Taoiseach Tells Corporate Leaders Of Climate Change Priority

The Taoiseach said, "in spite of the difficult economic agenda which we are currently facing, Climate Change remains a priority for this Government, and will be for future Governments. It is clear that the transition to a low carbon economy and our efforts to achieve the challenging targets which have been set will mean we need to implement profound changes. These will impact significantly on the structure of the economy and the way we live our lives. No sector, organisation or individual will be immune.

"It is in all our interests to plan and manage this process in a measured, balanced and timely fashion. That requires engagement, and rational debate, by all stakeholders as we identify and adopt solutions."

The Irish Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change is an initiative of Business in the Community Ireland, Friends of the Earth, and Vodafone Ireland and includes: Arup Consulting Engineers, Bewley's, Bord na Mona, BT, Diageo, Intel, KPMG, NTR, PwC, Siemens, Zurich and Vodafone.

The purpose of the meeting was to formally launch the Group and to present the Group's Communiqué on climate change policy to the Taoiseach.

On receiving the communiqué, the Taoiseach said, "I want to commend the organisations involved in this important initiative for both their commitment to the resolute actions that will be needed to combat the challenges from climate change and equally, their foresight in identifying business opportunities that undoubtedly exist in this new era."