World Ecological Forum: Business Leaders Join Forces to Tackle Climate Change
Jan. 26, 2010 -- The World Ecological Forum today announced that its first
summit will bring together prominent industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and
environmental experts to fight climate change. This inaugural summit will be
held in the UNESCO-protected city of Visby on Gotland, Sweden, on 1-2 July
2010.
“Corporations and governments must work together. We don't need another
climate summit with thousands of participants but we do need to take action,”
said Alec Arho Havrén, executive chairman of the World Ecological Forum. “Our
ambition for 2010 is to provide a platform for responsible business leaders and
policy makers, and make it easier for CEOs to share ideas and drive real change
toward sustainability.”
Reducing carbon emissions is a key priority and will be high on the summit's
agenda. As stressed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
global emissions must peak no later than 2015, just five years away. Although
73 of the 100 largest companies in the world have set some form of reduction
target, few companies have plans in place past 2012, the final year of the
Kyoto Protocol.
“If we want to reach the emission reductions targets, corporations need to get
far more aggressive,” said Havrén. “We also need to talk about low carbon
investments and best practices. We can no longer afford not to.”
To boost green technology transfers, the World Ecological Forum has already
launched a Green Market Place in partnership with Tynax, the world's largest
technology trading exchange. “It is critical to get the most effective
innovations out of the research laboratories and into the hands of the
engineers and developers,” said Jon Rortveit, CEO of Tynax. “We are delighted
to partner with the World Ecological Forum and see this initiative as a
significant step in creating a global trading exchange for green technologies.”
The World Ecological Forum 2010 will also promote green products with special
attention given to the automotive industry. During the summit, a zero and low
emission vehicle exhibition will be co-hosted by Gotland Ring, the world's
first ecological race and test circuit. Winners of the World Ecological Forum
Global Impact Award will also be announced at the event.
Media Contact:
Jenny Harler
Director of Communications
Phone (US): +1.310.600.8912
Phone (Sweden): +46 (0)73-983 43 92
Email:
jenny.harler@scencia.com
Additional press materials can be found at
www.worldecologicalforum.com/press.
About World Ecological Forum
The World Ecological Forum is a non-profit organization that is committed
to creating environmental and economic balance in order to achieve sustainable
growth, welfare and social justice for all. The Forum's flagship event is the
annual summit in Visby. The organization also administers the World Ecological
Forum Global Impact Award.
For more information, visit www.worldecologicalforum.com.
About Visby
The medieval town of Visby is located on Gotland, the biggest island in the
Baltic Sea. The island proclaimed itself an eco-municipality in 1992 and
continues to work toward sustainability. More information is available at
www.gotland.net/en.
