Analysis-U.S. companies hold the line at climate talks despite Trump

By Simon Jessop

BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -Despite the U.S. authorities souring connected the planetary clime docket up of the COP30 summit, American companies did not shy away.

A Reuters investigation of attendance lists shows determination were 60 representatives of Fortune 100 companies astatine the Brazil event, compared with 50 astatine past ​year's successful Baku, Azerbaijan. Still others attended pre-conference events successful Brazil's concern hub Sao Paulo and successful Rio de Janeiro.

Tech firms including Microsoft and Google, ‌energy institution Occidental Petroleum, carmaker General Motors and lender Citigroup were among those represented connected a provisional U.N. database of attendees of the authoritative summit.

"We've seen nary discernible alteration successful the engagement of U.S. ‌companies connected clime argumentation implicit the people of this year. And that was surely reflected successful attendance levels," said Andrew Wilson, lawman caput wide for argumentation astatine the International Chamber of Commerce.

"We are besides seeing increasing interest crossed manufacture astir the increasing costs of utmost upwind events — underscoring the request for effectual argumentation responses."

Executives said they didn't deliberation present was a bully clip to opt retired of the clime conversation, with rising temperatures unleashing ever much threats to factories, proviso chains and the bottommost line.

"We're doing it due to the fact that it's bully for the business. It ⁠helps make proviso security," said PepsiCo Chief Sustainability Officer (‌CSO) Jim Andrew connected the sidelines of the talks.

"We request farmers to beryllium successful, we request them to support farming," helium added, fixed the institution makes the bulk of its revenues from foods including Walkers Crisps and Quaker Oats.

FILLING THE VOID

Darren Woods, the brag of apical U.‍S. lipid institution ExxonMobil was among the U.S. executives, mayors and different sub-national leaders who attended the pre-COP events.

All those players person an important relation successful the aboriginal of clime action, according to Lou Leonard, Inaugural Dean of Clark University's School of Climate, Environment, and Society.

Existing policies from national and non-federal actors would pb to a 35% simplification successful U.S. emissions by 2035, ​a caller investigation led by the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) astatine the University of Maryland showed.

Much of that is being driven by companies.

"Despite the headlines, the backstage assemblage ‌continues to put successful and deploy cleanable energy," said Gina McCarthy, erstwhile head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and present Managing Co-Chair of 'America Is All In', a conjugation of non-federal leaders.