As the world’s largest energy consumers, businesses are crucial in our transition to a clean energy economy. By setting and meeting ambitious targets to purchase renewable energy, businesses can transform their carbon footprint, as well as those of their supply chains. By flexing their collective purchasing power, businesses around the world can make significant contributions towards achieving the Paris Agreement’s ambitious targets.
In the U.S., major companies have been supporting climate action and investing in renewable energy for decades, saving billions through energy efficiency measures and reducing emissions. Their efforts have made corporate America an active leader in the U.S. climate movement.
This summer alone, over 1,500 businesses with annual revenues of $1.6 trillion signed the “We Are Still In” declaration, pledging to help the U.S. deliver on its Paris Agreement targets. This is the single largest coalition of businesses in the U.S. ever assembled in pursuit of climate action, and today they stand shoulder to shoulder with hundreds more cities, states and universities. This unprecedented coalition shows that businesses, and other non-state actors, are crucial for climate action at scale — and not just in the United States.
Businesses’ ability to drive climate action is not just an American opportunity. It’s a global one. Especially in places such as Mexico, China and India, where national governments are working hard to meet their ambitious Paris Agreement targets by increasing their use of renewable energy.
In Mexico, wind is helping power General Motors’ manufacturing operations, enabling three of its Mexico facilities’ electricity needs to be run mostly on renewable energy. The company is committed to generate or source all electrical power for its global operations with 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. In China, companies such as Walmart and Apple are working with their supply chains to reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from their operations. Apple and its suppliers will generate and procure more than 4 gigawatts of new clean power worldwide by 2020, including 2 gigawatts in China alone, and use it to reduce emissions associated with manufacturing. P&G is working towards the company’s long-term vision of powering 100 percent of its plants by renewable energy globally.