1.5°C is a Limit Not a Target: 200+ Business, Civil Society and Prominent Individuals

Acciona, Amazon, IKEA, Microsoft, Nestlé, Unilever, Volvo Cars and Walmart amongst businesses endorsing the statement. Joined by, ITUC, The Elders, UN Global Compact and many other NGOs.  

Christiana Figueres, Mary Robinson, Johan Rockström amongst the prominent individuals signing.  

Call for governments to strengthen their commitments and plans, and implement them without delay. 

(Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt) 200 of the world’s largest businesses, civil society groups and prominent voices on climate have reaffirmed their own commitment to limit global temperature rise to 1.5ºC and urge governments to align implementation plans with 1.5ºC. 

The statement organized by the We Mean Business Coalition and The B Team was released as the official COP27 outcomes are being drafted this weekend, ready for national ministers to arrive in Egypt early next week, and the G20 meeting gets underway in Bali on Tuesday.  

STATEMENT  

As business and civil society leaders, and representatives of science and communities around the world, we are committed to doing everything in our power to limit global warming to 1.5°C and avoid dangerous tipping points. Every fraction of a degree of global heating matters.   

We need governments, starting with the world’s most advanced economies, to uphold their commitment to keep global temperature rise to 1.5°C and to move swiftly to its delivery.   

As climate negotiators are meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh for COP27, and global leaders gather for the G20 in Bali, the science remains unchanged: 1.5°C is a limit not a target. We must put all our efforts to stay within this limit and avoid the worsening impacts, suffering and costs that any overshoot will bring. 

Already at 1.2°C we are seeing the flooded villages of Pakistan, burning forests and towns of California, dried up rivers across Europe and parched fields in Somalia. Those that have contributed least to climate change are the most vulnerable to its impacts.  

To keep within this limit we must all work collaboratively and relentlessly to halve global emissions by 2030. The 2022 UNFCCC NDC Synthesis Report shows that existing pledges are simply not enough: governments must strengthen their commitments and plans, and implement them without delay.  

Our commitment to the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact is unwavering. Thousands of companies, unions, investors, cities, states and regions are committed to 1.5°C, and already taking science-based climate action: delivering clean energy solutions, developing innovative finance mechanisms, and building the resilience of vulnerable communities.   

National leaders must demonstrate solidarity and decide where they stand. Decisions taken in the coming days will define our ability to build an equitable and resilient global economy. They will reverberate around the world and down the generations. There can be no excuses for backsliding on the commitments made a year ago.   

Every part of society has an essential role to play in delivering 1.5°C. History shows us that humans have the capacity to innovate and solve immense challenges when we work together. The technologies exist and our destination is clear.   

We stand ready to deliver a just transition and an equitable and inclusive future for all. We want to work with governments in building an enduring legacy based on our collective efforts to secure 1.5°C. We are all in.  

Signed by 

Individuals 

Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group & Co-Founder, The B Team 

Børge Brende, World Economic Forum, President 

Jesper Brodin, CEO, Ingka Group | IKEA & Chair, The B Team 

Sir Ian Cheshire, We Mean Business Coalition, Chair 

John Denton, Secretary-General, International Chamber of Commerce 

Christiana Figueres, Global Optimism, Co-Founder 

Steve Howard, We Mean Business Coalition, Founding Chair 

Neo Gim Huay, World Economic Forum, Centre for Nature and Climate, Managing Director 

André Hoffmann, Roche Holding AG, Vice Chairman 

Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global, Founder & CEO 

Yolanda Kakabadse, Charles Darwin Foundation, Chair 

Isabelle Kocher, former CEO, Engie 

Andrew N. Liveris AO, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Dow Chemical Company and former Executive Chairman of DowDuPont 

Catherine McKenna, UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, Chair 

Pat Mitchell, Connected Women Leaders, Co-Founder 

Hiro Mizuno, UN Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments 

Carlos Nobre, University of São Paulo, Senior Researcher 

Jean Oelwang, Virgin Unite, Founding CEO & President 

Mary Robinson, The Elders, Chair 

Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact, Research Director 

Laurence Tubiana, European Climate Foundation, Chief Executive Officer 

Business: 

2050 Consulting 

Accigo AB 

ACCIONA S.A. 

Advania Sweden 

Aeon Co., Ltd. 

AFRY 

Akamai Technologies INC 

Allianz 

Amazon com Inc 

Arçelik 

Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. 

Aveva 

Aviva investors  

Aviva plc 

Avocado Green 

Ball Corporation 

Bayer AG 

Burberry 

CELLNEX TELECOM SA 

CGI Sveriga AB 

CGI UK 

Chobani 

Danone 

Dassault Systèmes 

Deedster 

Diageo Plc 

DLA Piper 

DSM North America 

EDF 

EDP - Energias de Portugal S.A. 

Ericsson 

ERM (Environmental Resources Management)   

Futerra 

GETLINK 

Givaudan SA 

Glovo 

GSK 

GSMA 

H&M Hennes & Mauritz Group 

Harley-Davidson 

Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited 

Hindustan Zinc Limited 

Holcim Ltd. 

Houdini sportswear ab 

Iberdrola SA 

Icebug   

Icebug AB 

IKEA 

Interface, Inc. 

Investor AB 

JLL 

Klabin S/A 

Kolibri 

Legacy Vacation Resorts 

Legal and General Investment Management 

Low Carbon 

MasterCard Incorporated 

Metabolic 

Microsoft Corporation 

Miele & Cie. KG 

Mitie Group 

NA-KD 

National Grid PLC 

Natura & Co. 

Nestlé 

Novozymes A/S 

Orsted 

Osborne Clarke LLP 

PensionDanmark 

Philips 

Polestar 

Qlik 

Ramboll Group 

Ramboll Sweden 

Reckitt  

ReNew Power Private Limited 

Revenga Smart Solutions 

ROCKWOOL International A/S 

Royal DSM 

Sage  

Saint-Gobain 

salesforce com

Salt Palm Development 

Salūs Global for Green Buildings and Sustainable Cities 

Schneider Electric 

Sekisui House, Ltd. 

Semcon AB 

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA 

Signify 

Sintali Ltd 

Smart Phases Inc. (DBA Novacab)   

Solvay S.A. 

SSE 

SUSt4IN 

Swiss Re 

TalkTalk Telecom Group 

Telefonica 

Telia Company AB 

Tendam Retail S.A. 

The Co-operative Group 

The Velux Group 

TIME Magazine 

Trossa AB 

Unilever plc 

Volvo Cars   

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 

Wipro 

Yara  

Civil Society: 

Accountancy Europe 

Africa-Europe Foundation 

Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders 

Amazon Investor Coalition  

ANEW 

AreaHub 

B Corp / B Lab 

B Tourism 

BCSD Australia 

BCSD Portugal 

British Chambers of Commerce 

BSR 

Business for Nature 

CDP 

CDP North America, Inc.  

CEBA 

CEBDS (Brazil BCSD) 

CER Sustainable Business Network 

Ceres  

Civic Exchange 

Clean Energy Buyers Alliance 

Climate Catalyst 

Climate Group  

Climate Leadership Coalition 

Climate-KIC 

Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) 

Connected Women Leaders 

Conseil Patronal de l'Environnement du Québec  

Corporate Leaders Groups  

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce 

Environmental Defense Fund 

Exponential Roadmap Initiative 

Finland Chamber of Commerce 

Florida for Good 

French Water Partnership 

Fresh Energy 

Fundación Energia sin fronteras 

Global Buildings Performance Network 

Global Council for Science and the Environment 

Global Optimism 

Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP)   

Global Wind Energy Council 

Grupo Español para el Crecimiento Verde (Spanish Green Growth Group)  

IGES/JCLP 

Ikea Foundation 

Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment 

International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification 

International Chamber of Commerce 

International Copper Association 

International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) 

International Trade Union Confederation 

Jovenes por el Clima Argentina 

Kids against Plastic 

Laudes Foundation 

Leader's Quest (TED Countdown) 

Link Education International 

Massive Change Network  

Mo Ibrahim Foundation 

National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) 

New Buildings Institute 

NewClimate Institute 

PACE, Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy 

Planetary Health Alliance 

Resilience Rising 

RMI 

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors  

SEforALL 

Skift Business Climate Leaders 

Smart Freight Centre 

Stiftung Klimawirtschaft 

Student Energy 

Sustenta Honduras 

TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION 

The B Team  

The Climate Center 

The Climate Pledge  

The Club of Rome 

The Elders 

The Index Project 

The UK and European Corporate Leaders Groups  

Tiina & Antti Herlin Foundation 

UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance 

Under 2 Coalition 

United Nations Foundation 

United Nations Global Compact 

UNPRI 

US Green Building Council 

Virgin Unite 

Wallace Global Fund 

Water Witness International  

We Don't Have Time 

We Mean Business Coalition   

World Benchmarking Alliance 

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)  

World Climate Foundation 

World Green Building Council 

World Resources Institute 

Změna k lepšímu (Change for the Better)