Following the opening ceremony for signature of the United Nations climate agreement (Paris Agreement), held at the UN headquarters on April 22 in New York, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD reiterated its continued support to the OECD as a key organization in the field to provide fact-based analysis concerning the implementation of the Paris Agreement. BIAC called upon the OECD to contribute to increasing the overall cost-effectiveness and coherence of climate measures and to help ensure a policy environment that is supportive of innovation and investment by all the business involved.
At the meeting of the OECD Environment Policy Committee in early May, BIAC will highlight the key recommendations of its paper on the “Post-COP 21 Agenda: Key Actions for the OECD”. Going forward, BIAC will contribute to preparations for the OECD Environment Ministerial planned for September 2016.
Now more than ever, business and the global community share a common goal of advancing economic development and sustainability while effectively addressing climate change. This week in New York, governments, business and civil society are gathered to move forward on the landmark decisions of 2015. Through USCIB’s Campaign2015, USCIB and its members supported and informed the decisions of Addis, Paris and New York. This week our message is clear — it is time to get to work!
One of the most contentious issues during the United Nations COP21 climate negotiations was the push by NGOs and some countries to frame intellectual property (IP) rights as a barrier to environmental goals. USCIB and other business groups made a strong case for IP frameworks, arguing that innovation is crucial for developing solutions to the world’s climate challenges, and thanks to their efforts IP was not mentioned in the final climate treaty agreed to in Paris last year.
Fresh on the heels of COP21 in Paris – possibly the 
