INCA has committed itself to becoming a Net Zero organisation, and to working with its membership and the wider industry to support and facilitate the transition of the 'altnet' sector, to a net carbon zero future at the earliest opportunity.
Tackling climate change is probably the biggest single challenge that we have ever faced. The consequences of failure don't bear thinking about. It is incumbent on us all to do what we can to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) as part of the global effort to keep the rise in global temperatures as low as possible,
INCA's initial strategy is simple:
- Starting immediately, INCA will begin work to assess its own impact as an organisation, and implement a programme to achieve Net Zero (or better) within an agreed time frame. Our goal at this stage is to achieve a Net Zero position no later than 2030, sooner if we can. We will regularly report on this work through our website to our members and the wider community.
- We are initiating a programme of activity to engage with our member organisations to:
- Identify the key people within our membership network who are already actively engaged with this agenda and who have responsibility for climate change mitigation and sustainability, and bring these people together for mutual benefit.
- Encourage our members to share their knowledge, plans, good practice and concerns
- Work with our members to develop a programme that meets their needs
- Develop useful resources and tools that we and our members can use to accelerate the transition to Net Zero.
- Identify gaps in expertise and/or resources that we can potentially address through collaborative action.
- Provide a space for discussion via a cycle of meetings and events geared to the needs of our members.
- Work with our members and others to develop a longer term strategy,
In setting this out, we acknowledge that many of our member organisations may already be further ahead on this important work. It is our hope and expectation that those in leadership positions with respect to taking action in our sector will be open to a collaborative approach, recognising that we can only succeed in this by working together.
We also acknowledge that achievement of Net Zero status, whilst a significant step, may not be sufficient in and of itself. Reducing our net impact to zero may not be enough. As we go down this road it is important that we look for opportunities whereby we can go beyond net zero. INCA is in a sector which in many ways has beneficial impacts: gigabit-capable digital connectivity often enables people and organisations to avoid carbon-intensive travel and other activities that are significant contributors to GHG emissions. At the same time digital infrastructure and internet-based digital services are significant sources of emissions, and this is rising. It is crucial that we collectively understand the impacts – both positive and negative – enabling us to take effective action.
If you are interested in engaging with INCA on this work and your organisation is already an INCA member, please sign up to this mailing list and we'll keep you informed of opportunities to engage including upcoming meetings/events.
For any specific enquiries about our work on Net Zero, please contact Graham Mitchell via graham@inca.coop