Boris Johnson joins businesses in urging G7 for climate and biodiversity focus

Boris Johnson has joined Britain's biggest business group, the CBI, in urging G7 nations to lead international action to address the climate and biodiversity crises, at the same time as facilitating a swift vaccine rollout worldwide in order to accelerate the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a joint communique issued today ahead of the G7 Summit which the UK is hosting in Cornwall next month, the B7 group of leading business groups set out a raft of recommendations on trade, international travel, digital technologies, vaccines, climate action, and the environment for G7 governments to consider.

The proposals have been drafted and backed by leading business federations from all G7 nations, including the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), in a bid to drive a "sustainable and in inclusive recovery" from what they describe as "the worst social, health and economic challenge in decades".

The G7 Summit has an "important role to play in setting the multilateral agenda and driving real change", according to the joint communique, which urges the world's leading economies to lead international action on setting cross-economy net zero targets and accelerating the green energy transition.

Specifically, it calls on G7 nations - which include the UK as well as the US, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Canada - to set a target to phase out unabated coal power generation by 2040 "where feasible", backed by detailed policy plans and incentives to support industries, workers, and communities impacted by the shift away from fossil fuels.

G7 nations should look to both drive innovation in zero carbon technologies as well as prioritise national policies to support the development of markets that value biodiversity, natural environments, natural carbon sinks, and "nature-positive business activity", they said.

The communique argues international alignment in developing sustainable finance taxonomies - to help establish what constitutes a truly 'green' investment - and rules governing climate risk disclosure, are also crucial to unlocking much needed investment in the green economy.

And, on trade, they urge the G7 to commit to a roadmap for rolling back protectionist measures adopted during the pandemic in order to facilitate a reopening of global supply chains, and to boost cooperation between nations through an "open, transparent consensus-based international system of international regulations, standard-setting, rules and norms".

Counter-productive export bans and "uncoordinated national initiatives with adverse effects on international vaccine supply chains" must also be addressed and avoided, stresses the communique, which follows a three-day summit of 200 leading CEOs and business figures this week under the B7 banner.

Tony Danker, the CBI's director-general, said there had "never been a more important moment for the international community to come together as we rebuild from the devastation of Covid-19", as he urged companies around the world to play a greater advocacy role in addressing major global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity.

"From climate change to digitisation, resilience-building to fighting protectionist instincts, the challenges we face are seismic," he said. "It's simply not acceptable for business to sit on the sidelines. We must stand up and be counted, using our knowledge, experience and expertise to deliver the solutions that will be felt in communities worldwide."

He added that the UK, as hosts of the G7 and the crucial COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow, had a "unique opportunity to be the key global broker" in building consensus and mobilising international action.

"With economic rulebooks being ripped-up around the world, future generations are relying on us to seize the moment," said Danker, who as leader of the CBI heads up an organisation representing more than 190,000 businesses in the UK.

The intervention from leading business groups this week will further up the ante ahead of the G7 and the series of crucial global summits set to take place this year, with the UK government under increasing pressure to rally nations worldwide towards ambitious action on climate and biodiversity ahead of COP26 and the COP15 Biodiversity Summit in Kunming, China, later this year.

The Prime Minister also joined Danker and leading B7 business federations in calling for concerted action and cooperation from the private sector and governments alike in tackling the myriad crises facing the global economy.

"The cooperation between business and government has been unprecedented throughout the coronavirus pandemic," said Johnson, adding that he was "grateful" for the recommendations set out by the business groups ahead of next month's G7 summit.

"We must take that same spirit of collaboration and leadership as we build back better, capitalise on opportunities in trade and technology, and fight climate change and biodiversity loss," he said. "Together we must push for greater ambition across the G7 to tackle our shared challenges."