Climate change
ICC and UNEP host climate and resource efficiency forum
As the world faced a rash of challenges needing global solutions − from food shortages to financial market turbulence − more than 100 leaders from business, government and non-governmental organizations convened in Paris today and yesterday for a climate change and resource efficiency forum.
This year’s Global Business & Industry Dialogue of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), co-hosted by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), took place at ICC’s Paris headquarters.
Participants from the developed and developing world discussed the current status of climate change negotiations and how to use the world’s resources more efficiently. Discussions assessed approaches in different industry sectors and regions to advance climate mitigation and adaptation. They also deliberated on inputs for the Marrakech Process on sustainable consumption and production.
The meeting was one in a series of key discussions among business, government and NGOs in the run-up to negotiating a new climate change agreement at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP14) in Poznan, Poland in December and at COP 15 in Copenhagen in 2009.
ICC Secretary General Guy Sebban said: “Economic growth and open trade are necessary to protect the environment, and environmental protection is necessary to achieve sustainable economic growth. We must also support the growth of businesses in the developing world so they can contribute to this monumental global effort.”
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said: “The credit crunch and the ecological crunch are timely reminders of the urgent need to move from a throw-away society and towards a resource-efficient society. Governments must be brave in agreeing on collective solutions, while business must be bold in introducing new business models that use our resources more sustainably.”
ICC is the focal point for business and industry in the negotiations taking place under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
UNEP and ICC have hosted joint industry meetings since 1984. The ICC Commission on Environment and Energy has long experience in developing policies and practical tools to encourage best environmental practices, including a charter for sustainable development that is widely used by world business.
