Voting for climate action is a winning tactic: from Slovenia to
Finland, from Poland to France, polling shows that a big majority of Europeans want the
EU to pass a law to oblige companies to reduce their emissions.
The results of
the polling conducted by YouGov show that almost three quarters (74%) of European Citizens in ten EU countries
support a law which would require all companies to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
And MEPs can help make this a reality – by voting on June 1st to support the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive which includes measures on climate action.
This new law has the potential to transform how businesses act on
climate – and not a minute too soon. Every economic sector has a climate footprint
and we are running out of time.
The energy sector is the largest culprit, yet fossil fuel companies
are still planning to drill, transport and burn ever-more climate-wrecking oil
and gas. European companies are at the heart of ‘carbon bomb’ projects like the
East African Crude Oil Pipeline, or LNG
mega-projects in Mozambique, and are planning further projects that would
guarantee we miss the 1.5C target of the Paris Agreement.
The global fashion industry produces up to 10% of global carbon emissions. From aviation to plastic production and raw materials mining, all sectors are contributing to the crisis – which means they should all be taking action to help fix it.
The resulting global heating is already taking a devastating toll on people and the planet.
Last summer, Europeans experienced the heaviest floods and most intense heat waves in decades. However, the heaviest price is paid by people in the Global South. Last year, Pakistan was hit by the worst floods in over 100 years, leaving millions in need of humanitarian assistance.
Making sure the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive makes companies accountable for their climate impacts and reducing their emissions is essential if we have any hope of keeping global heating below 1.5 degrees.
If you would like to help spread the word about this campaign, please
consider https://justice-business.org/tell-your-mep-to-hold-companies-accountable/ to back a law that would hold businesses accountable.
*
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Figures are based on a survey of a nationally and politically representative sample of adults in Germany (n=2000) and France (n=1000). The survey was also fielded to a nationally representative samples of adults in Ireland (n=1000), Belgium (n=1000), Finland (n=1000), Austria (n=1000), Poland (n=1000), Slovenia (n=500), Spain (n=1000), and the Netherlands (n=1000). Fieldwork was undertaken between 3rd – 16th February 2023. The survey was carried out online. European level figures are averages of the proportion selecting each response across the nations surveyed. You can find an overview of the aggregrated results here.