The Climate Change Business Forum held a press conference today attended by Hong Kong signatories of the Communiqué, including ARUP, The Bank of East Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, CLP Holdings Ltd, CSR Asia, Eden Ventures, Energy Resources Management, ERM, Hang Lung Properties Ltd, Hang Seng Bank, HSBC, KPMG, Melco International Development Ltd, Pacific Risk Advisors Ltd, Savita, Sustain Asia Ltd, Standard Chartered, and Swire Pacific Limited. These companies are Hong Kong’s leaders showing a way to an energy efficient future.
The Copenhagen Communiqué calls on world leaders to agree on “an ambitious, robust and equitable global deal on climate change that responds credibly to the scale and urgency of the crisis facing the world today.” It warns that business will suffer if a credible deal is not reached at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.
The global media launch of The Copenhagen Communiqué coincides with the UN Summit on Climate Change which took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, 22nd September. A copy of The Copenhagen Communiqué was handed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and distributed to more than 100 Heads of State and Governments attending the summit.
The Communiqué sets out the business case for a strong and effective UN climate framework and offers a progressive global consensus on the shape of an agreement. In the document, the more than 500 business leaders say, “These are difficult and challenging times for the international business community and a poor outcome from the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen will only make them more so, by creating uncertainty and undermining confidence.” They warn that, “Economic development will not be sustained in the longer term unless the climate is stabilised” and say it is “critical” that “we exit this recession in a way that lays the foundation for low-carbon growth and avoids locking us into a high carbon future.”
A central issue covered in the Communiqué is financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation. This is generally one of the most contentious issues in climate negotiations, with an estimated US $100-200bn needed annually by 2030 to help developing countries reduce their emissions and adapt to the climate change already being experienced. In The Copenhagen Communiqué business leaders argue that “the costs of transition are manageable, even in the current economic climate”.
The companies finish by stating: “The more ambitious the framework, the more business will deliver” and that “delay is not an option.”
The Copenhagen Communiqué is an initiative of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, which is run by The University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership. Global partners in support of the initiative include The Climate Group, The UN Global Compact and WWF-International along with business associations and initiatives in many different countries [4]. As the supporting partner for Hong Kong, the Climate Change Business Forum has encouraged both members and partners to support this initiative.
The full text of The Copenhagen Communiqué is available in 19 different languages with the list of signatories at: www.copenhagencommunique.com
About Climate Change Business Forum (CCBF)
The Climate Change Business Forum, an initiative of Business Environment Council, provides a unique leadership platform for business to understand and respond to the opportunities and risks of climate change and the inevitable policies and regulations that will address it. CCBF funds research on how business should be adapting and reducing their emissions and facilitates sharing of best practices.
For further information, visit: www.climatechangebusinessforum.com