The private sector is essential to meeting the 2°C target of warming, the threshold that scientists say would lead to dangerous climate change, according to influential NGO Carbon War Room.

With a number of policies from renewable energy rollouts, carbon trading to energy efficiency drives underway, the goal of remaining within the safe limit of warming as estimated by climate scientists is a long way off.

“The private sector is a, if not the, crucial element for this solution getting to scale,” says Peter Boyd from the Carbon War Room.

“The private sector’s role in getting within 2°C is essential. It’s a huge pivot in the economy, it’s a 99% shift in carbon intensity from the 768g we currently use to generate $1 of GDP to the 6g that we need to get to,” said Boyd, speaking at the Rushlight Show’s Sustainability Conference.