A group of Irish business leaders has written to the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, asking him to bring the proposed legislation on climate change to the Oireachtas before the end of the year.
“Irish Corporate Leaders on Climate Change” say the legislation is urgent for a number of reasons. It will bring the clarity and certainty to government policy that business needs to make long-term investment decisions, according to the group, and moreover, the cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of action.
Gabriel D’Arcy, Managing Director of Bord na Móna, said: “In light of the current economic situation, there is a risk that we will delay or not take the bold and ambitious steps needed. We believe that robust action on climate change will in fact help create a smarter, more competitive, more creative economy, deliver new high quality jobs, and set us on a path to a low-carbon, sustainable recovery.”
John Mullins, Chief Executive of Bord Gáis, said: “For business, the value of putting our emissions targets into law is in creating a predictable planning framework. The investment needed to move to a low-carbon economy is significant and the payback period long. To achieve the desired predictability, the targets set by the law need to be clear and credible.”
Corporate Leaders on Climate Change also welcomed the publication of draft climate legislation by the Oireachtas Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security recently. Like the cross-party Bill produced by the Committee, the Corporate Leaders have called for the Department of the Taoiseach to be given overall responsibility for climate policy in the final bill passed by the Oireachtas.
Terence O’Rourke, Managing Partner of KPMG, said: “We are heartened by the cross-party support for climate change as evidenced by the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security. We would be very hopeful that a carefully managed legislative process can produce all-party support for the Bill in the Oireachtas, in itself something that would bolster the confidence of business to act on climate change.”
Tina Roche of Irish Corporate Leaders on Climate Change said: “We believe that the Department of the Taoiseach should assume overall responsibility for climate change policy under this new legislation. Only the Taoiseach has the necessary authority to broker a deal among cabinet colleagues, as departments and their ministers seek the largest possible share of the national carbon budget.”
The letter to the Taoiseach on the climate law was signed by Corporate Leaders for eight companies: Arup, Bord Gáis, Bord na Móna, Diageo, Intel, KPMG, NTR and Vodafone.
Irish Corporate Leaders on Climate Change are also calling on Irish businesses to sign the global Cancún Communiqué, which sets out the case for action on climate change with renewed urgency.
Nearly 1000 businesses signed the Copenhagen Communiqué last year making it the definitive progressive business statement on climate change. These businesses realise that a strong and effective international climate framework is essential to allow the global private sector to respond to the threat of climate change and make the most of its opportunities. Irish companies have until Friday 12th November to join this growing movement of international businesses in support of ambitious international action on climate change.
The full text of the Irish Corporate Leaders letter to the Taoiseach is available here: http://www.bitc.ie/uploads/The_Irish_Corporate_Leaders_Group_on_Climate_Change_2nd_Communiqu_.pdf
The text of the Cancún Communiqué and information on who has signed and how Irish companies can sign up is available here: http://www.cancuncommunique.com/
