Dear Business Leaders,
Climate change is undoubtedly the defining issue of our time — and we are at a pivotal moment. The world today is facing unprecedented, interconnected environmental challenges. If we do not urgently change course, we risk missing our chance to avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences for people and all the natural systems that sustain us.
However, there is still time to get the world back on track. We have the innovation, tools and expertise to make this happen — what we need now is leadership. We are at a critical juncture, where climate change is moving faster than we are every day, and as the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows every half degree makes a world of difference.
We know that our ambition and actions need to be bolder if we are to stand any chance of winning this race. That is why we are calling on you to step up and commit your business to set science-based targets aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The business benefits of science-based climate action are clear. Leading companies are already proving that a 1.5°C-compliant business model is possible, and there is evidence that these companies will be best-placed to thrive as the global economy undergoes a just transition to a net-zero future by 2050.
We are inviting those visionary leaders who commit their companies to a 1.5°C target to be recognized in the lead up to COP 26 — emphasizing the implementable, scalable and replicable business solutions that will support a genuinely systemic transformation.
As a Chinese proverb says: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” This is the moment for true leaders to take this bold step which can inspire others to follow.
Sincerely,
H.E. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés
President of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly
United Nations
Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba
UN Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Action Summit
Lise Kingo
CEO & Executive Director
UN Global Compact
Achim Steiner
Administrator
UN Development Programme
Patricia Espinosa
Executive Secretary
UNFCCC
Inger Andersen
Executive Director
UN Environment Programme
Liu Zhenmin
Under-Secretary-General
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Petteri Taalas
Secretary-General
World Meteorological Organization
Li Yong
Director-General
UNIDO
Jayathma Wickramanayake
UN Secretary-General’s
Envoy on Youth
Paul Simpson
Chief Executive Officer
CDP
Andrew Steer
President & CEO
World Resources Institute (WRI)
Manuel Pulgar Vidal
Climate & Energy Practice Leader
WWF
Nigel Topping
Chief Executive Officer
We Mean Business (WMB)
Christiana Figueres
Co-Founder
Global Optimism
Nicholas Stern
Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
London School of Economics
John Denton
Secretary General
International Chamber of Commerce
Paul Polman
Co-Founder & Chair of Imagine
SDG Advocate
Professor Klaus Schwab
Executive Chairman
World Economic Forum
Anand Mahindra
Chairman
Mahindra Group
Tomasz Chruszczow
High Level Champion for COP 24
Climate Champion through the Marrakech Partnership
Gonzalo Muñoz
High Level Champion for COP 25
Climate Champion through the Marrakech Partnership
Andrew Higham
Chief Executive Officer
Mission 2020
Aron Cramer
President & CEO
Business for Social Responsibility
Fiona Reynolds
Chief Executive Officer
Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
Halla Tómasdóttir
Chief Executive Officer
The B Team
Helen Clarkson
Chief Executive Officer
The Climate Group
Hugh Evans
President & CEO
Global Citizen
Kathleen Rogers
President
Earth Day Network
Kathy Calvin
Chief Executive Officer
United Nations Foundation
Mindy Lubber
CEO & President
Ceres
Peter Bakker
President & CEO
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
