Business urges UN negotiators to create long-term climate change framework

As the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting kicked off in Bali on Monday, business made a strong plea to the negotiators representing more than 190 countries to design a global framework with the long term horizon top of mind.

“The International Chamber of Commerce urges negotiators in Bali to take a long-term approach in providing a global solution to this global problem. We also call for greater dialogue between business and government to find workable answers,” said Laurent Corbier, Chair of ICC’s Commission on Environment and Energy.

“Business needs a long-term framework to make the necessary investments required for mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change. It should be noted that business will make the lion’s share of these investments,” he added.

The Bali meeting is the first in a series of UNFCCC conferences aimed at finding a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. Discussions on a global pact to cut greenhouse gas emissions are also underway in several other international forums.

To stimulate more dialogue among business, government and NGOs in the search for solutions, ICC is co-organizing Bali Global Business Day with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) at the Conrad Hotel, alongside the UNFCCC event. A number of high-level participants will take part in four panel discussions, including Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency and Harlan Watson, Senior Climate Change Negotiator at the US Department of State. Two press conferences will take place during Bali Global Business Day. Journalists are also invited to attend the panel discussions.

ICC will deliver a series of papers and statements to government officials and negotiators at Bali highlighting the necessary underpinnings of a long-term climate change framework, sectoral approaches to climate change and the criteria for boosting clean technology development. ICC will also demonstrate what business has already undertaken to address climate change.

In addition, ICC will host two side events during the Bali meeting. An event on 11 December will discuss the consequences of the current drive to implement low-carbon technologies given the lack of commercially available, low-carbon technologies in the energy sector. At an official UNFCCC side event 13 December, ICC will outline the potential of sectoral approaches to curb emissions.

ICC’s Commission on Environment and Energy develops business positions on these issues and represents business in key intergovernmental negotiators where these issues are discussed.