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What people say about climate change...

H. E. Robert Brinkley
British High Commissioner, Pakistan

"Climate change is recognised as one of the major threats to the security and prosperity of the world in the twenty-first century.  Unchecked climate change undermines the conditions for economic growth.  It will lead to food and water shortages. Conflict will break out as people dispute scarce resources.  This is both morally and economically unacceptable. 

It is therefore a serious challenge for the international community, but it is not a challenge that can be left to scientists, or even to governments alone to overcome.   We all need to work together to strike the best balance between the need to create economic prosperity and the need to preserve our environment for future generations.  Increasingly the global business community is recognizing the importance of its role in meeting that challenge. International business leaders, together with governments and climate change experts, drew up a comprehensive set of recommendations on climate change policy at the World Economic Forum in January 2008.  These recommendations highlighted that the cost of inaction on this issue would be disastrous, and that the only reasonable approach for all governments and business leaders is to take action now. 

The business community is also recognizing that climate change is not only a challenge, it is an opportunity. Global economic shocks and energy security issues have led governments and businesses to think in new ways about how to use their resources, grasping the opportunity to invest in new “green” technologies and practices.  Reducing dependence on oil and creating a low carbon economy will mean that we will all be less vulnerable to fossil fuel price shocks, and have greater energy security.  It will mean that businesses and households save money through energy efficiency.  And the growth of the low carbon economy will be a source of employment and innovation. 

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said: “a low carbon economy will not emerge from thinking of business as usual”.  “Business as usual” is unchecked climate change, threatening the prosperity and security of citizens and businesses throughout the world.  LEAD Pakistan has recognised that Pakistan needs the innovation, ingenuity, drive and strategic risk-taking of its business community to break away from “business as usual”. This is the start of a long journey, and we need to progress along it quickly.  I hope the LEAD Corporate Summit on Climate Change can be used as a starting point on that journey, enabling Pakistani businesses to get involved in the climate change debate, to develop a shared understanding of what needs to be done and to move forward together.  I wish LEAD Pakistan, and all those taking part, every success for a productive and rewarding meeting."

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Ali Tauqeer Sheikh
CEO, LEAD Pakistan

"Climate change poses a serious global challenge and the dilemma is very clear: urgent action is needed in a number of dimensions from a wide range of stakeholders. The Climate Action: Corporate Summit on Climate Change is a very timely call for action by LEAD Pakistan. Businesses can and should incorporate responses to climate change into their core values, corporate strategies and actions by taking concrete steps to invest in low and zero carbon emitting products, practices and technologies. Investments in clean technologies and the new energy infrastructure will shape the low carbon future. The right leadership, determination and incentives can harness the opportunities, talent, and skills that exist to find solutions that beat climate change and increase prosperity for all. "

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Waqar A. Malik
President, OICCI

"It gives me great pleasure to partner with LEAD Pakistan for the first Corporate Summit on Climate Change. Climate change, in this day and age, is an accepted fact and significant information is available on the subject. Now we know that our burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests have dramatically impacted climate worldwide.

Many countries and the businesses within these have formulated strategies to deal with the change in various ways, but the same has perhaps been lacking in Pakistan.

I must add here that many corporate institutions in Pakistan with international links are already in compliance with not only local regulations but also more stringent international requirements. But there remains a large sector, which needs to develop the requisite understanding and the need to take action.

OICCI, which is the representative body of foreign investors in the country, is joining hands with LEAD Pakistan to pave the way for developing this understanding in the corporate sector in Pakistan. Climate will be a very pertinent factor in determining business attitudes and trends in the coming years, and this summit will help businesses gear up for that inevitability.  

On behalf of OICCI, I wish this summit every success.

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Dr. Adil Najam
Professor, Boston University, USA

"There is no technological reason why we cannot tackle and overcome the global climate challenge. We do have the technological and financial means to do so. What we do not yet have is the political will and conceptual vision to make the inevitable transitions. One of the forces that could nudge us in the right direction is entrepreneurial zeal from the world of business. There is, indeed, a threat imbedded in every change. But there is also opportunity. Our collective global futures are likely to be shaped by those who are ready, able and willing to seize that opportunity."

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