The Bali Communiqué: Big business weighs in on Climate Change

by Janet Ritz

Q. When is it time to take climate change seriously?

A. When even Fox News' parent corporation says so.

That's right. NewsCorp has weighed in (at least on paper) as part of the Prince of Wales's Group on Climate Change at the University of Cambridge's announcement that 150 signatory companies (including NewsCorp) -- comprising many of the world's most influential corporations and accounting for trillions of dollars in trade and some of the best known global brands -- have circulated a petition in advance of the upcoming U.N. Bali Climate Conference "calling for a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change."

The Bali Communiqué's specific requests:

- A comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change.

- Emission reduction targets to be guided primarily by science.

- Those countries that have already industrialised to make the greatest effort.

- World leaders to seize the window of opportunity and agree a work plan of negotiations to ensure an agreement can come into force post 2012 (when the existing Kyoto Protocol expires).

Citing the U.N.'s alarming report on climate change, issued last week, the signatories are also requesting a minimum 50% reduction in emissions by 2050:

The hastily prepared petition drive, coordinated through the environmental office of Britain's Prince Charles, is signed by leaders from mainstream powerhouse companies such as Shell UK, GE International, Coca-Cola Co., Dupont Co., United Technologies Corp., Rolls Royce, Nestle SA, Unilever, British Airways and Volkswagen AG. Link.

The list also includes the aforementioned NewsCorp, AIG, ABAmro, Sun Microsystems, Nike, Nokia, and many other firms, all of whom now cite climate change as a risk to commerce as well as to the planet.

Here's the link to the signatories list.

Let's hope their efforts make a difference at the upcoming conference.