It used to be that Earth Day was just a nice day to get out into the community and pick up trash with the kids, or go talk to school kids about earth science, and to talk about climate change as something in process but a long way off.
Now, government agencies are expediting their sustainability initiatives and moving those initiatives and teams from the basement to the C-suite, according to a new study by Deloitte. Watching communities be devastated by extreme climate events has a way of focusing attention, too. Then, there’s the $3 trillion in funding and incentives from the combined Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and CHIPS & Science Act accessible to address these issues.
Time of the essence, both because Mother Nature roars on, and because the political winds may shift in November potentially putting monies not already spent at risk. The study found that, “CxOs have a broad mandate encompassing decarbonizing operations, bolstering the agency’s climate resiliency, inculcating climate literacy in the workforce, and embedding environmental justice. Most CxOs say their agencies are on track to decarbonize at least a few operational elements. However, progress toward other sustainability objectives has been sluggish.