Opinion: Business community must fill leadership gap on climate

Former President Donald Trump’s reelection, along with a Republican Congress, ensures that important issues like immigration, inflation and tax reform will be on the federal to-do list in 2025. However, America’s leadership on climate policy is likely to plummet in priority while global warming targets fall further out of reach.

Without government regulation and incentives designed to reduce our environmental footprint and save money, other entities must step up and lead the country toward a clean, robust, innovative economy. The business community working together is the most logical agent of change.

Fortunately, organizations like Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT) on the regional level and ClimateWork Maine on the state level are uniquely prepared to help businesses act on climate change, meet its challenges and seize the opportunities it presents to build a more prosperous, sustainable economy for the future.

It is imperative that we prioritize business action on climate, energy and the economy. That impact will be felt throughout our communities, our collective workforce and their families. Businesses that start now to navigate the complexities of climate action and sustainable practices will obtain the resources necessary to help them grow, succeed and compete in a carbon-constrained economy. Climate action will enhance their brands’ reputation, resilience and bottom lines.

Climate action must be bold, comprehensive, effective and inclusive to engage all types and sizes of businesses, workers and communities; strengthen partnerships with private, public, and nonprofit sectors; and support the growth and deployment of climate solutions in operations, products, services, projects, and in conjunction with sound economic and workforce development strategies.

Our organizations and the partners that we work with bridge the gap between the environmental community’s quest for ambitious climate and clean energy solutions and strategies and the business community’s growing role in moving the climate agenda forward and confronting the climate crisis.

For example, many businesses manufacture clean energy products and technologies, contribute to modern buildings and transportation systems, make beneficial use of and stewardship of our natural resources, or invest in resilient energy infrastructure strategies. These actions lead to significantly lower greenhouse gas levels and importantly, a diversity of opportunities for a diversity of businesses.

In turn, a concerted business effort can help provide jobs for millions of engineers, installers, fishermen, foresters, service and utility workers and small and large business owners and their employees. Engaging small businesses and startups especially will help them grow their businesses and workforce and market their products and services to the world.

In addition, U.S. businesses have the clear standing and credibility domestically and abroad to assert their influence on conflicts that arise at the intersection of health, climate, clean energy and the economy. For example, large, costly, controversial, but arguably necessary projects will help achieve renewable energy and climate targets and expand supply chain and workforce development opportunities. These ventures include wind, solar, and hydrogen development; clean energy generation and transmission; electricity grid modernization; and electric vehicle and infrastructure expansions. The transition from oil and gas to a clean energy workforce will require business support to ensure that jobs are transformed rather than lost to the future.

Our obligation to demonstrate a strong, credible business voice on climate and the economy is immediately imperative with COP 29 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) on the horizon in Baku, Azerbaijan. In November, nearly every country on Earth will converge to address limits on global temperature rise and greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation strategies, climate finance mechanisms and commitments and building resilient communities. We need to show to the world that we are a critical part of the solution rather than an obstacle to action.

We stand ready to work with the new administration and Congress to strengthen and support a more resilient economy, helping to create and keep good jobs and make America a vibrant participant in the low-carbon future. There is too much going on to leave U.S. companies behind while billions of dollars in investment, both private and public, technical assistance, trained and skilled workers and information and access to resources are up for grabs across the globe.

We need a coordinating, unified, mobilizing force to highlight the urgency of climate action, explain how public investment and incentives can leverage private capital and drive job creation and underscore the importance of continued leadership in the global economy. We must keep our eye on the future and its potential impact – both good and bad – on our economy and environment.

We all have an important role to play in the fight against climate change. As leaders, we have a responsibility to take this issue seriously and take action. It’s everyone’s business.

Copy the Story Link