Mobilize the Private Sector to Avert a Climate Crash

Government leadership is crucial. But companies must accelerate investment in green solutions.

Emmanuel Macron and

Andrew Holness

Dec. 2, 2018 4:29 p.m. ET

The 24th annual United Nations Climate Change conference begins Monday in Katowice, Poland. We have a formidable task before us. New data show that climate change may be even worse than we thought when the Paris Climate Agreement was ratified three years ago. Our objective is to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and down to zero by 2050.

The world only has a few years to change course. The planet is on track to heat up 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. This could raise sea levels by more than a meter and—coupled with increased...