Corporate Leaders Unveil Climate Change Roadmap
On Nov. 9, a
group of 46 international companies called on nations to work together
to develop a global policy framework to combat climate change.
Heads of the companies (based in North America, Europe, Asia and
Africa) issued a statement urging governments around the world to take
a series of steps to address climate change. The companies, from
industrial, energy, financial, insurance, power, transportation and
media sectors, have combined in an international business initiative
called Combat Climate Change (3C).
In advance of upcoming climate change negotiations in Bali,
Indonesia, the group is recommending specific action steps that world
governments should make a priority in taking urgent action against the
global climate problem.
"Industry can and should be an ally, not an obstacle, to addressing
the very real climate problem," said Lars Josefsson, founder of the
initiative and president and chief executive officer of Swedish energy
group Vattenfall. "But the initiative must be taken not by one
industry, but by all of us working together: the global challenge of
combating climate change requires a global solution."
Unveiled at a seminar in Washington, D.C., the 3C Roadmap calls on governments to:
- Set a global goal of a maximum acceptable temperature increase and derive global emissions targets from this goal.
- Establish policies to enable changes driven by the marketplace, including:
- Creation of a stable global market for emissions trading.
- Minimum requirements for energy and resource efficiency (with a focus on transportation and building) .
- Targeted systems to address forestry and agriculture.
- Support programs for high-impact technologies such as solar
photovoltaic, carbon capture and storage, offshore wind and cellulosic
ethanol.
The 3C companies committed themselves to four actions they will
undertake to support development of the transparent policy framework
called for in the roadmap:
- Sharing their understanding of the industries they work
in and identifying the measures with the most impact and the steps
needed to gain their full effect.
- Working within their respective sectors to influence their colleagues and push the development of efficient technology.
- Working hard to reduce emissions in their businesses and to act as role models for other organizations.
- Contribute their share to minimizing market failures by being transparent and by helping our customers make informed choices.
The roadmap can be viewed at http://www.combatclimatechange.org.