365家全球500大企業、投資人和家族事業16日向美國總統歐巴馬和準總統川普表達對《巴黎協定》的支持，以及加速轉型低碳經濟的需求。
《巴黎協定》是第一個具法律約束力的全球性氣候協議。全世界最大排碳經濟體，包括中、美、印、巴西和歐盟以及超過100多個其他國家已正式批准或加入協議，加總排碳量佔總量3/4。該協定已於11月4日生效。
據悉，川普交接團隊正在設法，讓川普於2017年1月20日上任後立刻退出《巴黎協定》。
美國環境責任經濟聯盟（Ceres）、「We Mean Business」企業聯盟和世界自然基金會（WWF）的主導下，共有杜邦、Gap、通用磨坊、HP、希爾頓飯店、家樂氏、Levis等十多家知名美國企業簽署該聲明。
而在第22屆聯合國氣候大會（COP22）上，企業團體表示，「實行氣候協定能鼓勵企業和投資人，讓低碳投資從數十億成長至數兆億，創造乾淨能源的全球景氣。未能轉型低碳經濟，將對美國經濟造成風險。」美國國務卿凱瑞也向COP22代表重申，美國仍然支持《巴黎協定》。
「無人能否認我們有長足的進步——進步幅度超乎想像。全世界從來不曾如此團結地面對挑戰、做出實質的改變。不要懷疑，美國絕大多數公民知道氣候變遷正在發生，而且美國公民將堅守在巴黎協定的承諾。」凱瑞說。
在聲明中，企業宣示將盡其本份，從營運面和其他方面實現《巴黎協定》承諾，為控制全球升溫2°C盡一份心力。
他們呼籲美國繼任政府：
- 延續低碳政策，達成甚至超過國家減碳承諾。
- 投資本土和國際低碳經濟，傳達堅定訊息給金融決策者，帶給投資人信心
- 留在巴黎協定中，提供控制全球暖化所需的長期指引
代表歐洲議會出席的凱利（Seán Kelly）表示，《巴黎協定》175個國家、企業和政治領袖成員不會讓川普脫離，現在《巴黎協定》已經勢不可擋。
凱利指出，現在已經有100多個國家批准了《巴黎協定》，為未來子孫保護地球和環境。
More than 365 businesses and investors from Fortune 500 firms to family-owned businesses sent a message today to President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump reaffirming their support for the historic Paris Agreement on Climate and the need to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon global economy.
The Paris Agreement is the first-ever global, legally binding framework to address climate change. The largest emitters, including China, the United States, India, Brazil, the European Union and more than 100 other nations, representing more than three-fourths of global greenhouse gas emissions, have formally ratified or joined the agreement. It entered into legal force on November 4.
In a statement of support today at the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP22, in Marrakech, the business group said, “Implementing the Paris Climate Agreement will enable and encourage businesses and investors to turn the billions of dollars in existing low-carbon investments into the trillions of dollars the world needs to bring clean energy prosperity to all. Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk.”
Trump and his transition team are reportedly looking at ways of rapidly withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement soon after he takes office on January 20, 2017.
Among the U.S. businesses signing the statement are DuPont, Gap Inc., General Mills, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hilton, HP Inc., Kellogg Company, Levi Strauss & Co., L’Oreal USA, NIKE, Mars Incorporated, Schneider Electric, Starbucks, VF Corporation, and Unilever. They joined Ceres, We Mean Business and WWF in signing the statement.
The full statement and list of signatories are located at www.lowcarbonusa.org.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry today tried to reassure the delegates to COP22 that the United States still supports the Paris Agreement.
“No one can deny the remarkable progress that we have made – progress that actually was pretty hard to imagine even a few years ago. The global community is more united than ever not just in accepting the challenge, but in confronting it with real action, in making a difference,” said Kerry. “And no one should doubt the overwhelming majority of the citizens of the United States who know climate change is happening and who are determined to keep our commitments that were made in Paris.”
In their statement, the businesses pledged to do their part, in their own operations and beyond, to realize the Paris Climate Agreement’s commitment of a global economy that limits global temperature rise to well below two-degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial temperatures.
They are calling on elected U.S. leaders to support:
* – Continuation of low-carbon policies in order to allow the U.S. to meet or exceed its promised national commitments.
* – Investment in the low-carbon economy at home and abroad in order to give financial decision-makers clarity and boost investor confidence.
* – Continued U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement in order to provide the long-term direction needed to limit global warming.
Member of the European Parliament Seán Kelly said the 175 countries, business leaders and politicians that support the historic climate change agreement achieved in Paris last December will not allow US President-elect Trump to derail the deal.
Speaking at COP22 climate talks in Marrakech, where he is representing the European Parliament, Kelly described the landmark climate change deal as “unstoppable now.”
Kelly pointed out that 100 countries have now adopted the deal to limit the impact of climate change agreed at the UN COP21 conference in Paris last December, to protect our environment and planet for future generations.
※ 全文及圖片詳見：ENS
作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
