Nike, Starbucks, Ikea and 30 other companies have signed a statement urging federal policymakers to take action on climate change by promoting clean energy, boosting efficiency and limiting carbon emissions.
Climate change policy is an economic opportunity, says Anne Kelly, director of Ceres’ Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP) coalition, which organized the campaign. The companies involved say they’re taking steps to reduce CO2 emissions — and these sustainability measures are helping their businesses — and Washington should act, too.
The Climate Declaration signatories include: Adidas Group, Annie’s, Aspen Snowmass, Ben & Jerry’s, CA Technologies, Clif Bar & Company, eBay, Eileen Fisher, EMC Corporation, Ikea, Intel, Jones Lang LaSalle, KB Home, L’Oréal, Levi Strauss & Co., Limited Brands, Nestle, New Belgium Brewing Company, New Chapter, Nike, Organic Valley, Outdoor Industry Association, Patagonia, the Portland Trail Blazers, Seventh Generation, Starbucks, Stonyfield Farm, Swiss Re, Symantec, The North Face, Timberland, Unilever and United Natural Foods Inc.
Together, the signatories provide approximately 475,000 US jobs and generate a combined annual revenue of approximately $450 billion, Ceres says.
Extreme weather events like last summer’s drought and Hurricane Sandy have affected several of the signatories and exposed the US’ economic vulnerability to climate change, the companies say.
BICEP members have supported several climate-driven policies, including automotive fuel efficiency standards signed into law in 2012 and the extension of the wind power tax credit.
The Climate Declaration comes on the heels of President Obama’s renewed commitment to combat climate change and a study from Ceres, Calvert Investments and WWF indicating that a strong majority of Fortune 100 companies have set renewable energy or greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Polls conducted by Gallup and Yale University, respectively, indicate that a majority of Americans believe climate change is happening and that corporations, as well as government officials, should be doing more to address the issue.
