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| The CEO of Unilever Paul Polman is among the signatories of a letter from 43 business leaders calling for action on climate change. Photo credit: http://www.changemakers.com. |
By Anders Lorenzen
43 CEOs from companies operating in over 150 countries have signed a letter calling for action on climate change.
The statement ,which appeared on Twitter’s blogging initiative Medium , said that the group of companies generated revenues worth $1.2 trillion in 2014. It further stated that the private sector got a moral duty to deal with climate change and the signatures called on national governments to form strong climate commitments to bring to COP 21, which is held in Paris at the end of this year, and should contribute to agreeing a strong climate deal.
The signatures said that they believe a strong climate deal, which they would support, should include a price on carbon. This would trigger a surge in low carbon investments . The statement further said that governments should set science-based emission reductions targets and support development of alternative energy sources.
In return, the companies who signed the statement, would offer voluntary carbon cuts and collaborate on this with supply chains. The group also said that they would act as climate ambassadors, would focus on solutions and economic opportunities. They would also promote the view that the debate on climate change is over, and that climate change is real and human-induced and they would work hard to raise public awareness.
The signatures of the statement are:
Olof Persson, President and CEO, AB Volvo
Pierre Nanterme, Chairman and CEO, Accenture *
José Manuel Entrecanales Domecq, Chairman and CEO, Acciona * ^
Ton Büchner, CEO, AkzoNobel
Michael Diekmann, Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO), Allianz SE
Gregory Hodkinson, Chairman, Arup Group
Gavin Patterson, CEO, BT Group * ^
Niels B. Christiansen, President and CEO, Danfoss
Frank Appel, CEO, Deutsche Post DHL Group *
Henrik Poulsen, CEO, DONG Energy
Andrew N. Liveris, President, Chairman and CEO, Dow Chemical
Company *
Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager, Enel SpA
Hans E. Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
Gérard Mestrallet, Chairman and CEO, GDF SUEZ *
Bernardo Gradin, CEO, GranBio Investimentos
Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Construction Company
Stuart Gulliver, Group CEO, HSBC Holdings
Ignacio S. Galán, Chairman and CEO, Iberdrola
Peter Agnefjäll, President and CEO, IKEA Group *
Ralph Hamers, CEO, ING Group
Sandra Wu Wen-Hsiu, Chairperson and CEO, Kokusai Kogyo Co. Ltd
Bruno Lafont, Chairman and CEO, Lafarge *
Marc Bolland, CEO, Marks and Spencer
Nikolaus von Bomhard, Chairman of the Board of Management, Munich Re
Torben Möger Pedersen, CEO, PensionDanmark
Eric Rondolat, CEO, Philips Lighting
Feike Sijbesma, CEO and Chairman of the Managing Board, Royal DSM * ^
Frans van Houten, President and CEO, Royal Philips * ^
Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric *
Franky Oesman Widjaja, Chairman and CEO, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food
Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO, Solvay *
Christian Rynning-Tønnesen, President and CEO, Statkraft *
Jean-Louis Chaussade, CEO, Suez Environnement *
Takeshi Niinami, President and CEO, Suntory Holdings
Tulsi Tanti, Chairman, Suzlon Energy
Michel M. Liès, Group CEO, Swiss Re
Masashi Muromachi, Chairman of the Board, Toshiba Corporation *
Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever * ^
Antoine Frérot, Chairman and CEO, Veolia *
Anders Runevad, Group President and CEO, Vestas Wind Systems
Anthony Pratt, Executive Chairman, Visy Industries
David W. Kenny, Chairman and CEO, The Weather Company
Kuok Khoon Hong, Chairman and CEO, Wilmar International
*Member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
^Member of the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change.
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Categories: business, carbon cuts, CEO's, climate change, climate deal, COP 21, low carbon investment, Paris, private sector
A greener life, a greener world 
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