Craig Cohon
Born
Chicago, U.S.
NationalityCanadian
EducationUniversity of Western Ontario
OccupationEntrepreneur
Years active1986–current
Known forLaunching Coca-Cola, Cirque du Soleil in Russia
SpouseJeanette Sundberg-Cohon (1992–2010)(divorced)
ChildrenTwo
Parent(s)Susan Silver Cohon, George Cohon

Craig Cohon is a Canadian businessman, climate activist and founder of walk it back, a global environmental campaign that works to promote international dialogue on carbon dioxide removal.

During his business career, Cohon advocated for the environment,[1] investing in social and environment-driven businesses across the world. In 2000, he was named "A Global Leader for Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum acknowledging his role in bringing Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Cirque du Soleil to Russia in the early 1990s.[2]

Environmental activism

In 2021, Cohon became the first private citizen to undertake a personal lifetime carbon audit following COP26 and discovered he had caused 8,400 tons of carbon dioxide to be emitted into the atmosphere since his birth.[3]

He committed to pay back his carbon debt giving over USD $1 million of his pension to clean carbon removal projects and challenged himself to walk over 4,000 km across Europe to engage in a global discussion about carbon removal with those he would meet on the way.[4]

From January 3 to June 5, 2023, Cohon, who is not a trained athlete, planned to walk 25 to 35 km nearly every day, beginning in the United Kingdom[5] and crossing 14 countries and 82 cities to reach his final destination. Cohon was accompanied by two trucks carrying his supplies.[6] He completed his journey in Istanbul shortly before June 5, which marks both World Environment Day and his 60th birthday.[7]

The campaign is called walk it back and supports local clean city projects that accelerate carbon removal efforts in energy, transport, industry, agriculture, oceans and buildings. In November 2022, walk it back published the policy paper "Getting to Net Negative", about the role that cities play in carbon removal.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Why ethical conduct is stuck in a corporate ghetto". Financial Times. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  2. ↑ "In conversation with Craig Cohon". Tank Magazine. September 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  3. ↑ Tobin, Anna (November 4, 2022). "This entrepreneur is walking for 153 days to help reverse his carbon footprint". World Economic Forum. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ "A Canadian Businessman Spent $1 Million to Offset His Carbon Footprint". Bloomberg.com. April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ "LONDON-BASED ENTREPRENEUR EMBARKS ON 4,000KM WALK IT BACK CAMPAIGN TO REVERSE HIS LIFETIME EMISSIONS". Yahoo Finance. January 2, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Lampert, Nicole. "Meet the Jewish climate activist walking 4000 kilometres from London to Istanbul". www.thejc.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ Lytvynenko, Bogdan (June 5, 2023). "Canadian businessman walks across Europe to remove his carbon footprint". CBC. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ https://walkitback.org/app/uploads/2022/11/REIxWIB_Policy-Dialogue-Paper-20.11.2022.pdf
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