Business Leaders Continue Call to Action on U.S. Climate Policy by Signing the Climate Declaration

BOSTON, July 10, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Two weeks after President Obama announced plans to address climate change in a major speech, large American businesses are continuing to express their support for U.S. policy action on climate change. Eight more leading businesses, including several multi-billion dollar enterprises, have signed the Climate Declaration, which calls on U.S. policymakers to capture the American economic opportunity of addressing climate change.

The new signatories include leaders in the IT, healthcare, media, hospitality and consumer products sectors: Akamai Technologies, AMD, Dignity Health, K2 Sports, Participant Media, the Saunders Hotel Group, and The Weather Company. In addition, Mars, Incorporated, one of the nation’s largest private companies, recently endorsed the Climate Declaration when it joined Ceres’ BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy) network in June.

By signing the Climate Declaration, these business leaders join more than 600 other companies, including Starbucks, Nestle, adidas and Patagonia, in asserting, “Tackling climate change is one of America’s greatest economic opportunities of the 21st century … We cannot risk our kids’ futures on the false hope that the vast majority of scientists are wrong … There must be a coordinated effort to combat climate change—with America taking the lead here at home.”

“For us, climate change isn't a political issue; it's a scientific issue, and the science tells us we have to act,” said David Kenny, chairman and CEO of The Weather Company. “The Weather Company believes there is an economic opportunity as well as a moral obligation as a good corporate citizen in responding to climate change, and we will continue to inform our viewers and users about the science behind this important issue.”

“Responding to climate change is not only an imperative for the U.S. economy, but it is also an important issue of public health,” said Susan Vickers, RSM, vice president of community health at Dignity Health, the largest hospital system in California. “Reducing the harmful pollutants from power plants will improve air quality in our communities, which are already experiencing the destructive effects of pollution and the changing climate.”

“While there is no debating the scientific evidence of climate change, it is certain there is more debate ahead on the policies needed to combat its effects,” said Anne Kelly, director of BICEP. “The business community has been a strong supportive voice behind climate action, and you can see that reflected in this broad array of business leaders who have joined us in signing the Climate Declaration.”

Over the course of an ongoing campaign organized by Ceres and BICEP, other businesses, as well as individuals, are encouraged to sign the Declaration and join the call to action, along with other advocacy efforts. For more information about the Climate Declaration, please visit http://www.climatedeclaration.us.

About Ceres

Ceres is an advocate for sustainability leadership.  Ceres mobilizes a powerful coalition of investors, companies and public interest groups to accelerate and expand the adoption of sustainable business practices and solutions to build a healthy global economy. Ceres also directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of 100 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $11 trillion. For more information, visit http://www.ceres.org

About BICEP

BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy) is an advocacy coalition of businesses committed to working with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate legislation enabling a rapid transition to a low-carbon, 21st century economy – an economy that will create new jobs and stimulate economic growth while stabilizing our planet’s fragile climate. BICEP is a project of Ceres. For more information, visit www.ceres.org/bicep.