Dear United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Dear UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres

Dear ExxonMobil CEO & Chairman Rex Tillerson

This statement is on the Climate Summit website (http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit/):

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited world leaders, from government, finance, business, and civil society to the Climate Summit this 23 September to galvanize and catalyze climate action. He has asked these leaders to bring bold announcements and actions to the Summit that will reduce emissions, strengthen climate resilience, and mobilize political will for a meaningful legal agreement in 2015. The Climate Summit provides a unique opportunity for leaders to champion an ambitious vision, anchored in action that will enable a meaningful global agreement in 2015.

I firmly believe this is a unique opportunity for Rex Tillerson to join and interact proactively and responsibly with other respected and influential world leaders

I have previously written asking that Mr. Tillerson attend the Climate Summit.

I hereby urgently reiterate my plea that Mr. Tillerson be invited and attend.

Sincerely,Doug Grandt

Douglas Grandt <answerthecall@mac.com>To: Secretary General Ban Ki-moon <ecu@un.org>, Christiana Figueres <secretariat@unfccc.int>, Rex Tillerson <Rex.W.Tillerson@ExxonMobil.com>Cc: David Rosenthal <David.S.Rosenthal@exxonmobil.com>Reiterating my plea for Mr. Tillerson to attend the UN Climate Summit 2014

July 7, 2014 10:58 AM

12 Attachments, 1.5 MB

Dear Mr. Tillerson,

Today on Twitter, I saw Ban Ki-moon’s call for climate action in 2014.

Ban Ki-moon is calling out to individuals, business leaders and companies.

He expresses consternation and hope ... it is a bit of yin and yang:

I am deeply concerned that the scale of our actions is still insufficient to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, the point where the most dangerous impacts of climate change are expected to take hold.

Yet I am also hopeful because I see gains on multiple fronts towards a low-carbon future. Many governments, businesses, community groups, women, youth and indigenous leaders are innovating and forging solutions.

I see this as a passionate plea for help to influential leaders like yourself.

Farther along in his paper, he puts forth an explicit invitation to you:

I will convene a Climate Summit in New York on 23 September next year, one day before the opening of the annual UN General Assembly debate. This Summit is meant to be a solutions summit, not a negotiating session. I have invited all Heads of State and Government, along with leaders from business and finance, local government and civil society.

I am asking all who come to bring bold and new announcements and action. I am asking them to bring their big ideas.

He concludes with the following:

Future generations will judge our action on this issue. In 2014, we have the chance to step over to the right side of history. Let’s take it.

Will you respond to Ban Ki-moon and plan to attend the Climate Summit?

Sincerely yours,

Doug Grandt

http://bit.ly/BanKiMoon10Dec

Big Idea 2014: The Year for Climate ActionDecember 10, 2013

79,861 Views 719 Likers 822 Comments 2,325 Shares

This post is part of a series in which LinkedIn Influencers pick one big idea that will shape 2014. See all the ideas here.

My big idea is not new. Nor is it, in the larger sense, mine. But it is an idea that will be one major focus of my work next year, and one in which I believe deeply. In 2014, we must turn the greatest collective challenge facing humankind today – climate change – into the greatest opportunity for common progress towards a sustainable future. Next year is the year for climate action.

We can delay no longer. Our hopes of eradicating poverty, achieving the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015 and implementing an ambitious development agenda beyond 2015 rest on tackling this challenge now. The costs of inaction will only rise.

Countries have agreed to finalize an ambitious global legal agreement on climate change by 2015. But there is a steep climb ahead and 2014 is a pivotal year for generating the action and momentum that will propel us forward.

Ice caps are melting, sea levels are rising and the oceans are becoming more acidic. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise – we e are the first humans ever to breathe air with 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Extreme weather events – heat waves, floods, droughts and tropical cyclones – are more frequent and severe.

We need look no further than the recent catastrophe in the Philippines. All around the world, people now face and fear the wrath of a warming planet.

The science is clear. Human activities are the dominant cause of climate change. We cannot blame nature.

I am deeply concerned that the scale of our actions is still insufficient to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, the point where the most dangerous impacts of climate change are expected to take hold.

Yet I am also hopeful because I see gains on multiple fronts towards a low-carbon future. Many governments, businesses, community groups, women, youth and indigenous leaders are innovating and forging solutions.

New programmes for sustainable cities and climate-smart agriculture are already delivering benefits. Many initiatives are working to reduce emissions and air pollution while strengthening resilience. Countries and companies are realizing the economic advantages of combating climate change. Global demand for clean energy, such as solar and wind, continues to rise very sharply and clean energy investment has quadrupled over the last decade.

We now know it is possible to close the emissions gap. We must build on this momentum.

To achieve the large-scale transformation necessary to stabilize the climate, countries not only need to send the right policy signals and meet their climate finance commitments but also set much bolder targets. Climate finance is an investment in the future. It must not be taken hostage by short-term budget considerations.

The rewards can be considerable. As well as reducing emissions, we can light rural clinics and schools, empower local businesses and invigorate economies. Universal access to clean energy can benefit people’s health and advance gender equality. We can open new markets, create decent jobs, and sustainably design burgeoning urban growth.

Private investment is essential to meet the growing demand for energy in the developing world.

But we cannot mobilize private resources without a public lever. Smart public financing can encourage local and international private investments. Investors and companies need to join forces with the public sector.

I will convene a Climate Summit in New York on 23 September next year, one day before the opening of the annual UN General Assembly debate. This Summit is meant to be a solutions summit, not a negotiating session. I have invited all Heads of State and Government, along with leaders from business and finance, local government and civil society.

I am asking all who come to bring bold and new announcements and action. I am asking them to bring their big ideas.

Until then, I will continue to put every effort into mobilizing political will, moving financial investors, influencing business leaders and motivating people everywhere to do all they can.

Rising to the challenge of climate change is a big idea for next year. But it is also a big idea for the future – of humankind and of our planet. It is a momentous responsibility to shoulder, but I firmly believe that every one of us can step up and become leaders in combating climate change, promoting sustainable development and building lives of dignity for all.

Future generations will judge our action on this issue. In 2014, we have the chance to step over to the right side of history. Let’s take it.

http://www.desdemonadespair.net/2010/02/drought-in-sw-australia-linked-to.html

Dear Rex,

Read the following Op-Ed. You cannot disregard this. You must attend the September 23 summit !!

Climate change is affecting agriculture, water resources, human health, and ecosystems on land and in the oceans. It poses sweeping risks for economic stability and the security of nations. We can avert these risks if we take bold, decisive action now. An increasing number of government leaders, policymakers, businesses, investors and concerned citizens are beginning to comprehend the costs of climate change. Solutions exist. The race is on. My challenge to all political and business leaders, all concerned citizens and voters is simple: be at the head of the race. Don't get left behind. Don't be on the losing side of history. Let us work together to make climate change a top priority for all leaders.

Your "leadership by example would usher in a new era...."

Climate change affects us all. So what's stopping us joining forces to act on it?Ban Ki-moon | May 6, 2014 | The GuardianccI have seen that effective, affordable climate solutions exist. The push-back against sceptics must start in earnest at the UN's 2014 summit in New York

Leaders, businesses and concerned citizens are learningthat affordable solutions exist or are in the pipeline to reducegreenhouse gas emissions and support resilience.Photograph: Kunlé Adeyemi

Three decades from now the world is going to be a very different place. How it looks will depend on actions we take today. We have big decisions to make and little time to make them if we are to provide stability and greater prosperity to the world's growing population. Top of the priority list is climate change.All around the world it is plain that climate change is happening and that human activities are the principal cause. Last month the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed that the effects of climate change are already widespread, costly and consequential – from the tropics to the poles, from small islands to large continents, and from the poorest countries to the wealthiest. The world's top scientists are clear. Climate change is affecting agriculture, water resources, human health, and ecosystems on land and in the oceans. It poses sweeping risks for economic stability and the security of nations.We can avert these risks if we take bold, decisive action now. An increasing number of government leaders, policymakers, businesses, investors and concerned citizens are beginning to comprehend the costs of climate change. More crucially, they are also learning that affordable solutions exist or are in the pipeline to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support resilience. We need to deploy these solutions at a scale commensurate to the challenge. That means investment and it means global co-operation, especially in the areas of finance and technology. That is why it is important that governments complete their work on a new universal climate agreement by 2015.To build political momentum and help bring about action, I am convening a climate summit in New York on 23 September. I am pressing national leaders, along with mayors and senior representatives from business, finance and civil society, to join a "race to the top" by showcasing solutions and forging partnerships that can steer the world away from cataclysm and towards a sustainable future.I have been hosting an international meeting designed as a staging post for the September summit. The Abu Dhabi Ascent has given me considerable hope. Governments and private sector leaders have unveiled achievements and plans in a variety of areas where we feel we can make the quickest, greatest impact, including energy, cities and transport, finance, resilience, agriculture and short-lived climate pollutants.Just as scientists are united on the impacts of climate change, so are economists generally agreed on the costs of combatting it. Working now for a rapid transformation to a low-carbon economy will be significantly less expensive for people and economies than failing to act, especially in developing countries, which are most vulnerable to climate impacts. They are also where emissions are rising fastest. These countries need support to build their own low-carbon futures and the opportunities that will bring. They have a pressing need for development. But their sustainable progress – and ultimately that of all of us – demands they do so

need for development. But their sustainable progress – and ultimately that of all of us – demands they do so as cleanly as possible. No one can afford the relentless increase in global temperatures that business as usual will bring.The benefits of addressing climate change include reduced pollution, improved public health, fewer disasters, cleaner, cheaper, more efficient energy, better managed forests, more liveable cities, increased food security and less poverty. Instead of asking if we can afford to act, we should be asking what is stopping us, who is stopping us, and why? Climate change is an issue for all people, all businesses, all governments. Let us join forces to push back against sceptics and entrenched interests. Let us support the scientists, economists, entrepreneurs and investors who can persuade government leaders and policymakers that now is the time for bold action.In Abu Dhabi I have seen again that effective affordable solutions are already available. I have seen that an increasing number of governments and other actors are prepared to invest in a low-carbon future. My sights are now set on the September climate summit and theclimate negotiations in Lima in December and Paris next year.Change is in the air – I can sense it at all levels of society. Solutions exist. The race is on. My challenge to all political and business leaders, all concerned citizens and voters is simple: be at the head of the race. Don't get left behind. Don't be on the losing side of history. Let us work together to make climate change a top priority for all leaders – at home and in the global arena. Let us take advantage of the opportunities presented by climate action and lay the foundations for a more prosperous and secure future for all.http://bit.ly/Guard06May

Climate Summit 2014

I challenge you to bring to the Summit bold pledges. Innovate, scale-up, cooperate and deliver concrete action that will close the emissions gap and put us on track for an ambitious legal agreement through the UNFCCC process.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

As part of a global effort to mobilize action and ambition on climate change, United Nations

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is inviting Heads of State and Government along with business, finance,

civil society and local leaders to a Climate Summit in September 2014, New York.

This Summit will be a different kind of Climate Summit. It is aimed at catalyzing action by governments,

business, finance, industry, and civil society in areas for new commitments and substantial, scalable and

replicable contributions to the Summit that will help the world shift toward a low-carbon economy.

The Summit will come one year before countries aim to conclude a global climate agreement in 2015

through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Although the 2014 Climate Summit

is not part of the negotiating process, countries have recognized the value of the Summit, including by

welcoming the Secretary-General’s efforts in a Decision of the Doha climate conference in 2012.

By catalyzing action on climate change prior to the UNFCCC Climate Change Conference in 2015, the

Secretary-General intends to build a solid foundation on which to anchor successful negotiations and

sustained progress on the road to reducing emissions and strengthening adaptation strategies.

Dear Rex,

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres wrote that she is "feeling more energized and confident than ever that 2014 will be the year when the world can and must come together to meet the growing challenge of climate change and seize the opportunities manifest in a transition to a low carbon economy." She also said efficiency is important, but decarbonizing is essential:

Two key reports ... demonstrate the widespread sense that climate change is a systemic risk to major corporations and entire economies – and show that it is also an opportunity, with the right corporate and government response.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría for Davos covered steps businesses and governments can take to completely decarbonize the economy, and the reasons we must do so immediately.

Re-energize with clean carbon-free fuels — for life!Re-invent ExxonMobil as an energy company, be more than an oil & gas company.Re-direct capital investments from carbon-based infrastructure to carbon-free infrastructure.

Your "leadership by example would usher in a new era...."

Why Davos has left me with the feeling that 2014 is the year the world can and must rise to the climate challengePosted on January 27, 2014 by Christiana Figueres

The mood, ambition and announcements at the World Economic Forum in Davos has left me feeling more energized and confident than ever that 2014 will be the year when the world can and must come together to meet the growing challenge of climate change and seize the opportunities manifest in a transition to a low carbon economy.

There is almost no better place than the WEF to put your finger on the pulse of what global business and political leaders are thinking and get a sense of the trends that shape the lives of billions of people on this planet. Undeniably, climate change is now right back up there among the top concerns of business and political leaders.

The evidence is coming from all sides. One of the most striking impressions last week was looking at the front Page of the New York Times while in Davos, and seeing two corporate giants hit by climate change, Coca Cola and Nike, lobbying governments for increased action. These companies very clearly see climate change as a risk to their business models, including their globalized supply chains.

Two key reports launched in Davos by the WEF Global Agenda Council demonstrate the widespread sense that climate change is a systemic risk to major corporations and entire economies – and show that it is also an opportunity, with the right corporate and government response.

The WEF council recognizes that 40% of the top ten risks to the global economy are linked to climate change. And it finds that current annual losses worldwide due to extreme weather and disasters could be a staggering 12 % of annual global GDP. The good news is that up to 65 % of the increase in projected economic losses could be cost effectively averted through preventive investments.

Climate leadership of major multilateral institutions was strikingly clear in Davos. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim highlighted 2014 as the year to take action on climate change and called for a $50 billion green bond market by 2015. Welcoming UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s call for a climate summit in New York this year, he said that as a first step, key efforts should be made to double the green bond market to $20 billion by the time of the September summit. And he was equally confident from his conversations with investors that this is doable.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in turn called on investors to invest in low-carbon and step up transparency by disclosing greenhouse gas emissions. Remarkably, the only opinion editorial written by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría for Davos covered steps businesses and governments can take to completely decarbonize the economy, and the reasons we must do so immediately.

I am encouraged that climate change was elevated to its rightful place in Davos by both political and business leaders, with many concrete signs that businesses are keen to grasp the opportunities that arise from a shift to low-carbon.

For example Torben Pedersen, the head of Pension Denmark, said his company’s investment in renewable energies like wind in Europe and North America equals 1,000 megawatts. That effectively offsets the emissions from meeting the energy needs of all of the 600,000 plus pension fund members of Pension Denmark. Torben Pedersen called on pension funds worldwide to follow suit and invest in clean energy, echoing the central message of both the UN Secretary-General and the Investor Summit on Climate Risk held in mid-January in New York.

As the world works towards a universal climate change agreement in 2015, increasing numbers of leading businesses are establishing a clear link between their actions and what urgently needs to happen at the policy level in 2014 for all nations and sectors to contribute to meeting the climate change challenge.

Nearly 50 % of the total emission savings can come from more energy efficiency, from energy efficient lighting to fuel economy standards for vehicles. Andrew Steer, President of the World Resources Institute, said that should the European vehicle emission standard for cars (95 grammes C02 per kilometer) be applied to trucks and the standard extended globally, this would go a long way to reduce emissions from transport.

Meanwhile, many businesses are taking concrete action, and tying this action into the big political climate picture. In Davos, Steve Howard, Chief Sustainability Officer of furniture giant IKEA, said that by the Paris climate conference in 2015, all of his company’s stores around the world will be lit by and will only sell super energy-efficient LED lighting.

Mindful of the UN Secretary General’s summit in September, Mr. Howard summed up another session saying that a global commitment to phase out HFCs, powerful greenhouse gases still used in refrigeration and industrial processes, would provide a good signal at the New York summit that can in turn help achieve a meaningful global climate agreement.

Dr. Arunabha Ghosh of the New Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water pointed out that many companies in India are already acting and developing alternatives to HFCs, and that attention is being focused on the challenge at the highest level of government.

http://bit.ly/UNFCCC27Jan