Engage for Change Series: Mike Berners-Lee on harnessing carbon data for climate action

The science behind climate change is clear, the solutions are within reach, and the need for action has never been more urgent. But despite our knowledge and innovative solutions, global progress remains frustratingly slow. Engaging stakeholders at every level—from individuals to governments—is not just important, it’s essential. 

As world leaders gather in Azerbaijan for COP29, we find ourselves at a critical moment in the climate fight. To explore how we can harness this momentum to engage and mobilise people, we spoke with Mike Berners-Lee—renowned sustainability expert, author, professor, and founder of Small World Consulting. In this interview, Mike shares how carbon data can help individuals understand their environmental impact, the importance of rigorous standards for business carbon reporting, and why open conversations about climate progress are critical. He also advocates for an honest reflection on the shortcomings of past COPs to guide more impactful climate action in the future.

The role of carbon data in climate action 

“It’s very difficult to take effective climate action unless you’ve got at least a rough idea of the relative climate impacts of different activities,” Mike Berners-Lee explains. Carbon data gives people a foundational understanding of their environmental impact, enabling them to make more informed, climate-conscious decisions. While data alone may not directly drive behaviour change, he adds, it is an essential starting point for people aiming to live more sustainably. 

However, as Mike points out, carbon dioxide is an abstract, invisible gas, which makes it difficult to grasp its significance. To make the data more relatable, he emphasises the importance of contextualisation. For example, comparing the emissions from a flight to Australia to the impact of eating a specific number of burgers. While these comparisons aren’t perfectly precise, they offer a useful perspective, helping people understand the relative impact of their actions. 

Berners-Lee argues that absolute accuracy isn’t necessary; instead, what’s important is having “well-informed information that allows you to manage your carbon appropriately”.

The importance of robust carbon data for businesses

Mike explains that, at the business level, carbon measurement demands a more rigorous, quantitative approach, although perfect accuracy is still unattainable. He advocates for “methodologically robust” practices with “consistent system boundary criteria and high standards of transparency.” This standardisation enables companies to reliably compare their impacts and gain insights from each other’s analyses to better understand their own supply chain emissions. This unified approach is key to driving more effective, collaborative climate action across industries. 

However, as Mike points out, many businesses still aren’t disclosing their carbon emissions, largely due to inadequate regulatory requirements and minimal societal pressure. “They don’t feel enough pressure from the world around them,” he notes, adding that without demand from stakeholders and customers, companies often lack the motivation to take climate action. This reflects the need for a collective approach, with pressure from legislation, individual stakeholders, and other businesses, to make transparency and climate action the norm. 

Embracing transparency 

We discussed the issue of greenhushing, where businesses hesitate to communicate their climate progress for fear of backlash. However, Mike stresses that openly sharing carbon emissions and sustainability initiatives with customers is more important than the risk of being criticised for imperfections. “Businesses shouldn’t be afraid of being called out for being hypocrites,” he says. “We’re all hypocrites. None of us are perfect. It's much better to be honest about it, warts and all.”

Mike argues that authenticity resonates with the public because it acknowledges the shared struggle of trying to be more sustainable. “The public responds to that because we're all in that boat, right? None of us are perfect.” By prioritising open, honest communication, businesses can encourage society to wake up to the urgency of the climate crisis and inspire others to join in climate action rather than remain silent.

The value and limitations of COP

While international climate meetings like COP play an essential role in bringing together global leaders to address climate change, Mike Berners-Lee argues that they’ve yet to achieve their primary goal: reducing global emissions. Reflecting on past COPs, he emphasises a harsh reality: despite over 30 years of these conferences, emissions continue to rise. He points to a graph showing a steady increase in emissions over the past 60 years, explaining, “You can draw a marker into the middle of that line where the first COP took place, and you can’t see any difference whatsoever. It’s as though the COPs never happened.” This demands a serious reflection on what’s gone wrong and how to course-correct before it’s too late. 

Mike attributes the failures of previous COPs to fundamental issues in how we approach climate action, noting that the sum of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) does not translate into meaningful global change due to interconnected economic dynamics. For example, reductions by one country often lead to increased emissions elsewhere, as demand shifts to other regions. Another critical limitation he highlights is the assumption that increasing renewable energy will automatically reduce fossil fuel usage. In reality, without policies to actively constrain fossil fuel extraction, renewable growth often just adds to the overall energy supply rather than replacing fossil fuels. A straightforward carbon pricing mechanism, he suggests, could effectively limit fossil fuel use, yet it faces strong resistance from fossil fuel companies “because it will actually work.”

Looking ahead 

Looking ahead to COP29, Mike worries it may yield another set of superficial solutions. “My fear for the next COP is that we’re going to come away with a whole load of actions that are just plausible enough to look as though we may have made some progress,” he says. He calls for an honest reassessment of what needs to change, insisting, “nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

Conclusion

Mike Berners-Lee’s insights underscore the urgent need to address climate action with honesty, transparency, and genuine intent. He argues that robust carbon data—contextualised for individuals and standardised for businesses—forms the foundation for informed decision-making and accountability. However, data alone cannot drive change. Only when paired with transparency and a collective commitment to climate action can it inspire the meaningful shifts necessary to reduce global emissions.

Discover how Cogo transforms carbon data into relatable insights, empowering individuals and businesses to understand and reduce their environmental impact.