29 September 2016, Brussels / Cambridge – The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group urges Europe to ratify the Paris Agreement without undermining its climate agenda.
Ahead of an extraordinary EU Environment Council on Friday in Brussels, The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group today urged Europe to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in the coming days without undermining its ambitious climate agenda.
Jill Duggan, Director of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group (CLG), which brings together 24 global businesses employing 2 million people worldwide, said:
“With India scheduled to ratify the Paris Agreement on 2 October, following the footsteps of China and the US, three of the five biggest polluters are now on board. And we are ever closer to an early entry into force. It would be sad if Europe, the third largest greenhouse gas emitter with 12 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, missed this symbolic milestone.
“The European Union (EU) has been a driving force in climate negotiations for more than two decades. Unless it ratifies the Paris Agreement in the next few days, it risks being sidelined as the treaty enters into force and its rules are drafted.
“The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group urges European Environment Ministers, who meet tomorrow in Brussels, to adopt the fast-track ratification proposed by the Commission and the Slovak Presidency, without weakening Europe’s ambitious climate goals.
If it ratifies the Paris Agreement by 7 October, the EU will win an important symbolic battle by triggering an early entry into force at COP22 in Marrakesh next month. But equally important is Europe’s ability to deliver a prosperous, competitive and zero carbon economy. Only an influential and ambitious Europe can provide business leaders and investors with the certainty they need to play their role in this transition.”
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Media contact
For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact:
Sylvain Biville | Media & Communications Consultant | Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
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Media resources
Read the CLG statement on the entry into force of the Paris Agreement issued during Climate Week NYC 2016.
Read the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s new business briefing: "A new climate for business: Planning your response to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change".
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About The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group
The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group (CLG) brings together 24 European business leaders who work under the patronage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to advocate solutions on climate change to policymakers and business peers within the EU and globally.
CLG members are: 3M, Acciona, Anglian Water Group, BT, Coca-Cola European Partners, Doosan Babcock, DSM, EDF, Ferrovial, GSK, Heathrow, Iberdrola, Interface, Jaguar Land Rover, Kingfisher, Lloyds Banking Group, Philips, Skanska, Sky, Stora Enso, Tesco, Thames Water, Unilever, United Technologies.
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) provides the secretariat to the CLG.
Follow the CLG on Twitter @ClimateCLG
About the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) brings together business, government and academia to find solutions to critical sustainability challenges. CISL provides the secretariat to the CLG. Decisions of the CLG do not necessarily represent the policies or positions of CISL or of the wider University of Cambridge.
Follow CISL on Twitter @CISL_Cambridge
