London; June 02, 2022: CDP, the global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for investors, companies, cities and governments, is delighted to announce that CEO Paul Simpson has received an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to Tackling Climate Change, in Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours List. The award is in recognition of the tireless work undertaken by Paul throughout his career to tackle climate change, including co-founding CDP to successfully embed corporate disclosure on climate and the environment into mainstream behaviour.
Through his work at CDP and beyond, Paul is acknowledged as a prominent thought leader on climate change, natural resource protection and sustainable economies and the roles of government, corporations and investment. Under his leadership disclosure through CDP has increased 53-fold since 2002 and by 114% since 2015. In 2021 companies accounting for 64% of global market capitalisation disclosed via CDP. Paul sits on the boards of the Science Based Targets initiative, We Mean Business Coalition and The Investor Agenda, which have contributed to the acceleration of private sector action on climate. Paul’s work at CDP has also laid the foundations for the global wave of mandatory disclosure regulation on corporate climate action.
Commenting on the award, Paul Simpson, CEO, CDP, said:
"I am humbled and honoured to have received an OBE for services to tackling climate change. When we began asking companies to publish their carbon emissions in 2002, it wasn’t something that had been done before. Market focus was exclusively centred on financial gains with little consideration for environmental consequences. Thankfully climate change is no longer a fringe topic but top of boardroom agendas."
"Although there has been a significant increase in awareness of environmental risk over the last two decades, the current pace and scale of activity remains insufficient, and the climate and ecological crises are still accelerating. Greater urgency, more government regulation and increased investment is required to limit global warming to 1.5C. I look forward to continuing to play my part in driving ambitious action that supports a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term."
Paul is a council member of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), and the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group's Global Advisory Council for the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford.
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For more information or interview requests please contact:
Yvonne Soulsby, CDP, tel. +44 (0) 2038 183 973 | email: [email protected]
About CDP
CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions. Founded in 2000 and working with more than 680 investors with over $130 trillion in assets, CDP pioneered using capital markets and corporate procurement to motivate companies to disclose their environmental impacts, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Over 14,000 organizations around the world disclosed data through CDP in 2021, including more than 13,000 companies worth over 64% of global market capitalization, and over 1,100 cities, states and regions. Fully TCFD aligned, CDP holds the largest environmental database in the world, and CDP scores are widely used to drive investment and procurement decisions towards a zero carbon, sustainable and resilient economy. CDP is a founding member of the Science Based Targets initiative, We Mean Business Coalition, The Investor Agenda and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. Visit cdp.net or follow us @CDP to find out more.