Will the voices of business drive us forward or backward?

Gregg Small

For more than two years, the world has been building toward what most hoped would be a truly historic global agreement on climate change. Now that the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Conference has come and gone, what has changed, and what lies ahead?
Let’s start with the obvious.

The agreement reached at Copenhagen fell woefully short of what was needed at every level—scientifically, legally, morally, economically. Yes, there were some substantive steps forward. But there is no way to sugarcoat the simple fact that the world’s leaders collectively failed to take the necessary actions. Even President Obama called the results of the negotiations just a “first step” toward a much-needed binding global agreement.

But the Copenhagen Accord is only a small part of the story. What happened in (and because of) the Copenhagen conference revealed some very powerful undercurrents that are driving the world toward real solutions. The Big Four:

Chinese engagement
After decades of stalling, China is now fully engaged in global climate talks. For the first time ever, it has put real emission reduction numbers on the table, and has agreed (grudgingly) to have its emissions numbers verified by the international community.

Yes, China bargained hard and played diplomatic brinksmanship. But there is no longer any doubt that China is serious about carbon and is becoming a leading clean energy powerhouse. The U.S. Senate should take note. It can no longer use the lack of Chinese commitment as an excuse for not passing federal climate legislation. Rather, Chinese determination to lead the clean energy manufacturing revolution should be among the most powerful arguments for Congress to pass a bill now. The race is on, and we can’t win it from the sidelines.

Business advocacy
In the months leading up to the Copenhagen climate talks, many major U.S.-based businesses stepped up their forceful call for global leadership on climate change. On Dec. 15, 2009, more than two dozen companies, including Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW), Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX), eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) and Nike (NYSE: NKE), wrote a letter to President Obama, stating, “We must put the United States on the path to significant emissions reductions, a stronger economy and a new position of leadership in the global effort to stabilize our climate. The costs of inaction far outweigh the costs of action.”

Hannah Jones, a senior executive with Nike, added, “Business needs a strong global agreement to provide certainty, to create a level playing field and to fuel public sector investments in adaptation strategies worldwide.”