Although the carbon emissions of individual small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are often not significant, they exceed the pollution created by large companies in cumulative volume. Businesses with under 500 employees represent 90% of businesses globally. According to OECD data, "SMEs contribute up to 70% of industrial pollution in Europe" Also, SMEs represent the most significant part of a large company's upstream and downstream activities, so any serious action to reduce carbon emissions must include supplier and distributor SMEs.
International donors see SMEs as an essential part of the economy and critical for the survival of the most disadvantaged communities. As a result, in recent years, there has been more interest from bilateral and multilateral donors and initiatives to help SMEs in developing countries combat the impacts of climate change.
The recently launched "Climate Canvas Initiative" is also well positioned to extend donors' support to SMEs in developing countries by helping SMEs recognize the value of reducing their carbon footprints and taking practical steps to combat climate change impacts. The Climate Canvas Initiative provides technical assistance and knowledge exchange to assist SMEs in building climate change resilience and benefiting their communities. The technical assistance will initially focus on getting the climate change mitigation and adaptation plan right by applying the Climate Canvas approach. In the second phase, support will likely focus on helping SMEs to access finance for the required interventions. The core aim is to help businesses design, test, and implement more climate-resilient and sustainable business models.
Full text article is at: https://lnkd.in/d9vXVG-J
#climatechange #climatecanvas #sme #smefinance #internationaldevelopment #donor
#adaptation #climate #carbon #pollution #climatechangemitigation #resilient #impacts #developingcountries
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