500 business leaders sign plea for climate deal

NEW YORK—Some of the world’s top business leaders on Tuesday (New York time) warned that a failure to agree on a strong new climate deal at United Nations-backed talks in Copenhagen in December will result in catastrophic damage to the planet, people and the global marketplace.

In a declaration signed and forwarded to the now-concluded Climate Change Summit at the UN headquarters, 500 heads of top global companies urged world governments to rise to “a new level of leadership” and articulated a strong business case for an efficacious climate change framework.

Some of the mainstream powerhouse companies whose leaders signed the statement included British Airways, Cisco Systems, the Deutsche Bank Group, Ericsson, Fuji Xerox Co., Dupont, Kraft Foods, LG Electronics, Qatar Airways, Royal Dutch Shell, Philips Electronics and German insurer Allianz.

The UN conference in Copenhagen, Denmark set for December aims to draft a new environmental treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

In his speech at this week’s summit, US President Obama committed the US to finding a solution. For the first time, the US accepted its share of the blame for climate change when Obama said in his speech: “It is true that for too many years mankind has been slow to respond or even recognize the magnitude of the climate threat. It is true of my own country as well. We recognize that. But this is a new day. It is a new era and I am proud to say that the United States has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in our history.”

He is facing great difficulties, however, after legislative action ran aground on the strong opposition of right wing groups, big industry such as the oil giants, and other well-organized groups whose only interest is to block the Obama agenda, as cited by European and developing countries.

But the business leaders, many of whom are at the top of American industrial groups, argued in their statement that contrary to the argument that mandatory pollution cuts would harm the economy, the fact is that “ambitious emissions reductions would create significant business opportunities.”

They added: “Business has already made significant progress in identifying and innovating solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation. Investors are steadily building change into their decision making. The transition to a low-carbon economy is well within reach.”

They also urged nations to set aside their differences and confront climate change with the “same urgent, joint approach they took during the economic crisis.”

Many of these leaders have already made strides in the fight against climate change, said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “They understand, you understand, that the short-term cost of action is far outweighed by the long-term price of inaction” as well as boosting global competitiveness and prosperity.

Ban added, “It is a choice between sustainable growth, a choice between inclusive global markets and trade anarchy, a choice between a healthy planet and environmental catastrophe.”

Former US Vice President and Nobel laureate Al Gore was there to further advance his environmental advocacy and to call on his country to quickly pass climate-change legislation.

“In this crucial stage, what the world wants is the involvement of heads of state on the issue of climate change. I want to call on all heads of state—those gathered here and the few who are not here as well—to move forward with concrete proposals on financing for adaptation and technology transfer,” said Gore.

On the opposition of big groups in the US that has resulted in the serious watering down of climate- change bills and stymied the debate on climate change Gore added, “I choose to be optimistic that they will act and I call upon them to avoid being distracted by backward-looking amendments such as the one that will be pending this week to strip the government of its authority to mandate carbon dioxide reductions under the Clean Air Act.”

More commitments at summit

Ban is also optimistic in his area of action. “The level of representation at this summit clearly shows that climate change is now at the top of the global agenda.”

He said the summit marked the moment when the “political momentum has shifted in favor of sealing a fair, effective, and ambitious global climate deal in Copenhagen,” with the summit giving “fresh wind in our sails.”

China’s President Hu Jintao and Japan’s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made significant new commitments to action on climate change.

Hu said China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent below the level of 1990 by 2020. “We have taken and will continue to take determined and practical steps to tackle this challenge.”

Hatoyama said, meanwhile, that his nation aims to make a 25-percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020, and that Japan is also ready to contribute money and technical help for poorer countries to cut emissions.

Even the Maldives, which is generally included at such gatherings as a prime casualty of climate change, offered to do its share. It would be carbon-neutral by 2020, its President, Mohamed Nasheed, said.

At the summit, the European Union again reaffirmed a commitment to cut emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and added it is even willing to increase that to 30 percent.

Philippine Presidential Adviser on Climate Change Heherson Alvarez, on the other hand, told BusinessMirror that developing countries, like the Philippines, are looking for progress on financing arrangements to assist developing nations to make the changes necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Without a firm commitment from the developed countries to cut emissions and provide significant financial and technological assistance to help developing countries limit their own emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, a strong climate deal in Copenhagen is out of reach,” said Alvarez.

United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer said a deal in Copenhagen is in sight with the commitments made by different countries. “But I have, at the same time, the feeling that the spotlight is focused on climate change in a way that has never happened before, so we have got the politicians in the headlamps and let’s make sure that they deliver.”

He commented on the American commitment, “It could be that President Obama will have to call out to his colleagues in Copenhagen: Yes we can, but I’m not ready yet.”

Oxfam’s warning

Oxfam Philippines spokesman Kalayaan Pulido-Constantino said that should developed countries “fail to provide funds to help developing countries carry the additional burden of climate-change adaptation, it will put at risk and even reverse whatever gains have been achieved by past and ongoing official development initiatives.”

Oxfam International spokesman David Waskow is not too optimistic, saying heads of state “did not seem to have the necessary energy to deliver the drive we need heading into Copenhagen. While the summit generated some momentum at an important crossroads, we needed a bigger boost this close to Copenhagen.”

Further climate negotiating sessions are scheduled in Bangkok at the end of September and Barcelona in early November. The Copenhagen talks begin on December 7. Link...