Business Council for Sustainable Development calls for greater ambition at COP26

THE Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) Australia has written to encourage Prime Minister Scott Morrison, as he heads towards the G20 Summit in Italy, before heading off to the UN Glasgow Climate Conference, to use the opportunity to call for greater ambition by all G20 countries on climate action.

“Almost 800 companies have signed an Open Letter to G20 Leaders ahead of the G20 Summit and COP26, appealing to governments to go all in to keep the 1.5ºC of the Paris Agreement within reach,” BCSD Australia CEO Andrew Petersen said. The companies that have signed the letter have operations covering all G20 countries, represent over US$2.7 trillion in revenue and employ more than 10 million people worldwide, he said.

The BCSD Australia is the focal point for the We Mean Business Coalition in Australia, which gathered the signatures of businesses and called for greater policy ambition from the G20 for business and government to accelerate action together "to keep 1.5 degrees celsius within reach".

Mr Petersen said the list of signatories included many companies from diverse sectors headquartered within Australia, including Atlassian, Stantec, Intrepid Travel, Energetics and Sendle..

In its letter to G20 leaders, the We Mean Business Coalition called on them to raise their national climate commitments, including NDCs and net-zero strategies in line with at least halving global emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050, phasing out coal power, removing fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, putting a meaningful price on carbon, delivering on the US$100 billion finance commitment to developing countries and making climate-related financial disclosures mandatory.  

The BCSD Australia letter to the Prime Minister can be viewed here.

The signatory list and full text of the letter coordinated by the We Mean Business Coalition can be viewed here.



About BCSD Australia 
BSCD Australia is an Australian coalition of over 70 private and public organisations advocating for progress on sustainable development. Its mission is to be a catalyst for innovation and sustainable growth in a world where resources are increasingly limited. The council provides a platform for companies to share experiences and best practices on sustainable development issues and advocate for their implementation, working with governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations. BCSD Australia’s members include leading Australian businesses, from all sectors, who share a commitment to economic, environmental and social development, public sector enterprises institutions, business and industry non-government organisations and community organisations, which in turn represent more than 100,000 Australian employees.

 

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