Norine Kennedy Archives

USCIB & ICC to Convene Numerous Events at UN Climate Conference

Published on November 30, 2015
L-R: Norine Kennedy (USCIB), Nick Campbell (Arkema) and Andrea Bacher (ICC)

As leaders and delegates from nearly 200 countries descend on Paris for the pivotal COP21 climate conference, USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce are planning an array of timely and informative business-themed events. USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson led an American business delegation along with Norine Kennedy, vice president for strategic international engagement, energy and environment, to the UN climate change conference.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will be convening and participating in a series of events to make the case for a robust global agreement that works with business to meet the climate challenge. The private sector has been vocal in calling for bold action in the run up to the historic climate negotiations in Paris.

If you’re headed to Paris for COP21 here are a number of key dates for your calendar:

Official Business and Industry Day

As the business focal point to the UN climate talks, ICC will be hosting a range of briefings and events for the private sector, including the official COP21 Business Day on December 4. The event, known in UN circles as BINGO day, will demonstrate the private sector’s commitment to an ambitious agreement and will explore how business is already taking action for a low-carbon, resilient economy. Key speakers include:

  • John Danilovich, Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce
  • Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France and President-Designate of COP 21 and CMP 11

Click here to learn more about this event.

USCIB-American Chamber of Commerce, Executive Briefing and High Level Roundtable Meeting for US Business”

One of the fundamental challenges facing governments at COP21 is how to animate the private sector’s innovation and investment and channel that to address climate change and adapt to its impacts. If the Paris outcomes don’t work with and for business, they will not deliver their full potential. Clearly, governments will need a fully engaged business community across all sectors to turn the Paris outcomes into action in the near and long terms.

On Saturday December 5, USCIB and AmCham in France will convene a high level business meeting at the halfway point of COP21 to:

  • Overview on the latest developments in the political process relevant to U.S. business engagement
  • Review U.S. business issues and achievements in support of COP21
  • Look ahead to U.S. business priorities and initiatives in the implementation and further elaboration of the Paris outcomes.

A draft agenda can be viewed here.

ICC Conference on Climate Change Related Disputes

A unique event looking at the role of alternative dispute resolution – including arbitration – in resolving climate change related disputes. The event will look at the possible “enforcement gap” under a COP21 deal and the potential role of arbitration in building confidence in a new global climate architecture.

This groundbreaking event is jointly organized by the ICC International Court of Arbitration, the International Bar Association, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.

Click here to learn more about this event.

#OurClimate Photographic Award – Winners Announcement

Over 600 professional and amateur photographers from more than 60 countries have submitted entries to the ICC Photographic Award 2015, an official COP21 event. The award is a celebration of artistic skill and outstanding photography which aims to draw attention to and stimulate dialogue around the global challenge of climate change.

The three award winners will be announced during a high-level ICC COP21 Gala Reception.

Be the first to know the winners! Follow this event on Twitter via @iccwbo and #OurClimate .

Energy for Tomorrow Conference

Climate change is transforming supply chains, operations and markets, creating new challenges and significant growth opportunities for forward-thinking business leaders and investors.

Hosted and moderated by New York Times journalists, the Energy for Tomorrow conference brings together powerful CEOs, influential policymakers, energy entrepreneurs and leading academics to uncover the technologies, strategies and investments that will drive success in the new low-carbon economy.

ICC Secretary General John Danilovich will be delivering his vision for climate policy beyond COP21 on the second day of this event on December 9.

Click here to learn more about this event.

BizMEF side-event on INDC’s

On December 10, the Major Economies Business Forum on Energy Security and Climate Change will host an official UNFCCC side-event on intended nationally-determined contributions (INDC’s)

Click here to learn more about USCIB’s COP21 events event.

Sustainable Innovation Forum

The Sustainable Innovation Forum will convene cross-sector participants from business, government, finance, UN, non-governmental organizations and civil society to create an unparalleled opportunity to bolster business innovation and bring scale to the emerging green economy.

Cherie Nursalim, vice chairman of Giti Group and ICC Executive Board Member, will be a speaker at the keynote plenary session “Sustainable supply chain innovation and the circular economy” on December 8.

Click here to register for this event.

ICC Calls for Collaboration to Tackle Climate Challenge

Published on November 16, 2015

 

ICC Secretary General John Danilovich at the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey
ICC Secretary General John Danilovich at the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey

With less than two weeks to go to the United Nations Conference on climate change (COP21) and the conclusion of the G20 last weekend, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) continues to engage its network in more than 130 countries to advocate for a climate deal that engages business to fully address the climate challenge.

“ICC has underscored the need for the G20 to show leadership in engaging and collaborating with the private sector in an unprecedented way to tackle the climate challenge,” said Kersten-Karl Barth, chair of the ICC commission on the environment and energy.

As energy investment is expected to be the largest single area of overall infrastructure investment over the coming decades requiring $1-2 trillion per year over the coming decades, engagement of the private sector will be critical.

As the lead business representative to the UN climate talks, ICC supports an ambitious global agreement which works with business to speed emissions reductions and build climate resilience.

Invited by French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius to speak on behalf of business and industry NGOs at the pre-COP meeting involving in Paris last Sunday, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich said: “Businesses are already innovating to develop the technological, organizational and financial solutions needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to changing climate patterns.

“But to scale up these solutions we need enhanced collaboration between business, and more importantly, between the public and private sectors.”

Danilovich led a business delegation at the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey in what was an important staging post ahead of COP21.

Norine Kennedy, USCIB’s vice president for strategic international engagement, energy and environment, attended the pre-COP and the Bonn negotiating sessions.

ICC national committees all over the world will also be promoting an ambitious global climate agreement which works with business with a series of events throughout the month of November:

USCIB Members in Vanguard of White House Climate Action Pledges

Published on October 21, 2015

White_HouseOn October 19, the White House announced a set of new commitments from 81 companies – including dozens of USCIB members – under the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, which aims to rally support in the business community for action on climate change and the conclusion of strong United Nations climate agreement in Paris this December.

USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson welcomed the announcement. “USCIB has consistently focused on the necessity of ensuring that international action on climate works in harmony with the global economy,” he said. “These commitments demonstrate that the American business community is stepping up to help turn that ambition into reality. Leadership actions like these underline why a successful outcome in Paris must anchor and recognize business engagement and consultation going forward.”

Vice President Joe Biden gave closing remarks at the White House climate summit on Monday, during which government officials and business leaders convened for panel discussions about how the public- and private-sectors can work together on addressing climate change on the road to the UN climate agreement in December. Several USCIB members participated in the discussions.

With USCIB’s longtime climate, energy and environment expert Norine Kennedy on the front lines in Bonn, Germany for this week’s final negotiating session in advance of the Paris conference, Shaun Donnelly represented USCIB at the White House climate Summit.

USCIB is the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce and a U.S. partner of the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF).  It has represented U.S. business interests in the UNFCCC since 1993.  Please check its climate change website for continuing updates of its climate change positions and plans for the UN climate agreement in December (COP21).

USCIB will hold a COP21 Preparatory Meeting for U.S. Business in Washington DC on November 17.  This meeting will update U.S. business representatives on the latest political developments in the UN negotiations, review opportunities for business activities and engagement at COP21 and highlight business priorities for the Paris outcomes.  Contact Norine Kennedy for more information.

Read the White House fact sheet.

ICC Launches Climate Website on the Road to COP21

Published on October 14, 2015

cop21_slider_sourceIn less than 50 days, over 40,000 participants will converge in Paris to conclude talks on a new global climate agreement. As the business focal point for the United Nations climate talks and the landmark Paris Climate Conference (COP21), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has launched a one-stop website to mobilize business in the run up to and during the two-week conference.

Launched during Climate Week, the dynamic website provides overviews of and access to global business positions and recommendations. The website’s newsroom will help visitors keep pace with developments, providing easy access to the latest climate policy news, ICC press releases, speeches, videos and infographics.

The user-friendly ‘Road to COP21′ website also provides a comprehensive overview of the range of briefings and events hosted by ICC and partners during COP21. These include the official COP21 Business Day on December 4 and the International New York Times’ Energy for Tomorrow 2015 conference on December 8.

“The COP21 website is ICC’s response to the need for bespoke support services for member companies of the world business organization,” said ICC Secretary General John Danilovich. “Our aim is to ensure that everything business needs to navigate COP21 is just a click away.”

Visit cop21.iccwbo.org

USCIB Joins Other Business Groups in Defense of IPRs

Published on July 29, 2015

green_lightbulbThe protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) is a central enabling condition for innovation, stimulating investment and disseminating new greener technologies and knowledge. But in recent years, IPR protection is being challenged in a range of international forums, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda.  Critics assert that IP protection increases costs and impedes access.

USCIB joined eight other business associations in signing a letter to U.S. cabinet officials calling upon the U.S. government to resist “persistent efforts” by a small group of countries and NGOs to undermine American innovation for environmental technologies. The letter focuses on major international policy decisions that will be reached covering climate change and a wide array of other economic, social and environmental policy priorities this year in New York and Paris. It underscores the importance of avoiding inclusion of IP protection in the Paris climate agreement, and discouraging the proliferation of bureaucratic and redundant technology forums.

“These countries assert that environmental technology and other manufacturing IPRs prevent technology diffusion and undermine socio-economic development – without any evidence, in the face of practical experience and despite a vast body of academic literature to the contrary,” the letter stated, which was sent on July 29 to Secretary of State John Kerry, USTR Michael Froman and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

“In reality, the development of effective IP frameworks that apply to environmental technology IPRs, including manufacturing IPRs, has been shown to facilitate the development of new solutions to environmental and development challenges and, especially, their adaptation and

Read the full multi-association letter.

USCIB advocates for polices that enhance innovation, such as IPRs, as vehicles that support and encourage environmental and development goals.

Find out more about USCIB’s engagement with the UN climate talks and the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda.

White House, USCIB Members Launch American Business Action on Climate Change Pledge

Published on July 27, 2015

White_HouseUSCIB welcomes the leadership announcements made today at the White House by several of its members, including Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Pepsico, UPS and Walmart as part of the American Business Action on Climate Change Pledge.  These and other USCIB members have been moving ahead to provide innovation, investment and implementation to complement the international community’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate risks under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

USCIB’s President and CEO Peter Robinson called this the most recent proof that U.S. business is in the vanguard of global citizenship in advancing sustainability in the context of energy access and security.  “USCIB is strongly committed to a successful outcome at the Paris conference this December,” he said. “This announcement highlights how critical it is to engineer business into the Paris agreement in order to tap business action and invite business input to inform cost effective policy and practice to address climate change.”

USCIB is the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce and a U.S. partner of the Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF).  It has represented U.S. business interests in the UNFCCC since 1993.  Please check its climate change website for continuing updates of its climate change positions and plans for COP21.

Information and Resources

Published on July 14, 2015

campaign2015_logo

High-level Business Summit on Energy and Climate

December 8th and 9th, MEDEF Headquarters, Paris

Documents and PowerPoint Presentations from Major Economies Business Forum (BizMEF) official side-event Business Perspectives on Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC’s) at COP-21, December 10, 2015:

  • Agenda
  • Norine Kennedy, USCIB presentation on BizMEF INDC survey
  • Tennet Reed, Australia Industry Group, presentation and perspective on Australian perspective of INDC
  • Jean-Baptiste Baroni, MEDEF, presentation on EU INDC
  • Hiro Tezuka, Keidaren, presentation and perspective on Japanese INDC
  • John Carnegie, BusinessNZ, presentation on New Zealand INDC
  • Steve Eule, US Chamber of Commerce, Institute for 21st Century Energy, presentation and perspective on USA INDC
  • Henrique Schneider, The Swiss Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, presentation and perspective on Switzerland INDC
  • Brian Flannery, BizMEF, presentation on Business Perspectives on INDC Portfolio
  • Presentation on Simulations of INDCS (national and portfolio), Professor Keigo Akimoto, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE)

PowerPoint Presentations from November 17th U.S. Business Preparatory Meeting for COP-21:

New Position Papers from the Major Economies Business Forum on Energy Security and Climate Change (BizMEF):

Engaging Business: USCIB’s International Climate Policy Update:

Volume 1, August Issue

Volume 2, October Issue

Volume 3, November Issue coming soon!

USCIB has signed on to several letters and policy recommendations regarding the UN climate agreement, including:

As the American affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), USCIB actively supports ICC’s presence at UN climate conferences. USCIB is also a founding member of the Major Economies Business Forum on Energy Security and Climate Change (BizMEF), which comprises national and regional business organizations representing millions of companies all over the world. BizMEF members have participated in and shared views and meetings of the UNFCCC since COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009.

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Press Coverage

Published on July 14, 2015

Obama Announces Rule to Cut Carbon Emissions From Power Plants

Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2015

“Norine Kennedy, vice president for environment and energy for the United States Council for International Business, said the administration’s ambition in reducing carbon emissions is commendable. But thorny issues, such as agreeing on a plan to verify countries’ emissions cuts and finding sources of money to aid developing countries in reducing emissions, still must be resolved before Paris, she said.”

Climate Change and Trade Policy

New York Times, June 15, 2015

“But we should offer carrots instead of sticks to accelerate the transition to greener energy. Rather than threatening higher-emitting countries with punitive tariffs, we should roll back barriers to trade in environmental goods and services.” USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson.

Climate policy embraces a range of approaches 

Financial Times, June 3, 2015

“While carbon pricing may be the most cost-effective climate solution in some countries, other approaches — such as incentive-based systems or efficiency standards — may be a more viable option elsewhere. What’s more, carbon pricing schemes also need to be carefully designed to promote a global level playing field for commerce and to enable future trade-driven growth.” ICC Secretary General John Danilovich

Too much on the table? How businesses should approach the SDGs

Devex, April 14, 2015

The proposed post-2015 development agenda currently consists of 17 goals and 169 targets. From a business standpoint, how should the private sector make sense of these? Watch this video interview with USCIB’s Norine Kennedy

Business Calls for Greater Say in Climate Talks

Financial Times, December 10, 2014

“We want to find an opportunity where we are more inside the tent than on the sidelines,” said Peter Robinson chief executive of the US Council for International Business. He added businesses should be “co-parties” in the talks, not mere observers. “If a global agreement on climate change doesn’t work for and with businesses, it just won’t work,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson.

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On the Road to COP21

Published on July 14, 2015

Upcoming Events

All events are by invitation only and participation must be confirmed by USCIB staff.

December 1, Paris, venue: US Government Pavilion, “Deploying Innovative Technologies for Climate Change: Looking to Trade to Jumpstart Paris Action”, 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm

December 2, Paris, venue: French Government Climate Generations Area, Room: Salle 7, “Business, the SDGs and Climate Change: Synergies and Engagement Opportunities”, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

December 5, Paris, venue: George Marshall Center, Embassy of the United States, “USCIB-American Chamber of Commerce, Executive Briefing and High Level Roundtable Meeting for US Business” 9:30 am – 2:00 pm

December 10, Paris, venue: UNFCCC official side-event in the Blue Zone: “BizMEF side-event on INDC’s (Nationally Determined Contributions)”, 3:00 pm – 430 pm

Featured Events

L-R: James Bacchus (ICC and Greenberg Traurig), William Craft (U.S. State Department) and Norine Kennedy (USCIB)
L-R: James Bacchus (ICC and Greenberg Traurig), William Craft (U.S. State Department) and Norine Kennedy (USCIB)

North American Regional Consultation on Climate Change: Private-Public Dialogue for a Successful COP21

Event Program

June 23, Washington, D.C.

Speaker Presentations:

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Impact of the UN Climate Agreement on U.S. Business

Published on July 14, 2015

The UN post-2015 climate agreement will be built on member countries’ Independent Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), or binding pledges, in which each country commits to lowering its greenhouse gas emissions by certain amounts over the next several decades. The United States, for example, has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2020, and by 83 percent in 2050.

The agreement will have far-reaching effects on the world economy. Global markets will be impacted, including emissions trading markets, and trade measures and barriers arising from the diverse national approaches countries are setting out. Intellectual property rights may come under attack by countries that wish to frame IPR as a barrier to the spread of green technologies. Certain technologies may be disqualified or stigmatized, limiting technical options that will be needed to further energy security and advance climate friendly development and economic growth.

Rather than using the agreement to choke off markets, technologies and investments, the global business community sees an opportunity to design international climate cooperation that works with markets to deploy investment and innovation, and to encourage companies in all sectors to integrate climate mitigation into their activities and supply value chains.

Top Areas for Action

green_lightbulbGlobal business is seeking an international climate agreement that recognizes the importance of all markets and avoids barriers on investments that are necessary for a climate-friendly transformation. Open markets provide the best means to spread investment and technology profitably and effectively. Any policy that hampers markets will slow the pace of climate action and make it needlessly expensive for society to achieve its environmental goals.

In order for the private sector to unleash the innovation needed for global action on climate change, the UN climate agreement must provide:

Commitments and Transparency

The post-2020 climate agreement to be signed in Paris must provide a clear framework for international cooperative action, committing all large economies to the measurement, monitoring and reporting of pledged activities to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as those announced by China and the U.S. recently.

Financing and Investment 

The UN’s Green Climate Fund, designed to finance the international community’s efforts to combat climate change, is on track to reach its initial $10 billion capitalization target. But going from $10 billion to the $100 billion or more needed to advance climate change objectives depends on the mobilization of private investment and innovation.

Business Engagement

With so much riding on economy-wide transformational change that will rely on the private sector, the Paris agreement must move to anchor the role of business in the UN climate negotiations.  Given the wide impact that a UN agreement will have on markets, regulations and national competitiveness, an agreed structure is needed to enable representative and responsible business expertise and support to the process.

Business Priorities on ClimateCOP21Paris2015

Enabling Frameworks for Trade and Investment

  • All markets are important and necessary for a climate-friendly transformation. The UN climate negotiations should not give rise to barriers to trade and investment.
  • Do not overlook the role financial institutions have to play in the UN’s efforts to mobilize funds for climate action.
  • Carbon pricing is an important, but not the only, market-based climate policy tool. Different countries and regions have specific economic and energy circumstances and goals, so any such pricing at the international level would need to reflect those realities.
  • Trade will encourage climate-friendly investments and the broad dissemination of cleaner technologies and energy sources, and Paris outcomes should work in synergy with multilateral trade.

Intellectual Property Rights

  • Intellectual property rights must be preserved to protect investments in green technology. IPR should not be mentioned in any way in the UN climate agreement.
  • Technology and knowhow are deployed through trade and commercial transactions, so the right regulatory frameworks matter.
  • Society needs to consider all solutions to address climate change, therefore all technologies should be taken into account, and none should be disqualified.

Business Input in National Pledges

  • Business must be at the heart of the discussions on country pledges because it has knowledge and experience to offer on practical, cost-effective initiatives for greenhouse gas reductions.
  • Involving business in the development of country pledges will make it easier for society to support and enact the UN’s climate agenda.
  • Business engagement will help provide insight on the worldwide economic and technological implications of climate action.
  • The private sector has experience in measuring, reporting and verification which will be essential to assess countries’ comparative efforts on climate change policy.

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