UN's Ban tells business to stop climate lobbying

Fossil fuel industries, such as oil and coal, may lose out from measures to boost low-carbon alternatives and want time and clear policies, for example on carbon prices, to invest. Other companies want to know what technologies to choose.

"We need clear direction and long-term leadership," said Philippe Joubert, president of Alstom Power, the electricity generation arm of global French engineering firm Alstom SA, which makes components for coal, gas and renewable energy power plants.

The aviation industry wanted a global approach to fighting climate change, said the head of the International Air Transport Association, Giovanni Bisignani. Businesses wanted global measures so that polluting rivals elsewhere do not get an easier ride.

Environment experts and lobbyists argued that "green" spending to create jobs can help to re-build leaner economies run on wind and solar power, preventing the climate crisis from getting worse.

"The climate crisis, economic crisis and energy security concerns will begin to unravel if we start a shift away from expensive, vulnerable and polluting carbon-based fuels," former US vice-president and climate campaigner Al Gore told the conference.

Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, expressed cautious optimism ahead of the December conference. "I think there is a good chance that things will happen," he said.

China's official in charge of climate change policy struck a similar note. "I do believe that political wisdom can help us find solutions acceptable to all parties," said Xie Zhenhua, vice-chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission. "I'm looking forward to the success of the meeting."

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso stressed that businesses must join the public sector to halt global warming. "So many businesses are increasing efforts to curb emissions, optimise their supply chains, to improve information to consumers, and most of all, a number of industrial sectors are starting to come together to develop sectoral approaches to reduce emissions or develop energy efficiency benchmarks at international level," he said. 

"So in the longer term, we should see a Copenhagen agreement as a major milestone on the path to a global carbon market which would increase business opportunities, particularly for European industry, and help to bring average carbon costs further down," he added.

Oxfam urged business leaders to cut emissions by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050 and to acknowledge that emissions must fall to at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 in developed countries. Rich countries will also have to commit at least $150 billion per year to helping climate effots in developing countries, the amount the US found to bail-out AIG, it argued.

"This is the time that big business must talk as one international voice to political leaders and we anticipate – for the first time – that it will be calling for both long- and mid-term targets for emissions cuts, and for money on the table to help developing countries adapt and pursue low-carbon futures," said Jeremy Hobbs, executive director of Oxfam International. "These are make-or-break issues. We could witness at this meeting the private sector wielding its power for the climate good."