President Obama met Monday with five corporate executives and received commitments about emissions reductions from 68 companies ahead of a UN conference in Paris.
The White House is hoping to use the pledges to rebut Republican accusations that efforts to combat climate change are part of an anti-business agenda, The Hill noted.
The President was scheduled to meet with leaders from Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co., Hershey Co., Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Johnson & Johnson and Intel Corp.
All five companies have already made commitments similar to the ones made by the aforementioned 68 firms.
Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday said that the November climate conference will produce an agreement that “will give confidence to business leaders who are uncertain about our collective commitment” to the development of new technologies.
“We need to invest in the low-carbon, climate-resistant alternatives that we need,” he said. “And the private sector has the ability to be the great agent of change in this if the right signal is sent out of Paris.”
