Business Leaders Implore Negotiators For Long-Term Emissions Goal In Paris COP21
With the deadline for a climate deal to be reached in Paris closing fast, business leaders from around the world have called for a long-term emissions goal.
In a letter to Heads of State and Government signed by members of the We Mean Business coalition, and organized by The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group, business leaders made it clear that they are “looking to the UN climate talks in Paris as an opportunity to receive a clear signal that governments are committed to the transition to a low-carbon economy.”
“To deliver such a signal, we need to see an agreement that provides a clear direction of travel and confidence that we will advance to meet it,” the letter states (PDF). “This requires a clear and specific long-term emissions goal well before the end of the century coupled with a five-year ambition mechanism that begins around 2020.”
With business on board, the transition to a low-carbon economy is all the more likely — and without clear signals from governments and states, business will be left spinning its wheels.
“With such a signal business and investors will be able to scale up the already considerable investments and actions they are making and deliver trillions of dollars of investment over the next decade.”
“We expect world leaders to demonstrate their leadership in finalising the agreement required and we urge them to listen to the voice of business,” said Philippe Joubert, Chair of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group. “We need a clear vision of the world we’re shaping for tomorrow, a direction of travel. This means a specific long-term zero emissions goal well before the end of the century. The impetus from a strong Paris outcome will enable us to speed up and scale up our solutions.”
“We believe that, under the very capable leadership of the French Presidency, the majority of ministers are working well towards an historic outcome – a robust, transparent, enduring, dynamic and legally binding climate regime containing all major emitters that has the potential to keep the 2°C target within reach,” added Nigel Topping, CEO of We Mean Business.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
CleanTechnica Holiday Wish Book
Our Latest EVObsession Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
According to latest news reports, a target of 1.5 C is now recognised as the maximum commensurate with limiting climate damage to a ‘tolerable’ level, which at least indicates that, notwithstanding the squabbling over distributing the main burden of change between developed and developing nations , the urgency is generally accepted. This will probably emerge as the most significant advance on 2009.
It rather looks as if COP21 is heading for a more ambitious temperature goal than 2 deg C, combined with a softball timetable for decarbonisation. Inconsistent probably. But having any mention of zero emissions should be a good enough signal to investors: fossil fuels are doomed.
Resistance to ratcheting doesn’t make any sense as it is necessary. With any luck it is a negotiating tactic that will be dropped in exchange for a reasonable concession.