Business leaders have urged the EU to scrap greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and increase climate ambition in time to stick to the Paris Agreement, in a letter seen by EURACTIV.

CEOs of companies like food giant Unilever, financial powerhouse Allianz SE and power providers Engie and EDF have penned a joint letter to EU climate chief Miguel Arias Cañete, urging him to make sure the European Commission’s 2050 strategy includes a net-zero emissions option.

Cañete is due to announce the long-term strategy on Wednesday (28 November)...

The letter, sent by not-for-profit initiative The B Team, warns Cañete that “we cannot do business” in a world that exists under the current climate trajectory, which is predicted to hit at least 3 degrees Celsius of warming by century’s end, rather than the 1.5 or 2 degrees goals set by the Paris Agreement... [also refers to Virgin, Salesforce, Safaricom, NRG Energy, Danone, Interface, Dow Chemical, Kering]