, industry and consumers contribute to the Paris Agreement.

→ International Standards are shaped around consensus. The development process incorporates a double layer of consensus – amongst experts and among countries.

→ International Standards play a vital role in reducing barriers to international trade, thus helping to disseminate innovation and technologies that support climate action.

→ Using existing climate-aligned International Standards to support policy objectives will save time, money and effort.

In the UK, the British Standards Institute (BSI) has been coordinating a multi-stakeholder approach to guide development on new standards that support the UK government’s ambition to decarbonize the transport system by 2050

→ International Standards that support climate action are already widely adopted by the business world.

ISO 14001 on environmental management is used by 568 000 organizations across 39 sectors in 179 countries to assess, quantify, monitor, validate and reduce their climate impacts.

→ International Standards help businesses understand the importance of assessing their dependencies on nature (ISO 14007).

→ International Standards help organizations implement practices for reporting climate risks in line with internationally accepted best practice (ISO 14097).