17 December 2019 – COP25 discussions lacked the ambition and collective action we urgently need, but indications of climate leadership have emerged in other areas, according to the European Corporate Leaders Group.
Reflecting on the discussions at COP25, European Corporate Leaders Group Director Eliot Whittington said:
“COP25 has been mired in the politics of low ambition that seek to serve individual agendas in a way that is totally out of step with the urgent need for collective action. Some determined voices, such as those of the UK, Spain and Europe, have called for more from the negotiations, but this hasn’t been sufficient to unify so many competing demands,
“The science indicates we could reach a 1.5C-world in as little as 10 years, and for every fractional overshoot we risk worsening levels of water scarcity, rising seas, extreme weather events and habitat loss. Protestors like Greta Thunberg are right to be concerned.
“But away from the negotiations at the UNFCC, new indications of climate leadership did emerge this week - from Brussels - where the EU delivered its Green Deal, and climate neutrality by 2050 was finally agreed. For businesses this sends the signal that the transition to a net zero economy can really start to accelerate.
“With COP26 in the UK and the entry into force of the Paris Agreement, 2020 needs to see much more decisive and collaborative action. To maintain a chance of reaching the Paris objectives that can keep us on a safe warming trajectory, the EU needs to maintain and drive its leadership position – agreeing a new 2030 target and rapid delivery of its policies and plan to achieve a net zero economy within 30 years. The outcome in Madrid shows this is more vital than ever.
“We are entering a decade, perhaps the last decade, when we will be able to manage the worst impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. The faster the economy shifts to low and then no carbon, the lower the costs of adaptation, the lower the disruption and costs of action and the faster the new economy can grow and thrive.”
Find more the Corporate Leaders Groups engagement with policymakers.
