US businesses urge Trump to support climate deal

Over 360 multinationals and investment groups have published an open letter to president-elect Donald Trump, urging him to implement low-carbon policies and ensure a sustainable future for the country. Among many others, Mars, Ikea, Kellogs, Gap, HP, Intel, Starbucks, North Face, eBay, Nike, and Virgin have expressed support for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Levi Strauss was also among the companies signing the letter. Image credits: Wikimedia Commons/M62

The letter reads as follows:

“Dear President-elect Trump, President Obama, Members of the US Congress, and Global Leaders at COP22 in Marrakech:

We, the undersigned members in the business and investor community of the United States, re-affirm our deep commitment to addressing climate change through the implementation of the historic Paris Climate Agreement.

We want the US economy to be energy efficient and powered by low-carbon energy. Cost-effective and innovative solutions can help us achieve these objectives. Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk. But the right action now will create jobs and boost US competitiveness. We pledge to do our part, in our own operations and beyond, to realize the Paris Agreement’s commitment of a global economy that limits global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.

We call on our elected US leaders to strongly support:

1. Continuation of low-carbon policies to allow the US to meet or exceed our promised national commitment and to increase our nation’s future ambition.
2. Investment in the low carbon economy at home and abroad in order to give financial decision-makers clarity and boost the confidence of investors worldwide.
3.Continued US participation in the Paris Agreement, in order to provide the long-term direction needed to keep global temperature rise below 2°C.

Implementing the Paris 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 and prosperity to all.

We support leaders around the world as they seek to implement the Paris Agreement and leverage this historic opportunity to tackle climate change.”

World leaders from both the political and the private sector are gathering in Marrakech, Morocco, to discuss how to best protect the planet’s future and ensure a sustainable future for everyone, and the business man’s election has created great uncertainty, as Trump has repeatedly spoken against any climate agreement. It remains to be seen what he will actually do in the future, because as Secretary of State John Kerry said, some things seem different when you’re inside the oval office.

“For those in power, in all parts of the world including my own, who may be confronting the decisions about which road to take at this critical juncture: I ask you, on behalf of billions of people around the world… to see for yourselves. Do your own due diligence, before making irrevocable choices,” Kerry said in a strong, emotional speech.