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Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

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16 December 2015 – Global businesses, investors, cities and regions pledge to help meet or exceed the ambition set by the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Last week at COP21 governments adopted the Paris Agreement, the first universal, legally binding climate deal to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees with a further aspiration of 1.5 degrees. 

Today, major cities, regions, companies and investors representing 150 million people and US$11 trillion supported L’Appel de Paris, the Paris Pledge for Action. They have pledged to quickly and effectively help implement the Paris Agreement to accelerate the transformative changes needed to meet the climate change challenge. 

The Paris Pledge for Action is an opportunity for so called ‘non-state actors’ to welcome the Paris Agreement on climate change and commit to implement it. The Pledge is currently supported by over 400 businesses, 120 investors, 150 cities and regions representing 150 million people and US$11 trillion, coming together to signal their support for global action on climate change, through the following statement: 

“We welcome the adoption of a new, universal climate agreement at COP 21 in Paris, which is a critical step on the path to solving climate change. We pledge our support to ensuring that the level of ambition set by the agreement is met or exceeded.” 

Initial signatories include businesses such as Acciona, Allianz, Mars, Kellog’s, Tata Group, Unilever; investors like Lloyd’s and Aviva; megacities such as New York, Johannesburg, Quezon City, Hong Kong, Rio De Janeiro and Mexico City; and regions such as Cross River State (Nigeria), Scotland (UK), Chiapas (Mexico) and California (United States). 

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, President of COP 21, said: "Non-state actor leadership is key to the success of COP21 and to the effective transition to a low-emissions and climate-resilient future. The world needs you to step up and rise to the challenges of climate change and sustainable development. This is why I strongly encourage you to take bold actions and make ambitious commitments, both individually and collectively, register them on NAZCA, and sign on to the Paris Pledge for Action, to make sure the commitments made in Paris by governments are achieved or even exceeded."                                                       

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said: “COP21 was a landmark, and not just for the Paris Agreement by governments. The extraordinary momentum witnessed before and during the UN conference by cities, provinces, regions, companies and citizens was also a hallmark. 

“The Paris Pledge for Action is about taking that momentum to the next level in support of nations as they work towards raising ambition up to 2020 and well beyond—it is about building ever more support by non-state actors who are aligning with government policy as never before.” 

The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) is managing the Paris Pledge for Action on behalf of the French Presidency of the COP21. Over the past 26 years the Institute has worked to build the capacity of business, government and finance leaders to take action on sustainability challenges like climate change through executive education, applied research, and at a systemic level, through the business platforms it convenes. 

In past years CISL has managed the Corporate Climate Communiqué process on behalf of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group, to which CISL provides the secretariat. The Corporate Climate Communiqués are seen by many as representing the definitive voice of the progressive international business community in advance of the annual UN climate conferences and now the Paris Pledge for Action brings in other voices from cities, regions, investors and civil society groups to pledge their support through their own actions. 

Polly Courtice, Director of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership said:  

“For over a quarter of a decade, The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership has been a trusted partner of business, government and finance leaders taking action on sustainability challenges like climate change. We are pleased to manage the Paris Pledge for Action, which allows the full weight of private sector and civil society actions to be recognised alongside this historic global agreement on climate change made between governments. 

“In the lead up to the Paris COP a number of the companies we work with began to align their business models with a low - if not zero - carbon economy.  The deal in Paris, and the commitment to progressively ramp up mitigation and adaptation, offers investors and businesses alike a clear direction of travel which opens up immense opportunities for trillions of dollars in investments, substantial deployment of clean technology, changes in land-use practices, and shifts in the ways we move goods, services, and people around world.” 

The pledge is an initiative of the COP21 French Presidency and uniquely incorporates a diverse range of entities already committed to mitigating emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. 

These non-state actors include members of the Under 2 MOU, the White House Act on Climate Pledge, the Montreal Carbon Pledge, the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) Initiative, the We Mean Business ‘Road to Paris’ initiatives, the Paris City Hall Declaration, ICLEI and many more. The pledge is open to more signatories and will spread around the world. All non-state actors invited to join this call to action in support of the Paris Agreement. 

Read the Pledge: www.ParisPledgeForAction.org/read

See who’s joined the Pledge: www.ParisPledgeForAction.org/whos-joined

Contact

Zoe Kalus, Head of Media  

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