Keep U.S in Paris Agreement, major companies urge Trump

Major US-based companies or companies operating from the country are urging President Donald Trump to keep the United States in the Paris Agreement on climate change for the good of the U.S economy.

In a letter appearing this week in full-page newspaper ads, the major companies argued, “As businesses concerned with the well-being of our customers, our investors, our communities, and our suppliers, we are strengthening our climate resilience, and we are investing in innovative technologies that can help achieve a clean energy transition. For this transition to succeed, however, governments must lead as well.

“U.S. business is best served by a stable and practical framework facilitating an effective and balanced global response. The Paris Agreement provides such a framework. As other countries invest in advanced technologies and move forward with the Paris Agreement, we believe the United States can best exercise global leadership and advance U.S. interests by remaining a full partner in this vital global effort.

“By expanding markets for innovative clean technologies, the agreement generates jobs and economic growth,” the letter says. “U.S. companies are well positioned to lead in these markets. Withdrawing from the agreement will limit our access to them and could expose us to retaliatory measures.

“By strengthening global action over time, the agreement will reduce future climate impacts, including damage to business facilities and operations, declining agricultural productivity and water supplies, and disruption of global supply chains.”

Companies signing the letter include: Adobe; Apple; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Danfoss; Dignity Health, Facebook; Gap, Inc.; Google; Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Ingersoll Rand; Intel Corporation; Johnson Controls; Levi Strauss & Co.; Mars Incorporated; Microsoft; Morgan Stanley; National Grid; PG&E Corporation; Royal DSM; Salesforce; Schneider Electric; Tiffany and Co.; Unilever; and VF Corporation.

These companies are among the top U.S. tech, power, retail, health, consumer goods, manufacturing, and financial services companies, with a combined market capitalization of over $3.2 trillion.

The full-page ad in The New York Times on Monday is part of a six-figure ad campaign this week in the Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Post. The campaign is sponsored by the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) in cooperation with the sustainability nonprofit Ceres.

The Paris Agreement has been ratified by 143 countries, including the United States. The White House has said a decision on whether to stay in the agreement is due before the president attends the G7 Summit in Italy later this month.

The companies say the Paris Agreement strengthens competitiveness by ensuring a more balanced global climate effort, and will reduce future climate impacts, including damage to business facilities and operations, declining agricultural productivity and water supplies, and disruption of global supply chains.

“As other countries invest in advanced technologies and move forward with the Paris Agreement, we believe the United States can best exercise global leadership and advance U.S. interests by remaining a full partner in this vital global effort,” the letter says.

In another push by the business community to keep the U.S. in the Paris Agreement, more than 215 global investors, collectively managing more than $15 trillion in assets, sent a letter today to President Trump and other G20 leaders urging them to support and swiftly implement the climate accord.