The Exponential Roadmap Initiative and Oxford Net Zero agreed a collaboration to accelerate the transformation towards halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero before 2050. The partners signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Oxford Net Zero is an interdisciplinary research initiative based at the University of Oxford. Its research fellows are working to track progress, align standards and inform effective solutions in climate science, law, policy, economics, clean energy, transport, land and food systems and greenhouse gas removal and storage. Exponential Roadmap Initiative drives exponential transformation to halve emissions by 2030 by uniting innovative, transformative and disruptive companies. 

The collaboration will focus on developing and scaling leading standards, guidelines, and methods for companies, non-state actors, and policymakers, as well as advocating for net zero regulation and policy, and driving business support for fair and clear regulations. A first output of the collaboration is a discussion brief proposing principles for defining and qualifying climate solutions and climate solutions companies, to be launched at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai in December.

Kaya Axelsson, Head of Policy and Partnerships, Oxford Net Zero: 

Companies are looking to standards and policies to set their strategic direction and the climate movement has so far not incentivized them to develop products to help us get to net zero. So we want to take a first step towards defining climate solutions to provide ideas that the standards community can take up and that would motivate companies – in particular in parts of the world that have to grow parts of their economy to meet their sustainable development goals – to innovate in line with science and develop products and services that bring down emissions.

Johan Falk, CEO and Co-founder of the Exponential Roadmap Initiative:

It is incredibly important that we get momentum behind exponentially scaling the solutions that we know will help us shift out the fossil economy. When we have principles to define products and services as climate solutions, and qualify companies as climate solutions companies, that will provide incentives for companies and investors. It’s a great pleasure to be working with the fantastic researchers at Oxford Net Zero to take a first stab at figuring out what these principles could be.

This strategic partnership underscores the growing recognition of the critical role that collaboration between academia, industry, and civil society plays in addressing the urgent challenges posed by climate change.