Businesses to showcase pledges and call for policies at climate summit

For the first time major international business networks have joined together for a conference on climate change. The event will see over 1,000 businesses, investors and policymakers make the case for action to limit global warming to 2C.

The conference will take place in Paris at the UNESCO headquarters on May 20 and 21, 200 days before COP21. The COP21 summit will be hosted in December in Paris, where it is hoped an ambitious global climate treaty can be agreed.

The event aims to provide business leaders a unique forum to showcase the action their organisations have already taken in terms of sustainability and call for policies that will allow them to scale-up low-carbon solutions. Policymakers will be presented with a series of recommendations at the conclusion of the summit.

“The science is clear – global emissions need to swiftly peak as a prelude to a deep decarbonisation of the global economy by the second half of the century. Many businesses know this and are planning for that future: it is time for the rest to come on board,” said Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of UNFCCC.

Nigel Topping, CEO of We Mean Business, added that bringing together the different parties at the conference would “be critical in shaping an ambitious climate agreements achieving net zero emissions at COP21”.

The business summit was initiated following the UN secretary general’s call for the private sector to take a more active role in the world decarbonisation process at the New York summit last year.

Photo: acerin via Freeimages

Further reading:

Report urges businesses to act on climate change

Cameron, Clegg and Miliband sign joint climate change agreement

Business lobby urges European leaders to set ambitious climate change targets

Branson and Polman among business leaders calling for tough emission targets