With 2016 upon us, we have a new year and new opportunities to tackle one of the world’s biggest threats: climate change. Last month, government and business leaders from across the globe came together at COP21 in Paris to support an ambitious international climate agreement. We are both proud to have participated in these talks and are proud of…
As a U.S. Senator and the president of a major corporation, we understand the global and the local consequences of climate change and the urgent need to immediately get to work to meet the U.S. commitments made in Paris.
Here in New Jersey, we see the growing threat of climate change in the wake of the destruction from Superstorm Sandy. Shore communities still being rebuilt and small businesses that have yet to reopen are a somber warning of the impacts from bigger, more damaging weather events caused by climate change.
And throughout the United States, companies like Unilever are also dealing with the effects of climate change, with challenges including the disruption of supply chains and droughts affecting consumer product use. As one means of mitigating the risks associated with the instability caused by climate change, the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan was launched in 2010 with the ambitious target of decoupling the company’s growth from its environmental impact.
For example, as Unilever transitions toward onsite renewable power generation in the U.S., 100 percent of its power consumption is offset by a wind farm in Langford, Texas. In 2015, Unilever joined other New Jersey-based companies including Johnson & Johnson and DSM North America signing onto the White House’s American Business Act on Climate Change with now over 150 companies making ambitious targets to reduce their environmental footprint.
Renewable energy is not just good for the environment but also a smart business investment. The Solar Foundation has found the U.S. solar industry is creating jobs nearly 20 times faster than the overall economy. New Jersey has the third highest amount of solar electric capacity in the nation and is home to 7,200 good-paying solar jobs.
However, current investments in renewable energy are not enough. Businesses must do their part in partnership with government to make a meaningful impact for the environment. Intensive efforts in the Senate recently resulted in the extension of wind and solar tax credits for another five years — creating thousands of additional clean energy jobs in New Jersey and reducing annual carbon emissions across the nation equal to the emissions from dozens of coal fired power plants.
Efforts such as these will need to continue, and further investments in battery storage, offshore wind and other emerging technologies, will need to be made if we want to meet our obligation to address climate change.
We are proud to stand together as representatives of the private and public sectors, recognizing the opportunity for businesses and government to work together to transition to a carbon-free future, slow climate change and counter its destructive consequences. We are confident that by continuing to work together across all sectors we will leave the next generation a safer and more prosperous world.
U.S. Sen Cory Booker is from New Jersey. Kees Kruythoff is the president of Unilever North America.
