ENGIE welcomes the historic agreement reached at the conclusion of COP21, which sets out a roadmap for accelerating the energy transition worldwide.
Gérard Mestrallet, ENGIE Chairman and CEO and Business Dialogue coordinator, welcomed the signature of the climate agreement by COP21 delegates, highlighting the particular importance of the introduction of carbon pricing. The ENGIE Group has also announced its environmental targets for limiting global warming to a maximum of 2°C.
ENGIE Chairman and CEO Gérard Mestrallet welcomes the historic agreement signed by 196 countries at the conclusion of the COP21 climate conference in Paris:
“The involvement of all delegates was very impressive, and expectations were high. I have always said that a binding agreement was absolutely essential, and I’m happy that the one signed by all the nation states sets extremely ambitious targets. I’m also gratified to see that carbon pricing is also included in the text. The result is an initial step towards continuing work on this issue, particularly in the context of the Business Dialogue initiative, which is scheduled to meet soon in Morocco, the country that will host COP22 next year.”
Since the Copenhagen climate conference in 2009, society as a whole, politicians and the corporate world have arrived at a clear awareness about the environmental risk posed by global warming. It is against this background that the agreement signed on December 12 this year sets out a roadmap for the 2020 implementation of the measures required to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to +2°C, and even makes reference to a +1.5°C cap to meet the needs of the most vulnerable countries.
ENGIE is delighted with the positive outcome achieved by these negotiations, and will continue its participation in the stages and tasks that lie ahead to ensure the implementation of this agreement, with particular focus on the issues around carbon pricing, the emissions reduction transfer mechanisms, the development of renewables, and universal access to sustainable energy.
The reference made in the agreements to carbon pricing mechanisms is particularly welcomed by the private sector as a strong signal of encouragement to reduce CO2 emissions. As coordinator of the Business Dialogue group of negotiators representing around 30 countries and international CEOs from all sectors of industry with a joint commitment to put forward proposals to the French presidency of COP21, Gérard Mestrallet will extend his commitment to carbon pricing at the next Business Dialogue session scheduled for early 2016.
As a global energy stakeholder with a presence in more than 70 countries, ENGIE has a non-negotiable commitment to reducing its own carbon emissions through the worldwide use of the most advanced technologies. This commitment is integral to its business strategy: to lead the way in the European energy transition and set the energy industry benchmark in fast-growing countries.
Conscious of its responsibility and the major role it has to play in facilitating the energy transition, ENGIE has also set ambitious environmental targets for itself:
- increasing its installed capacity of renewable energy sources by 50% worldwide between 2009 and 2015
- doubling its renewables generating capacity in Europe by 2025
- achieving a 10% reduction in its CO2 emissions from its power generation and associated heat generation activities by 2020
The Group has also decided that all its new investments in power generation will focus on zero or low CO2 emissions projects built around renewables and natural gas, and to embark on no new coal-based projects.