How businesses and consumers are taking action to address climate change on Earth Day

Global partnership to seize the opportunities of the Paris climate agreement and bring clean energy and prosperity to all

New York, April 22. Today, as world leaders meet in New York to sign the Paris Agreement, the IKEA Foundation, We Mean Business and Here Now announce a partnership to bring about much needed climate action.

We Mean Business intends to speed up the pace of change by bringing more major companies on-board and advocating for policy changes. It wants to encourage governments to exceed their commitments before the agreement comes into force in 2020.

Here Now creates innovative campaigns to inspire citizens around the world to support climate change solutions. With the IKEA Foundation’s support, it will spearhead a broad range of campaigns. These include a citizen-led campaign fighting carbon emissions and air pollution in India, a programme in the UK to help people switch to clean energy at home, and a rapid-response content production initiative to bring millions more people into the climate change conversation.

The IKEA Foundation’s EUR 12.6 million grant will help to support this work with EUR 9.6 million going to We Mean Business and EUR 3 million going to Here Now.

The Paris Agreement on climate change, adopted at the UN negotiations last December (COP21), marks a watershed moment for the global economy. At the summit, 195 nations sent a decisive signal to the world that economic growth must no longer depend on greenhouse gas emissions.

We Mean Business is a coalition of organisations working with thousands of the world’s most influential businesses and investors. In the lead up to the agreement it helped to build the will for action by demonstrating that moving to a thriving clean energy future is inevitable and irreversible.

However, the coalition’s job is not yet complete. Governments still need confidence to implement their commitments, made at COP21, to limit the global temperature rise to ‘well below’ two degrees Celsius.

“Businesses recognise that the transition to a low-carbon economy is the only way to secure sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all,” said Nigel Topping, CEO of We Mean Business. “To speed up this transition, We Mean Business has launched a campaign to get hundreds of leading companies and investors to commit to low-carbon initiatives. The campaign gives companies and investors a common platform to catalyse bold climate action, be recognised for their leadership on climate change and promote smart policy frameworks.

“Our role is to convey the collective voice of the silent majority of businesses and to ask governments to get on with climate-friendly policies. The support we are receiving from the IKEA Foundation is essential to our efforts to build momentum for the climate, in the post-COP21 context”, Topping added.

Here Now will promote a positive vision of a 100% clean energy future, where communities benefit from better energy, transportation and air quality. Building on existing and new campaigns, it will bring together people, organisations and networks to support this common goal.

“The Paris Agreement was a huge step forward in the fight against climate change, but now we need to urgently move away from fossil fuels towards a 100% clean energy future,” said Jessy Tolkan, Executive Director of Here Now.

“We believe this will only be possible if citizens around the world are inspired to be part of that transition and help accelerate solutions as quickly as possible. With IKEA Foundation’s crucial support, we’re delighted to be launching a rich programme of campaigns with some amazing partners. These will mobilise millions of people to help build the world our children deserve to grow up in.”

By supporting both We Mean Business and Here Now in their efforts to promote solutions to climate change, the IKEA Foundation is helping to create a brighter long-term future for children and families living in some of the world’s poorest communities.

“Climate change threatens children’s rights, their security and even their futures. Today’s children, and their children, will suffer the negative consequences of a warming planet—unless we act now.”, said Jonathan Spampinato, Head of Strategic Planning and Communications at the IKEA Foundation. “Finding solutions to climate change, and deploying them at a mass scale, is key to creating a brighter long-term future for children and families everywhere, including those living in some of the world’s poorest communities.”

In June 2015, the IKEA Foundation announced its own climate action commitment of EUR 400 million through 2020 to support families and communities who are most impacted by climate change. The new funding will help poor communities build resilience to climate change and improve lives by adopting renewable energy technologies in homes, schools and businesses. This partnership is part of this climate action commitment.

About IKEA Foundation

The IKEA Foundation (Stichting IKEA Foundation) is the philanthropic arm of INGKA Foundation, the owner of the IKEA Group of companies. We aim to improve opportunities for children and youth in some of the world’s poorest communities by funding holistic, long-term programmes that can create substantial, lasting change. The IKEA Foundation works with strong strategic partners applying innovative approaches to achieve large-scale results in four fundamental areas of a child’s life: a place to call home; a healthy start in life; a quality education; and a sustainable family income, while helping these communities fight and cope with climate change.

Learn more at www.ikeafoundation.org  and www.facebook.com/IKEAfoundation

About We Mean Business

We Mean Business is a coalition of organizations working with thousands of the world’s most influential businesses and investors. These businesses recognize that the transition to a low carbon economy is the only way to secure sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all. To accelerate this transition, WMB has formed a common platform to amplify the business voice, catalyze bold climate action by all, and promote smart policy frameworks.

www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org

About Here Now

Here Now accelerates the adoption of just and ambitious climate solutions, working with diverse partners including NGOs, companies and governments to build the movement of people working towards a clean energy future. Functioning as a lab, Here Now co-creates a wide range of innovative campaigns and initiatives, helping to take the most promising to scale, and focuses on creating change through cutting-edge digital, social and cultural strategies.

www.weareherenow.com