The Prince of Wales’s UK Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change has written to the British Prime Minster David Cameron urging him to end the uncertainty around future UK energy policy. Eight leading UK chief executives of companies including Unilever, Kingfisher, EDF Energy and Doosan Power have signed the letter that argues that "attempts to set a strong economy at odds with effective policies on climate change are self-defeating". The businesses endorse the Committee on Climate Change's recommendation of a decarbonisation target for the power sector by 2030.
Read the letter.
Rt Hon Vince Cable MP (Secretary of State, BIS) and Lord Sainsbury (Chancellor, University of Cambridge)
The UK Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change co-hosted with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) a very successful launch of three new Joint Public–Private Low Carbon Procurement Compacts at the Royal Society. The event launched the low carbon procurement Compacts in three different areas: transport, catering and biomethane. Each has major potential to drive real change in the market, with an increase in affordable and cutting-edge low to zero carbon solutions at a scale to drive down emissions in these areas. We were delighted to have Lord Sainsbury (Chancellor, University of Cambridge) chair a panel discussion with Rt Hon Vince Cable MP (Secretary of State, BIS), Neil Carson (CEO, Johnson Matthey), Peter Simpson (CEO, Anglian Water Services) and Martin Chown (Executive Director of Government Procurement Services). The launch was attended by over 100 people from key government departments, leading private sector companies, public bodies, potential suppliers, and the media. Lord Sainsbury stressed that this was the beginning of an important dialogue with suppliers. Business Secretary Vince Cable said the initiative would promote more effective supply chain engagement and signal future demand for low carbon innovation, giving a timely boost to UK plc:
More information on the Compacts and how you can get involved. Photos of the event are live on BIS’s flickr feed.
The Prince of Wales’s UK Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change has written to the Chancellor, George Osborne, calling on him to clearly set out support for the low carbon economy in the upcoming Budget Statement. The letter asks the Chancellor to use this budget to establish a clear and simple policy framework to encourage low carbon investment, including ensuring that the government adequately funds and supports priorities such as the Green Deal, the Green Investment Bank, and demonstration of Carbon Capture and Storage technology. It also urges the Chancellor to work with his counterparts across Europe to secure reform of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, as an urgent priority for the UK. Eliot Whittington, Director of the UK Corporate Leaders Group, said:
Download the letter.
The UK CLG launched a new report into Government policy on Wednesday 29 June 2011, calling for stronger action on climate leadership.
Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, attended the event to respond to the statement and discuss the group's messages with key business leaders – including the new Chairman of Shell UK, Graham van't Hoff, and Senior Vice President of Unilever, Gavin Neath.
Read the full speech given to the UK CLG by Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP on The Economics of Climate Change, 29 June 2011.
Download the press release.
On 29 June 2011, the UK CLG launched a new report into Government policy, calling for stronger action on climate leadership. Seize the Day reflects the member companies' belief that the UK Government has set the right goals for the economy, but must dramatically step up action to deliver these goals.
Download a copy of the report.
The UK CLG welcomed the decision made by the government to set a fourth carbon budget in line with the expert advice from the Committee on Climate Change. Business welcomes the certainty that comes with setting a clear trajectory for carbon emissions through the 2020s, and also applauds the clear commitment from the UK government to secure comparable action in Europe and globally. UK CLG members are keen to work with the government to make sure the UK has the right policies in place to meet its climate targets.
The UK CLG wrote a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron in support of the Committee on Climate Change’s fourth carbon budget and reiterated the group's longstanding support for clear action on climate change, based on the science. The UK CLG support the Committee on Climate Change’s call for steady progress towards that goal along a clear trajectory, and would welcome the adoption of a strong fourth carbon budget consistent with a 2030 milestone of at least 60% reductions, and with the proposals in the EU Low Carbon Roadmap.
Read the full text of the letter.
Jake Reynolds (Director, Business and Policy Leaders Groups, CPSL), Gavin Neath (Senior Vice President, Unilever) and Graham Van’t Hoff (Chairman, Shell UK) at the launch of the UK CLG report, Seize the Day: A Call to Action for UK Climate Leadership , 29 June 2011
The UK CLG brings together some of the UK’s largest businesses from across sectors to articulate their belief that there is an urgent need to develop new and longer term policies for tackling climate change as a strategic objective for UK plc.
The group has been one of the most consistent and outspoken voices in support of strong, pro-business policies on climate change. Its activities and achievements range from coming forward in support of a strong EU ETS and bold targets in an open letter to the Prime Minister in 2006, to developing and delivering The Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change in 2009, which saw over 950 global companies from 60 countries endorse the statement developed by the group, calling for an ambitious, legally binding and robust deal at COP-15.
Download the UK Corporate Leaders Group membership brochure.
The UK CLG was convened in 2004, having been developed by alumni of The Prince of Wales’s Business & Sustainability Programme (BSP), and is managed by CPSL.
The group was started in 2005 with CEOs of prominent UK businesses who were concerned about some of the messages that were coming from the business world with regards to action on climate change. The membership continues to be a cross-sector representation of a progressive business voice.
The first output from the group was a letter to then Prime Minister Tony Blair, immediately in advance of the G8 Gleneagles Summit (2005). The members have since proposed to work in partnership to help move UK climate change policy forward.
The following are highlights of some of the key moments of impact.
St. James’s Palace ‘Deal or No Deal’ event including Connie Hedegaard, Lord Nicholas Stern and Richard Kinley
On 14 July 2010, the CLG was delighted to bring together over 200 senior and influential business leaders, policymakers and civil society representatives at the impactful, ‘Deal or No Deal?’ event at St James’s Palace. The day included an inspirational call to action from HRH The Prince of Wales, as well as galvanising and significant contributions from EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, Lord Nicholas Stern (author of The Stern Review on Climate Change) and Richard Kinley, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC. The main aim of the event was to reinvigorate the movement for an international deal within the international business community and the feedback on the day suggests a great success.
In March, the UK CLG met with the Conservative Party’s lead spokesmen on climate change, Greg Clark (the shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change) and Greg Barker (Shadow Environment Minister). They discussed the CLG’s views on the comprehensive package of policies that are needed to shift to a low-carbon economy. This was the first of a series of meetings that the group will be involved in the political parties, to ensure that the UK is able move to low-climate risk economy.
In January 2009, the UK CLG met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss how action on climate change will help stimulate economic activity and job creation It discussed potential new policies for stimulating investment in low carbon production and employment. The Corporate Leaders Group also committed to work in partnership with the Government to help secure a strong and effective international framework to tackle climate change.
Polly Courtice, Director of CPSL and members of UK CLG meeting Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives
In June 2007, members of the UK CLG met with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives to discuss the group’s experience of climate change policies. The CLG leaders delivered a strong message to the US congressional committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming in Washington DC. The group surprised many US commentators by calling for long-term legal frameworks to tackle climate change at a time when ‘regulation’ was seen as anti-competitive, and made an important contribution to the rapidly changing debate on climate change in the US.
In June 2006 the CLG wrote a second letter to the Prime Minister, offering further support that the UK Government should take ambitious action to stimulate investment in low carbon technology and should use the negotiations of the next round of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) as an opportunity to take on challenging targets. In late 2006 and 2007 the UK Government announced plans for a Climate Change Bill that would set a long term framework for action relating to climate change. The UK CLG was instrumental in enabling this legislation to progress. Read the full text of the 2006 letter.
For more details, please contact:UK CLGT: +44 (0) 1223 768854F: +44 (0) 1223 768831info@cpsl.cam.ac.uk
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