Businesses to US govt: pair covid recovery with climate efforts
02/06/2020
The organisation said that against the backdrop of the covid-19 pandemic, LEAD on Climate 2020 — part of the We Mean Business Coalition — would be the largest ever call to action from the business community regarding the climate crisis.
Businesses will advocate for investment in resilient infrastructure, immediate investment in the country’s transition to a net-zero emissions economy and longer-term solutions such as a price on carbon.
Participating businesses include Fortune 500 firms, trade associations, medium and small businesses, representing combined annual revenues of more than $1 trillion in revenue, a combined market valuation of nearly $11.5 trillion, and more than 3 million US employees.
Ceres pointed out that the high level of participation was particularly notable given the disruption everyone is experiencing due to the pandemic.
In a related statement, Canadian outdoor brand Arc’teryx said it is calling on governments and policy-makers to rebuild the economy in a sustainable manner by prioritising covid recovery funding towards businesses who are working to mitigate the long-term impacts of climate change.
The outdoor brand said it is joining 155 major multinationals with a $2.4 trillion market cap and five million employees — comprising the Science Based Targets Initiative, the UN Global Compact and the We Mean Business coalition — to call for policy that “pairs recovery with ambitious climate action”.
“Mid- and long-term economic success requires bold action on climate change – both by companies and by governments,” said Jon Hoerauf, president of Arc’teryx Equipment. “At this time of crisis, we call on governments at all levels to make smart and aggressive climate action part of both their recovery plans and of the public investments that can reshape and rebuild an economy to deliver long-term prosperity.”
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