Business "Call" Outlines Six Steps for Ambitious Global Climate Treaty
Global business leaders assembled in Copenhagen at the World Business Summit on Climate Change today issued "The Copenhagen Call," a powerful and concise statement that sets out the elements business believes are required to forge an effective new global climate treaty.*
Global business leaders assembled in Copenhagen today called for ambitious, global action on climate change.
As the World Business Summit on Climate Change drew to a close, business announced that a new global climate treaty must set bold targets for emissions reductions by 2020 and 2050, limiting the global average rise in temperature to a maximum of 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels. This requires immediate and substantial action leading to an abatement of around 17Gt versus business-as-usual by 2020, they said.
Emissions reduction at this scale will profoundly affect business but the "Call" states that business leaders stand ready to make those changes and support ambitious political decisions that support economic recovery and safeguard the planet.
This and further recommendations form the basis of "The Copenhagen Call" – a concise statement, which sets out the elements business believes are required for an effective new global climate treaty to be forged.
"The ambition of the Copenhagen Call shows that business need not be a conservative voice on climate change. Many of the businesses represented at this significant event in the lead up to COP15 want brave decisions that will tackle this most wicked of problems," says Tim Flannery, Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council.
Presented to the Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, the Copenhagen Call will be taken forward by them in to the last six months of negotiations before the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) in December.
"Economic recovery and urgent action to tackle climate change are complementary – boosting the economy and jobs through investment in the new infrastructure needed to reduce emissions," the Call further states.
Erik Rasmussen, Founder of the Copenhagen Climate Council, explains: "Reducing the emissions that until now have been so linked to our economic growth and betterment will be an enormous, unprecedented global challenge but will also provide significant opportunities for sustainable growth, green jobs, development and innovation."
In order to set a firm foundation for a sustainable economic future it is imperative that the following six steps are implemented:
- Agreement on a science-based greenhouse gas stabilization path with 2020 and 2050 emissions reduction targets that will achieve it;
- Effective measurement, reporting and verification of emissions performance by business;
- Incentives for a dramatic increase in financing low emissions technologies;
- Deployment of existing low-emissions technologies and the development of new ones;
- Funds to make communities more resilient and able to adapt to the effects of climate change, and
- Means to finance forest protection.
Presented by the Copenhagen Climate Council, the Copenhagen Call was informed by discussion with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development; 3C; the World Economic Forum; the UN Global Compact and The Climate Group, and deliberations among participants at the World Business Summit on Climate Change May 24-26 2009.
* Photo credit: CopenhagenClimateCouncil/PeterSørensen ©
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| 1 May - 31 October, 2010 | Shinghai | World Expo (Shanghai) |
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Comments feedClear evidence for global warming goes back at least to the middle of the 1980s. One case example of some inappropriate actions by one of the 1000s of scientific groups in itself is no argument against climate change. It is just a way for those who have skin in the game against environmental clean technologies to obtain the support of the narrow minded and non-thinking who need to believe that they are all clean and beautiful for their own self santimony. I would suspect the poster below is from Canada, this story has received more than its fair attention by Canadian news channels.
I believe the Copenhagen Treaty Summit should be cancelled! How in God's name can this be considered a legal agreement when a Huge Amount of the basis for the Climate Change Data has been found to be Fraudulently Sabotaged and absolutely Inaccurate? This is signing an agreement Document that has no Legal Foundation of Realistic conditions or elements due to inaccurate and Manipulated Data as described and therefore, anything stated on this Copenhagen Treaty Document should be considered Null and Void! Why create a Pandora's Box, subject to Lawsuits and Misgivings due to total inaccuracy of Scientific Measurements? Which now is proving to be the case! This Treaty has no Legal ground to stand on and is and will be a False Document from day one!
Find out what Governments are doing behind your back, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebOTc-7shU
A road map for a goal of reaching that the atmospheric carbon dioxide level dropped below 300 ppm (where historic record indicates to be for over 800 thousand years):
New electric power generating capacity can come online only nuclear after 2013
The existing railroads to be converted to electricity before 2013
The transportation of merchandize and goods to be done by train on the distances over 25 km from 2014
Short distance transport of goods to be done by electricity driven trucks from 2014
The coal burning power plant units to be replaced by nuclear starting from 2014 and phased out before 2030
New coal burning power plant unit could be put in service in the future only after the atmospheric carbon dioxide level dropped below 300 ppm
The public transport is turned to electric before 2015
The private transportation is supplied with replaceable rechargeable electrical batteries and on the highways replacement batteries are available in new refueling station system for long distance travel from 2014
Only electric cars are sold from 2015
That would work.
I have been trying to get more info on this "Copenhagen Call" from the organisers - so far without success. The final declaration states that "The views expressed here... do not necessarily reflect the views of all participants" but gives no more details.
So are we to surmise that consensus could not be reached on even what appears to be a very general text?
As far as I can tell, no businesses attending the conference made concrete commitments to reduce their individual energy consumption or carbon footprint.
Some of them but not all, have expressed support for certain political goals, as detailed in the final declaration.
Is there a list of signatories for this business Call to Action?