Major global players from some of the most carbon-intensive sectors – including power, utilities, and industrial equipment – have joined calls to reduce greenhouse gases.
In a statement issued Wednesday, 14 corporations that include oil leader Royal Dutch Shell, coal miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, cement maker LafargeHolcim, and technology giants HP and Intel pushed for the United Nations Climate Change conference in Paris, France, this December, where almost 200 nations will agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change.
The statement developed by Virginia-based organization Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) urged for “a more balanced and durable multilateral framework guiding and strengthening national efforts to address climate change,” committing to not only reduce emissions but also establish “strong transparency to hold countries accountable,” facilitate international carbon pricing, and “decarboniz[e] the global economy.”
C2ES president Bob Perciasepe said these are corporations “with real skin in the game,” being large fossil fuel emitters themselves or through their products, but support a Paris agreement to achieve “stronger long-term direction” in the fight against climate change.
“But they believe the low-carbon transition requires stronger leadership from governments, too,” Perciasepe added.
The companies expressed readiness to work with governments and civil society to make the global climate agreement in Paris happen, without which they warned “will result in greater risks and costs.”
A new deal on climate change would translate to new taxes and regulations on these companies’ primary products, such as coal, which is 14 percent of sales as of June 30 this year for BHP.
The other signatories are Alcoa, Alstom, BP, Calpine, National Grid, PG&E, Schneider Electric, and Siemens Corporation. They all have combined revenues of $1.1 trillion and over 1.5 million employees in the world.
The new global agreement will be concluded at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11. It will be under the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
C2ES describes itself as an independent, nonprofit organization “promoting strong policy and action” toward mitigating energy and climate challenges. It seeks business and public support for reducing emissions and enhancing “resilience to climate impacts.”
Photo: John LeGear | Flickr
