The Spanish Group for Green Growth expects the COP21 agreements to boost the economy

The Spanish Group for Green Growth  (GECV, by its Spanish acronym), covering 27 enterprises with approximately 215,000 employees, in Spain alone, believes that the agreements reached in the Conference on Climate Change (COP21), currently being held in Paris this month of December, should act as a firm reference in the fight against climate change, whilst also boosting the economy.

The Group, which has just been incorporated as a non-profit organization, has made a public statement recognizing the important role played by enterprises towards achieving a low-carbon economy, boosting innovation and the necessary solutions to ensure more sustainable development.

Thus, GECV’s member enterprises would like to highlight the following:

• All countries and economic sectors should share a commitment to reduce emissions and the efforts required to obtain this, as a global concern

• Global warming should be limited to 2º C

• Clear, reviewable and long-term targets should be set to reduce emissions, entailing political action and transparent regulations, such as carbon pricing, which should encourage investments towards a green economy. Furthermore, stable and attractive frameworks need to be defined to encourage RDI for technological solutions aimed at reducing emissions and locating new lines of economic activity

The Spanish Group for Green Growth believes that today, more than ever, “is the time to act”; public-private alliances are essential to more forward towards a new development model that clearly disassociates economic growth from an increase in emissions.

GECV, initially created in September 2014 by 18 enterprises, currently has 27 members, which generate 23 million tons of CO2 in Spain (scopes 1 and 2), in different sectors such as energy, finance, industry, infrastructures, services or telecommunications, to name a few.

These entities, many of which are Ibex 35 multinationals, along with small and medium-sized associates, share ambitious commitments aimed at reducing emissions, whilst also firmly vouching for opportunities in favor of a low-carbon economy. 

Following its incorporation, the organization’s aims are to encourage the necessary activities to increase awareness, amongst society in general and stakeholders in particular, of the potential of this economic growth model for Spain, helping generate and disseminate knowledge in order to activate the necessary change; to help create favorable surroundings for the model’s development; and to act as a relevant interlocutor in the business sector in association with public administrations., business associations, professional corporations, universities and other stakeholders, both in Spain and abroad.

OHL is a member of The Spanish Group for Green Growth.