Companies call on world leaders to meet renewable energy targets

On Monday, executives from major companies urged leaders to implement an international agreement made at the COP28 Summit in Dubai last year to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, to combat climate change.

The statement was made at a side event to the United Nations Climate Week, in New York. Companies like Amazon.com, a massive energy user and power producers such as Vestas and Iberdrola were among those who issued it.

The United Nations has called for countries to submit their national climate plans, due to be presented to the U.N. in February next year, with quantifiable targets on renewable energy capacity and investment plans that will ensure these goals are met.

Climate Week, the U.N. General Assembly and other events where world leaders, businesses and NGOs are hoping to strengthen international climate commitments, will focus on the importance of doubling renewable energy.

California also announced, on the sidelines Monday of the event, that it has filed a suit against Exxon Mobil for its alleged involvement in the global plastic waste pollution.

After a two-year investigation, the Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the state had decided to sue Exxon for misleading the public regarding the limits of recycling.

Exxon denies the claim.

The U.N. has been a host of events related to climate change that began on Sunday, along with the General Assembly.

In their speeches, leaders on Sunday warned that climate-driven disasters are increasing mistrust among nations. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said to leaders at the summit that "international challenges are moving faster then our ability solve them".

"Crises feed off one another - digital technologies, for instance, spread climate misinformation which fuels distrust, and deepens polarization."

Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Mottley echoed Guterres warnings and called for a "reset", in the way global institutions are run, so that they can respond better to crises and help those in greatest need. Reporting by Valerie Volcovici in New York and Simon Jessop Writing by Richard Valdmanis, Editing by Matthew Lewis

(source: Reuters)