“Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and the time for meaningful action on a global scale is now. At Symantec we believe moving to a low carbon economy requires innovation and cooperation. We hope others will join us in this important mission.” - Michael A. Brown, Symantec President and CEO
This week marks the beginning of the COP21– the 21st Conference of the Parties – where leaders from 150 nations have gathered in Paris, along with 40,000 delegates from 195 countries, to address climate change on a global political level. Since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, global conferences of this nature have taken place on an annual basis. Why is this conference so important? While climate negotiations have been happening for over the past twenty years, this year the expected outcome of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference is anew international agreement on climate change, applicable to all, to keep global warming below 2°C. This means establishing greenhouse gas reductions on a global scale.
Symantec supports and encourages efforts globally to pursue comprehensive climate change action. We believe that a political response is critical for tackling climate change – both for mitigating risk and boosting economic growth. Government involvement is one avenue out of many that are necessary. A strong, international coalition of governments, businesses, and civil society organizations is required to effectively address the complicated climate challenges we face. We stand in commitment to doing our part to mitigate climate change and support strong action by the US government in the COP21 climate negotiations.
Symantec Backs a Low-Carbon USA
Today, Symantec joined over 100 leading U.S. companies in voicing support for a shift to a low-carbon future. The Wall Street Journal advertisement, “Business Backs Low Carbon USA,” is a call for strong action to tackle climate change and a demonstration that top companies across major sectors support US leadership in the COP21 negotiations. We each have taken steps to address climate change and together we stand in recognition that corporations are part of the solution. The decisions made at the Paris Climate Conference will set the course for the climate strategies implemented by businesses going forward. In the Wall Street Journal ad, the companies encourage the US government to:
- Seek a strong and fair global climate deal in Paris that provides long-term direction and periodic strengthening to keep global temperature rise below 2°C
- Support action to reduce U.S. emissions that achieves or exceeds national commitments and increases ambition in the future
- Support investment in a low-carbon economy at home and abroad, giving industry clarity and boosting the confidence of investors
Symantec also joined the Obama Administration and 140 other companies in the American Business Act on Climate Pledge in support of a strong outcome in the COP21 climate negotiations:
We applaud the growing number of countries that have already set ambitious targets for climate action. In this context, we support the conclusion of a climate change agreement in Paris that takes a strong step forward toward a low-carbon, sustainable future.
We recognize that delaying action on climate change will be costly in economic and human terms, while accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy will produce multiple benefits with regard to sustainable economic growth, public health, resilience to natural disasters, and the health of the global environment.
At Symantec, we believe that the transition to a low-carbon economy is important for sustainable economic growth. We believe that company action, in partnership with stakeholder collaboration, is key to both mitigating risk and finding opportunity during this transition.
We pledge to:
- Play our part in realizing the GHG emissions reductions that climate scientists tell us are needed in order to avoid the worst effects of climate change. We will set a science-based goal early in 2016 to guide our GHG emissions reduction efforts.
- Continue to lend our voice to those calling for a meaningful clean energy policy framework, including through our participation in the Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) project.
- Work with others, including our peers, customers, data center vendors and utilities, to leverage our collective knowledge and resources in addressing climate change. We will continue our collaboration with others in the technology sector to promote increased data center access to and use of renewable electricity through the BSR Future of Internet Power initiative.
Working to Address Climate Change through our Operations
Symantec is currently involved in climate action in a variety of ways and we also continue to identify opportunities for improvement. We joined the Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) in 2009, a coalition that calls for strong US climate and energy policies to spur clean energy production and usage and reduce carbon pollution. We are collaborating with other ICT companies by participating in the BSR Future of Internet Power initiative to promote clean energy growth, such as endorsing the use of renewable energy by colocation vendors. We have also reported publicly on our GHG emissions since 2009, including through the CDP, an investor- and corporate customer-led initiative to rate companies for their emissions transparency and reductions. Tracking our GHG emissions has allowed us to identify areas for improvement. We are applying green building standards to our buildings and making energy efficient system changes at our data centers, often through the use of our own software and technology. Our data centers and offices account for 75% of our emissions and represent our most significant opportunity for improvement.
We’re proud to stand with other business and political leaders, calling for decisive action to curb climate change. The threat is real. The time for action is now.
Cecily Joseph is Symantec's VP, Corporate Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer