Corporate Leaders Call for Capping Emissions in ‘Trillion Tonne Communiqué’

prince-of-wales-corporate-leaders-group8 April 2014: Seventy companies from five continents, coordinated by The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group, have urged governments to put policies in place to prevent the cumulative emission of over a trillion tonnes of carbon.

Signatories of the statement, known as the 'Trillion Tonne Communiqué,' include major multinationals like Acciona, Adidas, CalSTRS, EDF Energy, ING, Mars, Shell, Tetra Pak, and Unilever. The statement is the seventh in a series promoted by The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group. In the Communiqué, global businesses ask governments around the world to: set a timeline for achieving net zero emissions before the end of the century; design a credible strategy to transform the energy system; and create a plan to manage reliance on fossil fuels, especially coal.

The Communiqué focuses on the trillionth ton because it represents the amount of carbon from carbon dioxide emissions that can be emitted "without being more likely than not to exceed a temperature rise of 2°C above pre-industrial levels."

Emphasizing the importance of collective responsibility across government, business, and civil society, BT Chief Sustainability Officer Niall Dunne commented that “We need to get beyond the concept that progressive climate change policy is bad for business: it can be a huge driver of innovation and create opportunities for growth and prosperity. Conversely, there isn't an organization I know of which isn't already being impacted by climate change at some level."

The Prince of Wales Corporate Leaders Group is dedicated to engaging business leaders from major UK, EU and international companies in support of urgently adopting new and longer term policies to address climate change. The Group is managed by The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). [CISL Press Release] [Trillion Ton Communiqué] [Corporate Leaders Group Corporate Climate Communiqué Website] [CISL Website] [Trillion Ton Communiqué FAQ]