YTL joins global businesses, investors, cities and regions in signing pledge to meet or exceed the ambition set by the Paris Agreement on climate change

Paris, 16 December 2015

Last week at COP 21 in Paris, governments of the world united in action on climate change by adopting the Paris Agreement, the first universal, legally binding climate deal. This agreement will spur a transformation of global growth and development and open the door to a low-carbon, stable, sustainable future.  

Today, major cities, regions, companies and investors from around the globe representing 150 million people and US$11 trillion promised to quickly and effectively help implement the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transformative changes needed to meet the climate change challenge.

L’Appel de Paris, or the Paris Pledge for Action, is a call to action in support of the Paris Agreement which brings together a multitude of voices on an unprecedented scale within a single, collective statement:

“We welcome the adoption of a new, universal climate agreement at COP 21 in Paris, which is a critical step on the path to solving climate change. We pledge our support to ensuring that the level of ambition set by the agreement is met or exceeded.”

This landmark pledge is a clear signal that the message sent by the negotiations has been received loud and clear and that cities, regions, business, investors and other non-state actors are now ready and willing to stand shoulder to shoulder, alongside governments, to implement the terms of the agreement. This is our best opportunity to limit global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius and raise ambition even before the agreement takes effect in 2020.

L’Appel de Paris has already been signed over 400 businesses, 120 investors, 150 cities and regions representing 150 million people and US$11 trillion.

 Initial signatories include businesses such as Unilever, Acciona, Allianz, Generali, Hindustan, Braskem, Tata, Kellog's, and Mars; cities such as Quezon City, Johannesubrg, and Addis Abeba; and regions such as Cross River State (Nigeria), and Chiapas (Mexique).

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said: “COP21 was a landmark, and not just for the Paris Agreement by governments. The extraordinary momentum witnessed before and during the UN conference by cities, provinces, regions, companies and citizens was also a hallmark”.

“The Paris Pledge for Action is about taking that momentum to the next level in support of nations as they work towards raising ambition up to 2020 and well beyond—it is about building ever more support by non-state actors who are aligning with government policy as never before, “she added.

The pledge is an initiative of the COP21 French Presidency and uniquely incorporates under one roof a diverse range of entities that are already committed to quickly mitigate emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. These non-state actors include members of the Under 2 MOU, the White House Act on Climate Pledge, the Montreal Carbon Pledge, the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) Initiative, the We Mean Business ‘Road to Paris’ initiatives, the Paris City Hall Declaration, ICLEI and many more. The pledge is open to more signatories and will spread around the world. All non-state actors are invited to join this call to action in support of the Paris Agreement.