Words Matter in the Paris Climate Agreement

The We Mean Business coalition asserts that the Paris Agreement must establish a collective long-term goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions well before the end of the century to keep warming below 2°C. The authors call for mechanisms to regularly strengthen country commitments every five years, implement transparent government accountability rules, and shift trillions of dollars toward low-carbon investment through policy signals like carbon pricing.

• The We Mean Business coalition, representing 154 companies with US$3.5 trillion in revenues and 111 investors with US$8.1 trillion in assets under management, has already facilitated 430 climate action commitments.
• Current national commitments from 56 countries, including the EU, China, and the US, are insufficient on their own to limit global warming to below 2°C.
• To achieve a 2°C trajectory, the Paris Agreement should set a collective long-term goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions significantly before the end of the century.
• The coalition identifies three essential mechanisms for the agreement's success: strengthening country commitments every five years, establishing transparency rules to hold governments accountable for their targets, and reorienting trillions of dollars toward low-carbon investment via policy signals such as carbon pricing.
• The mobilization of US$100 billion per year by 2020, as pledged in Copenhagen, is considered fundamental to building the trust required for a strong Paris Agreement.

APA

Boyd, P., Cameron, E., Wei, D., Levick, K., Kelly, A., Ryan, D., Whittington, E., & Larsfalten, C. (2015). Words Matter in the Paris Climate Agreement. We Mean Business Coalition. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/words-matter-in-the-paris-climate-agreement/

Chicago

Boyd, Peter, Edward Cameron, David Wei, Kate Levick, Anne Kelly, Damian Ryan, Eliot Whittington, and Carina Larsfalten. Words Matter in the Paris Climate Agreement. We Mean Business Coalition, 2015. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/words-matter-in-the-paris-climate-agreement/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Boyd |first1=Peter |last2=Cameron |first2=Edward |last3=Wei |first3=David |last4=Levick |first4=Kate |last5=Kelly |first5=Anne |last6=Ryan |first6=Damian |last7=Whittington |first7=Eliot |last8=Larsfalten |first8=Carina |title=Words Matter in the Paris Climate Agreement |publisher=We Mean Business Coalition |date=1 September 2015 |url=https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/words-matter-in-the-paris-climate-agreement/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{boyd2015words, author = {Boyd, Peter and Cameron, Edward and Wei, David and Levick, Kate and Kelly, Anne and Ryan, Damian and Whittington, Eliot and Larsfalten, Carina}, title = {{Words Matter in the Paris Climate Agreement}}, publisher = {We Mean Business Coalition}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/words-matter-in-the-paris-climate-agreement/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }