COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Dec. 4, 2009 -- AECOM Europe's Head of Sustainability, Richard John, together with other business leaders, last night presented the Copenhagen Communiqué to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. AECOM, one of the members of the Prince of Wales Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change helped develop the Communiqué which can be found at: www.copenhagencommunique.com
The Communiqué, which has been signed by more than 850 business leaders globally says that "these are difficult and challenging times for the international business community and a poor outcome from the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen will only make them more so, by creating uncertainty and undermining confidence."
AECOM believes it is critical to exit this recession in a way that lays the foundation for low-carbon growth and avoids locking us into a high carbon future. As the Communiqué states, "Economic development will not be sustained in the longer term unless the climate is stabilized."
This is the latest in climate change initiatives instigated by AECOM and underlines the commitment as a company to advocate the need for change to others, including our clients. This focus has been borne out by a recent survey of AECOM's clients in Europe, which identified carbon emission reduction and energy efficiency as the dominant sustainability issue recorded by clients.
Referring to the AECOM sustainability survey Richard said: "One of the interesting aspects of the survey is that many of our clients now recognize that tackling climate change is as much about behavioral change as implementing specific energy efficiency measures. Clearly, climate change has to be part of our thinking at every level if we are, as a country, to move to a low carbon economy."
AECOM's expertise on low carbon solutions has been recognized with a series of sustainability awards in 2009, building on low carbon experience going back more than twenty years. One of this year's award winners, Lion House, is believed to be the UK's first zero carbon office development.
AECOM has been invited to contribute to Peter Mandleson's Low Carbon Construction Review.
About AECOM
AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government. With approximately 45,000 employees around the world, AECOM is a leader in all of the key markets that it serves. AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation, and technical excellence in delivering solutions that enhance and sustain the world's built, natural, and social environments. A Fortune 500 company, AECOM serves clients in more than 100 countries and had revenue of $6.1 billion during its fiscal year 2009. More information on AECOM and its services can be found at www.aecom.com.
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