A group of the world’s leading business executives have issued a joint statement ahead of COP30, urging governments and companies to seize what they describe as a “historic opportunity” for returns, resilience and growth through the climate transition. The letter — signed by Chairs and CEOs from the World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, including BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila — highlights the proven commercial viability of decarbonising the global economy and calls for stronger public-private collaboration to scale investment in climate solutions.
In the statement, corporate leaders call for decisive measures to accelerate climate action across infrastructure, innovation and resilience, stressing that the economic and societal benefits of investing in a low-carbon economy far outweigh the costs of inaction. They describe the transition as “a strategic opportunity for both the economy and for society” and urge governments to deepen cooperation with the private sector.
According to the Alliance, the “climate economy” is already delivering measurable growth. Between 2019 and 2023, member companies reduced total emissions by 12% while increasing revenues by 20%. Meanwhile, markets for clean technologies such as solar, wind, electric vehicles and heat pumps have quadrupled since 2015 to exceed €700 billion annually. The transition, the CEOs note, could unlock trillions of dollars in investment and create up to 10 million jobs by 2030.
The letter warns that current global policies still put the world on track for a temperature rise of up to 3 °C by 2100, with warming potentially surpassing 2 °C as early as 2050. It calls for urgent alignment and ambition across countries and sectors to enable private investment at scale.
Rejecting a “wait-and-see” approach, the signatories advocate mobilising large-scale private capital through debt, equity and blended-finance instruments, alongside policy mechanisms such as carbon contracts for difference and power purchase agreements to ensure price stability. They also call for doubling public and private funding for breakthrough technologies, strengthening nature-based solutions, and expanding innovation in digital and AI tools aligned with environmental goals.
With COP30 set to take place in Belém, Brazil, in November, the letter describes the summit as “a pivotal moment for businesses and governments to reignite progress towards a more resilient and environmentally sustainable economy.”
The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders represents companies with combined annual revenues exceeding $4 trillion, employing more than 12 million people and accounting for nearly 5 gigatonnes of CO₂ emissions.
