Business coalition issues call to action over climate change to governments

A coalition of over 175 companies including Shell, Tesco, Kingfisher, Unilever and EDF Energy have issued an urgent call for governments around the world to take action on climate change.

The ‘2°C Challenge Communiqué’, organised by the The Prince of Wales’s EU Corporate Leaders’ Group on Climate Change, calls on government to agree a “robust, equitable and effective agreement” on climate change at the United Nation’s meeting in Durban, South Africa in December.

Time is running out to take action to keep the average global temperature rise at under 2°C, says the statement.

According to the coalition, without a global agreement, “business will have insufficient clarity or certainty of action to invest to its full potential”.

“As business leaders, we believe that the only sustainable future for our companies and for the globe is to build a robust, green, climate-resilient economy,” concludes the Communiqué.

As for actual actions, the Communiqué calls on national governments to adopt a carbon price sufficient to drive emission reductions and increase investment in low-carbon development. Businesses and consumers that use energy more efficiently and cut emissions should also be helped, it adds.

The coalition also wants to see an end to fossil fuel subsidies, as the International Energy Agency has long been calling for, a reformation of the Clean Development Mechanism and a climate change fund for the developing world in operation.

Chair of the UNFCCC negotiations Christiana Figueres said the coalition was setting a great example.

“Governments have already established a clear, collective path to a low-carbon future but the world will need to cut emissions faster in the coming years to meet the full challenge of climate change,” she added.

For further information:
www.2degreecommunique.com

20 October 2011

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