Businesses Push Against Trump’s Climate Dismissal

From his claim that global warming was a gigantic hoax masterminded by China to his promise to pull the United States out of the landmark Paris agreement, Donald Trump’s surprise election win was widely decried by those who feared that recent progress in tackling climate change was about to come undone.

But a growing number of environmentally friendly American businesses – including major airlines and banks, as well as energy, tech and pharmaceutical companies – are pushing back against the president-elect’s attempts to dismiss climate change concerns and are planning to take the lead in the drive to make the U.S. a worldwide leader at slowing or reversing the damage.

At the first Companies vs Climate Change conference in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, a succession of company executives, sustainable business experts and environmental activists spoke of the need for corporate America to step up efforts to help guide policy and fight what many see as the biggest threat facing the world today.

“If they don’t then the people who are hellbent on rescinding regulations and just allowing the market to function without any guardrails are likely to undo all the progress that the United States has made over the past 70 years,” said Richard Eidlin, vice-president of policy and campaigns for the lobbying group American Sustainable Business Council.

“Businesses that are in favour of addressing climate change, and maintaining environmental safeguards need to really express their views and express the business case for doing so.  Not only is it good for them, and they’re generating profit and mitigating their risk, but what is just as important is stepping into the policy process.”

The three-day summit, which brought together executives from companies including TD Bank, Citigroup, Nasdaq, Ingersoll Rand, Bright Power, United and Alaska Airlines, was arranged before Trump’s presidential election victory on 8 November.  But because of that, the event became more poignant and provided companies a greater sense of urgency, according to Jason Youner, chief executive of solveclimatechange.com.

“Complaining about the election and the incoming administration doesn’t help anybody. We’re not here to debate whether there is climate change.  We’re here to try to save the world, because the government’s not going to,” he said.

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