Business calls for carbon pricing and climate action ahead of Paris summit

The big annual climate negotiations start in Paris next week (COP21), and the stakes are high. We're overdue on initiating strong, international climate policy, and now we have to play catch up.

There are many strong statements of support, all of which should give negotiators cover in creating an ambitious deal.  Here are a few recent statements:

• CEOs of 78 major firms call for carbon pricing COP21 deal: organized by the World Economic Forum and has a combined annual turnover of $2.1 trillion
  
• CEOs of 10 food and beverage companies call for a "sound agreement to affect real change": organized by Ceres' "Accelerating Change, food and beverage leaders" initiative.
  
• 6 major banks call for a "strong global climate agreement": organized by Ceres
  
• 81 companies sign the American Business Act on Climate pledge: organized by the White House, representing companies with combined market cap of over $5 trillion.
  
• Over 400 investors have signed the Global Investor Statement on Climate Change (GISCC): organized by the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), signatories represent over $24 trillion in assets.
  
• Over 50 companies have signed the Building and Real Estate Climate Declaration, calling on global leaders to "realize the opportunity of the low-carbon economy": organized by the US Green Building Council, the Carbon Leadership Forum, and Ceres.
  
• Climate Declaration: organized by Ceres, signed by more than 1,000 companies. 

What's less clear is even with all of these statement of support from companies, how effectively they are supporting the political process to put a price on carbon. There is still a lot of false rhetoric about how a price on carbon will hurt the economy, despite the evidence to contrary; and those making such claims often claim to represent the 'business sector'.  In addition to important statements like these, we need to see more companies advancing their enlightened self-interest in the political arena by actively and aggressively lobbying for a price on carbon.

Stay going.
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