Although Biden said he will have the U.S. rejoin the Paris Accord when he becomes president on January 20, “We thought it was important to demonstrate that there is strong support for rejoining Paris within the business community,” Diringer said., professor of strategic communications at Ithaca College, said “Every day I see more examples of corporations making very public statements about where they stand on national and international issues of policy and social justice.
Greg Downing, Cargill’s sustainability director for climate, said “We recognize business has a critical role to play and that is why we are joining this effort, led by C2ES in partnership with other leading U.S. businesses, to signal support for bipartisan climate policy. Our actions today will shape the future of food, and protect our planet, for generations to come.”
Diringer said today’s announcement “reflects the climate consciousness that has continued to grow within the corporate ranks all through the Trump presidency and even through the pandemic.“Companies understand both the risks and the opportunities. They are hearing from their investors, customers, and employees that this is a vital issue. They see this as a critical moment to try to make some bipartisan progress,” Diringer noted.
“We won’t achieve the [environmental] progress we need without strong support from the business community, whether it is the Paris Agreement or putting in place the other policies we need. We think it is important to demonstrate that there is very strong support among companies on both fronts,” he said. Taking an active stand on the environment and other pressing issues is nothing new for some corporate leaders and their businesses.
He noted that “There already exists, for many years now, an era of cooperation and joint activism with the environmental community. Just look at the extent to which numerous corporations are involved with the programs of NGOs. This statement is simply another example of that.”