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Protect the climate – and jobs too, says business
Kyoto, 10 December 1997
– the leading world business organization welcomed the agreement on a treaty
to combat climate change with a warning that governments must not neglect the
consequences for economic growth, investment and jobs as they build on the Kyoto
accord.
A statementby the International Chamber
of Commerce said that finding the right balance was essential. "If governments
fail in this, they will find that economic decline is the enemy of the environment.
What happens next will decide whether Kyoto is an empty promise or the initial
step in addressing the long term challenges of climate change."
The ICC, which has member companies and business associations in more than 130
countries, said it would be counter-productive for governments to strangle business
enterprise by imposing rigid regulations in the mistaken belief that this would
be the best way to get results.
The business statement said business was central to solving the problem of climate
change. "Having established a framework for action, governments must leave
business free to introduce the process, product and technological changes that
will make reality out of the targets and timetables."
It was essential that developing nations be involved as quickly as possible in
measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions since many of them were entering a phase
of rapid economic expansion, the ICC said. The best way of involving these countries
was to make investment and technologies open to them, since their ability to replace
outdated industrial structures that squandered energy would be crucial to achieving
meaningful global results.
A further business requirement was predictability of government process, the ICC
said. The world business organization pointed out that investment cycles in many
areas, like the provision of new power generation plants, are over several decades.
Car fleets are not replaced overnight, but over 10 years or more.
"Government measures to implement the Kyoto agreement must take account of
such realities. Improved energy performance is not something that can be turned
on like a light switch."
Statement
by the International Chamber of Commerce, the world business organization at the
conclusion of the Third conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention
on Climate Change
ICC
Environment Commission
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