World Resources Institute Joins Business and Environmental Leaders to Offer U.S. Climate Change Policy Recommendations

WRI, major U.S. businesses and other environmental groups are calling today for urgent action by the U.S. on climate change.The World Resources Institute (WRI), along with leaders of major U.S. businesses and environmental groups are calling today for urgent action by the U.S. on climate change. The U.S. Climate Action Partnership (US CAP) released its report today entitled A Call for Action; it recommends a 10-30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within 15 years with a goal of a 60-80 percent reduction by 2050. US CAP calls for a comprehensive package of policies that are market based, including a greenhouse gas trading system and support for new, clean technologies and efficiency. Together, they would support the development of new, clean technologies and promote energy efficiency. The report offers a consensus by leading businesses and environmentalists on a policy path forward. “This coalition of corporate and environmental leaders is unprecedented in my long experience fighting for a healthier environment,” said Jonathan Lash, WRI president. “Its message to our government should not be misread: we are united in our desire for swift, aggressive action on climate change.” US CAP consists of market leaders Alcoa, BP America, Caterpillar, Duke Energy, DuPont, FPL Group, General Electric, Lehman Brothers, PG&E, and PNM Resources, along with four leading non-governmental organizations – Environmental Defense, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pew Center on Global Climate Change, and WRI. In a statement issued today, the US CAP coalition declared: “Each year we delay [taking action to control emissions] increases the risk of unavoidable consequences that could necessitate even steeper reductions in the future, at potentially greater economic cost and social disruption.” In addition, noting the global nature of the climate change challenge, the coalition recommends that the U.S. government should become more involved in developing the post-2012 international arrangements for addressing climate change that are now being discussed. “The tide has turned, the time is now,” Lash added. “Delaying action in the U.S. will delay critical investments in our future. We need policy to drive clean energy, unleash innovation and prepare to compete in tomorrow’s markets. There is no time to lose.”