Commercial, GHG Emissions  -  May 14, 2020

300+ U.S. businesses lobby Congress for climate issues

More than 330 businesses, including Adobe, Capital One, CommonSpirit Health, DSM North America, Dow, Eileen Fisher, General Mills, Mars, Inc., Microsoft, NIKE, Salesforce and VISA, have teamed up on a bipartisan coalition that is urging federal lawmakers to incorporate more resilient and sustainable climate solutions into economic recovery plans following COVID-19.

The businesses that participated in this coalition represent a collective $1 trillion in revenue and 3 million U.S. employees, including more than a dozen Fortune 500 firms as well as trade associations, medium and small businesses from all 50 states. 

The group of CEOs and business representatives submitted a call to action to Congress during LEAD on Climate 2020, a virtual advocacy day arranged by Ceres and partners. The participating businesses expressed their desire that climate issues be prioritized when rebuilding the economy after the pandemic and when deciding how future rounds of stimulus spending should be allocated. Additionally, the group urges that Congress consider long-term solutions like setting a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 or implementing a carbon price.

“Today we have a health crisis, an economic crisis and a climate crisis all happening at once. The best solutions will tackle all three together. We have a distinct opportunity at this unique moment in history to define what we want our future to look like,” Patrick Flynn, Vice President of Sustainability at Salesforce, said in a statement. “It will take bold action and so we need the business voice to be unified and clear. We at Salesforce are inspired to see so many companies calling for plans that build back better, focused on equitable, resilient solutions that put the U.S. on a 1.5 degree pathway.”

Mindy Lubber, Ceres CEO and president, added: “Policymakers must ensure that the decisions that are being taken today to rebuild our economy also factor in the dire climate consequences that are not too far behind. They have the potential to reshape a new resilient economy in fundamental ways that prevent the next climate-fueled crisis. We, along with hundreds of companies and investors, are counting on them to LEAD on Climate and accelerate the just transition to a net-zero emissions future.” 

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