More than 530 companies and 100 investors – from Fortune 500 firms to small, family-owned businesses – are calling on the Trump administration and Congress to support policies to accelerate a low-carbon future in order to help curb climate change.
“We want the U.S. economy to be energy-efficient and powered by low-carbon energy,” the businesses wrote in their statement of support. “Cost-effective and innovative solutions can help us achieve these objectives. Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk. But the right action now will create jobs and boost U.S. competitiveness.”
The company signatories include DuPont, Gap Inc., General Mills, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hilton, HP Inc., IKEA, Johnson & Johnson, The Kellogg Co., Levi Strauss & Co., L’Oreal USA, NIKE, Mars Inc., Pacific Gas and Electric, Schneider Electric, Sealed Air, Starbucks, VF Corp., and Unilever. These signatories collectively take in nearly $1.15 trillion in annual revenue, are headquartered across 44 states and employ about 1.8 million people, according to nonprofit sustainability group Ceres.
“It’s imperative that businesses take an active role in meeting the goals set out by the Paris climate agreement,” says Anna Walker, senior director of global policy and advocacy at Levi Strauss & Co. “It will be critical that we work together to ensure the U.S. maintains its climate leadership – ultimately ensuring our nation’s long-term economic prosperity.”
The investor signatories – which, according to Ceres, collectively manage more than $2 trillion in assets – include institutional investors such as the New York State Common Retirement Fund, the California State Teachers Retirement System, Westpath Benefits and Investments, and Trillium Asset Management.
“With tens of billions of dollars of U.S. renewable energy investment in the works this year alone – and far more globally – the question for American political leadership is whether they want to harness this momentum and potential for economic growth,” says Jonas Kron, senior vice president at Trillium Asset Management. “It is critically important to realize this is an opportunity that state policymakers can take advantage of, too – not just national leaders.”
The full statement can be found here.
