We are businesses, investors, cities and regions who are seizing the climate opportunity. We are working to quickly and substantially advance energy efficiency and increase the share of renewables in the energy system to rapidly move away from fossil fuel use. We are working to shift transport away from polluting models to people-centred systems. We are producing food and using land more sustainably.
The European Union has enabled a breakthrough in the low-carbon transition by adopting clear targets and policy frameworks. So far, it has worked. Now, recognizing the urgency of the challenge—as conveyed by the latest scientific evidence in the IPCC’s 1.5 degree report and by extreme weather events that impacted so many regions this summer—it is time to move on to the next phase. The European Commission’s recent communication for a prosperous, climate neutral economy shows that a net-zero emission economy is feasible and desirable. We encourage EU countries to endorse it.
The EU has the knowledge, skillset and economic drivers to deliver net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. It will be essential to scale up efforts over the next decade and review existing targets for 2030 accordingly. We believe European countries can and should show the way towards a zero-emissions future.
Here is an opportunity to clean our air and water, and to reduce waste, whilst making our homes and cities better places to live. This is an opportunity for a managed transition, to create more jobs in growing fields, to bolster innovative industries, to build resilient infrastructure, and to develop new business models that support a better, healthier, and more sustainable way of life.
These actions bring immediate benefits to people's everyday lives: reducing the negative health impacts from pollution and making buildings and workplaces more comfortable and productive. They are making our businesses the market leaders of the future, and turning the economy into a more resilient part of the solution.
We are all in this together. We can only succeed through cooperation, by working together to deliver on the commitments of the Paris Agreement without leaving anyone behind. Together, we can seize this opportunity and confront the challenges ahead.
Interface is a global commercial flooring company with over 3,500 employees, offering an integrated collection of modular carpet tiles and resilient flooring.
Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper on global markets.
In almost a decade since they became one of the first cities to sign up to the Covenant of Mayors, the city has taken strides to address their climate impact.
Experts in the study of fungi are playing a bigger role in improving laundry detergents and, by extension, leading efforts to cut energy use.
Nano Energies is trading electricity in a sustainable way. It is active in six spot markets across Europe, where it strives to make energy flows more efficient.