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US companies issue declaration urging government to act on climate change
April 13, 2013
US companies issue declaration urging government to act on climate change
US companies are flipping the script: instead of lobbying government to relax environmental regulation, a corporate group is urging Washington to enact strong policy aimed at curbing climate change. Their climate declaration, in addition to making an eco-appeal to the scientific consensus that excessive carbon emissions cause climate change, also makes a clear-eyed business case. “Tackling climate change is one of America’s greatest opportunities of the 21st century,” it says.
The 33 signatory companies, who already integrate climate management into their policies and practices, believe that wagering the business-as-usual economy, which benefits from society footing the bill for companies externalizing pollution, is already on the way out of the door. The future portends a carbon-constrained economy that prices greenhouse gas emissions.
These companies ? which include Unilever, Nestle, Swiss Re, Intel, Nike and Starbucks ? are already preparing for a carbon tax (or similar pricing mechanism) by embracing clean energy, boosting efficiency, and limiting carbon emissions. And now, they’re calling on Congress to enshrine such practices in law books.
The declaration is taking a grassroots approach, encouraging other companies ? as well as individuals ? to sign on, as a means of documenting the kind of broad support needed to convince legislators to act.
Read more at The Guardian.
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