Climate change

After SDGs adopted, world business says this is a turning point

  • 28 September 2015
ICC Responsible business

Congratulating world leaders on last Friday’s adoption by UN member states of the 17 global sustainable development goals that will provide the blueprint for the world’s development over the next 15 years, global business says the goals will not be achieved unless action is taken on climate change.

Joining forces with ‘We Mean Business’, a coalition of organizations working influential businesses and investors, ICC is calling for an ambitious climate deal at COP21 in Paris this December. The call comes in an advert featured today in the Financial Times.

The full text of the advert follows:

Congratulations, World Leaders, on securing the Sustainable Development Goals. But we’re not going to achieve them unless we take action on climate change.

Organizations working with more than 6,000,000 companies around the world want an ambitious climate deal at COP21 in Paris this December.

More leading companies and investors are taking climate action than ever before.

We are moving because taking action is scaling up clean energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the climate science, creating jobs and unleashing low-carbon innovation.

Simply put: climate action is good for business. And governments can help us all go further-and faster.

We ask governments to commit to securing an ambitious agreement in Paris which:

•           Decarbonizes the global economy over the course of this century

•           Regularly updates and improves government commitments

•           Ensures accountability and transparency through clear rules

•           Sends clear policy signals, such as carbon pricing mechanisms and incentives to shift trillions of dollars towards low-carbon, climate-resilient investment

•           Reduces the vulnerability and strengthens the resilience of economies and communities to climate impacts

The transition to the low-carbon economy is inevitable, irreversible and irresistible.

An ambitious global agreement at COP21 will catalyze business action to reduce emissions and build climate resilience. Together, we can forge a clean, predictable and transformative path towards a safe and prosperous future.