Tradition obliges. Telekom is supplementing its current climate protection targets. In March 2019, the most ambitious climate protection targets to date - based on the latest scientific findings - were published. This commitment is now the next step.
In its March targets, Deutsche Telekom committed itself, among other things, to reducing its climate-impacting emissions by 90 percent by 2030. An important milestone on this path will be the exclusive use of electricity from renewable energies throughout the Group as early as 2021. Now it's time to move on:
- Group-wide climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest.
- As one of the pioneer companies, Deutsche Telekom has signed the GSMA plan with the aim that the mobile communications industry is emission-free by 2050 at the latest.
- Orientation towards scientific research to meet the 1.5 degree target.
A zero-sum game for the climate
In signing this plan, Deutsche Telekom is taking the next logical step; Group-wide climate neutrality, meaning that emissions will be avoided as far as possible. Compensation measures will be taken for unavoidable emissions to ensure that any actions that damage the environment are offset.
The joint approach in the sector drastically increases the leverage effect of the climate protection measures. At the same time, it also highlights the urgency to quickly implement effective measures to limit the temperature increase of our atmosphere to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. The sector is making a statement that commercial enterprises can and must take a responsible lead in acting as role models.
"We ask, what must we do?"
“Working towards the 1.5 degree target means a paradigm shift: We no longer ask what we can do in order to stabilize the climate in the interests of the people, we now ask what we must do,” explains Birgit Klesper, Senior Vice President for Corporate Responsibility at Deutsche Telekom. “It’s good if a company takes this approach. But we only have a realistic chance of meeting this target if we convert entire sectors.”
"We'll only win if everyone gets there"
And 2050 is the target date for the entire sector. Individual companies will be able to achieve climate neutrality much earlier. With its current climate protection targets and measures that have already been implemented, Deutsche Telekom already fulfills central requirements as laid out by the GSMA. “You could say that we have a head start in terms of some points. But we only win the race if everybody gets to the finish,” says Birgit Klesper.
