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CLIMATE, INEQUALITIES

AND TERRITORY: A CALL FOR

CORPORATE CO-RESPONSIBILITY

Katia Mello, Co-president of Diagonal

THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY IS NOT JUST AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE — IT IS ALSO DEEPLY SOCIAL. ITS
IMPACTS MANIFEST LOCALLY, BUT WITH UNEQUAL INTENSITY — NOT ONLY DUE TO PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY,
BUT ESPECIALLY DUE TO SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY. IN MOST CASES, IT HITS HARDEST THOSE LIVING IN
VULNERABLE TERRITORIES MARKED BY A LACK OF DECENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND EXCLUSION FROM
STRUCTURAL PUBLIC POLICIES.

The data is alarming. According to UN-Habitat, contexts shape their ability to operate, expand, and
over 1.1 billion people currently live in slums or remain legitimate.
informal settlements — and by 2050, this number
could reach 3 billion. These are, for the most part, By adopting this perspective, companies:
peripheral territories that lie outside what we
call urban resilience. In these places, climate risk • Reformulate the “E”, connecting their
intersects with economic and social vulnerabilities, environmental strategies not only to emissions
creating fertile ground for climate collapse to turn and efficiency, but also to the climate resilience
into a social — or even humanitarian — crisis. of the urban ecosystems in which they operate;

World Bank studies warn that, without territorial • Reclaim the “S” as a commitment to care,
adaptation measures, climate impacts could triple equity and social security within their territories
the exposure of vulnerable urban populations to of influence;
disasters by 2050. In other words: climate change
does not create inequalities, but it deepens and • Expand the “G”, by integrating climate risk
accelerates them. and territorial instability into governance and
decision-making processes.
In this context, tackling the climate crisis is not
just an environmental challenge. It is, above all, Territorial ESG is not just a new layer of responsibility.
a political, urban and ethical challenge. And It is a new way of operating, positioning, and
it demands an approach deeply rooted in the generating value in a world in transition. It is where
territories. care meets strategy, and where resilience and
business reinforce each other. It is the shift from
It is from this standpoint that Diagonal advocates a logic of impact mitigation to a logic of territorial
that ESG must also evolve. regeneration, activating the capacity of places
to heal, reinvent themselves, and sustain life with
It is with this lens that ESG, when structured through dignity and ecological balance.
the Territorial Approach, becomes a powerful
strategic tool for building urban resilience. This From an urban perspective, to regenerate means
approach, developed by Diagonal, is based on to reconfigure territory so it can absorb climate
the understanding that companies are rooted in impacts, promote spatial justice, and strengthen
specific urban and social contexts — and these social and institutional ties. This includes restoring

Diagonal is a socio-environmental consultancy, pioneer in Social Management and a reference
in Social Urbanism, with over 35 years of experience. Over the years, the company has helped
positively impact the lives of more than 6 million people in 23 countries, through over 1,500
projects. Diagonal supports private companies, governments, third sector organizations, and
international development agencies in designing and executing solutions to generate positive
socio-environmental impact in the communities where they operate. www.diagonal.social

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