American Sustainable Business Council Applauds Climate Talks Outcome

WASHINGTON, DC (December 14, 2015)—The American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), which has a network spanning more than 200,000 businesses applauds the agreement reached at the climate policy talks reached on December 12 in Paris.

ASBC Vice President of Policy, Richard Eidlin who attended the Paris talks released the following statement:

“As a participant in the Paris climate summit, the American Sustainable Business Council applauds the agreement, which represents a crucial starting place for successfully addressing the economic and environmental risks posed by climate change.

“The Paris Climate Agreement is a clear victory for American business and consumers. The agreement sends a strong signal to companies large and small that climate change is now an international priority. Moving forward, the U.S. government in partnership with the business community has a clear mandate to accelerate policies that both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand the economic benefits of cleaner, more renewable energy.

“The accord provides manufacturers, agricultural companies, financial service firms and others with greatly increased certainty that clean energy is a smart investment and is the way of the future.

“The agreement also creates an opportunity for American businesses to continue leading the world in the development and deployment of new clean and energy efficient technologies. Policymakers in Washington, DC and across the nation should understand that the move towards a global, low-carbon economy is now in full swing, and that initiatives like renewable portfolio and building energy efficiency standards must be supported.

“In addition, Paris is a victory for accountability since developing nations must report how donor funds are used, disclose the sources of their emissions and track progress toward their reduction targets. Large polluters like China and India will now also be required to play by the same set of rules as other nations.

“As important and unique as this agreement surely is, it does not go far enough, and more work is needed.  One problem is that the pledged cutbacks in carbon, while clearly unprecedented, don’t go far enough to hold warming to 2 degrees Celsius.  In addition, the pledges made by each country to reduce carbon output are voluntary; no sanctions face those who miss their targets.

“We urge Congress, governors as well as state attorneys general to actively embrace the adoption of EPA’s Clean Power Rules. Rapid implementation of these rules will enable the U.S. to not only reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions, but also stimulate tremendous capital investment and job growth. We also urge Congress to follow the lead of other nations and support a national carbon tax – the most efficient and business-friendly mechanism for addressing climate change and unleashing the power of innovation in our economy.”