We asked 50 experts how governments can help small business climate action

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must act in order to meet global goals for net-zero emissions. But they can’t go at it alone. They need government help to take climate action.

Yet, in the SME Climate Hub’s latest annual survey, 80% of SMEs reported either low government support, or a lack of awareness of available incentives to act on climate change. This is one of the top barriers preventing SMEs from adapting to climate-related risks.

So, what can policymakers do to help? And what solutions work best for SMEs?

We explore this in a new report with the International Universities Climate Alliance, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and over 50 SME climate action experts worldwide. The report, released during COP30 in Brazil, responds to the following questions:

• What climate mitigation and adaptation solutions (approaches and/or technologies) are proving cost effective or ineffective for SMEs?
• How can governments best support SMEs to address their emissions and climate risk exposure?

This report is our initial step to gather the best available evidence worldwide, and can serve as a foundation for further research.

Click here to read our Open Letter to Heads of COP30 Delegations, asking for better policy support for SMEs seeking to take climate action.