Business Given Unprecedented Role
Big business is being given unprecedented access to the UN climate negotiations, Corporate Europe Observatory has discovered, with business leaders requesting direct access to negotiators in the climate talks [1].
Documents obtained from the Danish Government reveal that business leaders will be granted special access to key climate negotiators during the World Business Summit on Climate Change, scheduled to start this weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark [2].
Business participant at this weekend’s Summit - which includes major polluters such as Shell, Vattenfall and Duke Energy - are also expected to issue a set of demands for the climate negotiations - the Copenhagen Call - at the invitation of the Danish Government, which will then be distributed to all the chief negotiators.
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has condemned the access being given to business leaders, who represent some of the world’s most polluting companies.
CEO researcher Kenneth Haar said:
“The Danish Government appears to be under the impression that some of the world’s most polluting companies are going to put forward tough measures to tackle climate change. But unfortunately, this doesn’t seem likely to be the case. The majority of the corporations attending the World Business Summit on Climate Change seem more intent on pursuing business as usual - with the promise that future technologies will resolve the problem at a later date.”
Six of the companies involved in the Summit have been nominated for Climate Greenwash Awards because of their failure to live up to their PR spin on tackling climate change.
The winner of the online public vote for the Awards will be announced at a special ceremony in Copenhagen on Saturday 23 May - on the eve of the World Business Summit on Climate Change [3].
Haar continued:
“Corporate lobbyists have been trying to influence the UN climate talks from the start. But now they are being invited to set the agenda before the negotiators have even sat down. If their demands are listened to, we might as well give up the fight against climate change now.”
The UN Climate Talks in December are seen as crucial as negotiators must agree on what measures will be taken after the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Scientists have warned that urgent action is needed if global warming is to be kept below 2˚C [4].
Contact:
Kenneth Haar - tel +45 23 60 06 31 or email kenneth@corporateeurope.org
Notes:
[1] http://www.climategreenwash.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/climate-summit-...
[2] The World Business Summit on Climate Change takes place in Copenhagen from 24 - 26 May 2009 and is organised by the Copenhagen Climate Council, Combat Climate Change (3C), World Economic Forum, UN Global Compact, the Climate Group and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
[3] The Climate Greenwash Awards 2009 are organised by Corporate Europe Observatory, Attac Denmark, The Climate Movement, ClimaX and NOAH (Friends of the Earth Denmark) and will be awarded at a ceremony as 12.30pm on Saturday 23 May. Journalists in Copenhagen are invited to attend the ceremony at the Kulturhuset Islands Brygge. Registration at sekretariat@attac.dk
[4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7940532.stm
And http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/14/global-warming-target-2c
Documents obtained from the Danish Government reveal that business leaders will be granted special access to key climate negotiators during the World Business Summit on Climate Change, scheduled to start this weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark [2].
Business participant at this weekend’s Summit - which includes major polluters such as Shell, Vattenfall and Duke Energy - are also expected to issue a set of demands for the climate negotiations - the Copenhagen Call - at the invitation of the Danish Government, which will then be distributed to all the chief negotiators.
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has condemned the access being given to business leaders, who represent some of the world’s most polluting companies.
CEO researcher Kenneth Haar said:
“The Danish Government appears to be under the impression that some of the world’s most polluting companies are going to put forward tough measures to tackle climate change. But unfortunately, this doesn’t seem likely to be the case. The majority of the corporations attending the World Business Summit on Climate Change seem more intent on pursuing business as usual - with the promise that future technologies will resolve the problem at a later date.”
Six of the companies involved in the Summit have been nominated for Climate Greenwash Awards because of their failure to live up to their PR spin on tackling climate change.
The winner of the online public vote for the Awards will be announced at a special ceremony in Copenhagen on Saturday 23 May - on the eve of the World Business Summit on Climate Change [3].
Haar continued:
“Corporate lobbyists have been trying to influence the UN climate talks from the start. But now they are being invited to set the agenda before the negotiators have even sat down. If their demands are listened to, we might as well give up the fight against climate change now.”
The UN Climate Talks in December are seen as crucial as negotiators must agree on what measures will be taken after the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Scientists have warned that urgent action is needed if global warming is to be kept below 2˚C [4].
Contact:
Kenneth Haar - tel +45 23 60 06 31 or email kenneth@corporateeurope.org
Notes:
[1] http://www.climategreenwash.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/climate-summit-...
[2] The World Business Summit on Climate Change takes place in Copenhagen from 24 - 26 May 2009 and is organised by the Copenhagen Climate Council, Combat Climate Change (3C), World Economic Forum, UN Global Compact, the Climate Group and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
[3] The Climate Greenwash Awards 2009 are organised by Corporate Europe Observatory, Attac Denmark, The Climate Movement, ClimaX and NOAH (Friends of the Earth Denmark) and will be awarded at a ceremony as 12.30pm on Saturday 23 May. Journalists in Copenhagen are invited to attend the ceremony at the Kulturhuset Islands Brygge. Registration at sekretariat@attac.dk
[4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7940532.stm
And http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/14/global-warming-target-2c
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