GreenBiz Group and WBCSD to Bring COP 21 Event to a Global Audience

OAKLAND, Calif. and GENEVA, Switzerland, November 4, 2015 — GreenBiz Group and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) are partnering to bring the WBCSD Council Meeting during COP21 to a global online audience for the first time.

The half-day livecast on 7 December 2015, will feature CEOs and senior executives from some of the world’s biggest companies, in conversation about their strategies to address climate change and to engage in the COP21 negotiations.

Among the sessions at the event, which will include business perspectives on the climate negotiations and business solutions in the new climate economy, WBCSD will also present a special one hour session on its innovative Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative (LCTPi), which reaches its pinnacle during the COP21 climate discussions.

“The business lens on COP21 is a critical part of the conversations that will be taking place in Paris,” said Joel Makower, Chairman and Executive Editor of GreenBiz Group, who will be moderating several of the sessions at the event. “It is critical that the leaders of some of the world’s biggest companies and brands have a voice on this global stage.”

Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the WBCSD said this was a unique opportunity to see inside a high-level CEO meeting that is normally confidential.

“The WBCSD Council Member meeting brings together CEOs and senior executives from our 200 member companies for serious discussions on the sustainability agenda. 2015 is an historic year for climate, and in recognition of this significant occasion, we are offering a global audience the chance to be part of Paris and the climate discussions through the lens of the WBCSD Council Member meeting.” 

The 4-hour event, livestreamed on GreenBiz.com, will include conversations with:

• Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever and Chairman of WBCSD
• Peter Bakker, President and CEO of WBCSD
• Achim Steiner, Executive Director UNEP
• Fatih Birol, Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency
• Rachel Kyte, World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy, Climate Change Group

ABOUT GREENBIZ GROUP
GreenBiz Group’s mission is to define and accelerate the business of sustainability. It does this through a wide range of products and services, including its acclaimed website GreenBiz.com and e-newsletters, GreenBuzz and VERGE; webcasts on topics of importance to sustainability and energy executives; research reports, including the annual State of Green Business; the GreenBiz Executive Network, a membership-based, peer-to-peer learning forum for sustainability executives; and conferences: the annual GreenBiz forum and VERGE.

ABOUT THE WORLD BUSINESS COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (WBCSD)
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO led organization of some 200 forward-thinking global companies, is committed to galvanizing the global business community to create a sustainable future for business, society and the environment.  Together with its members, the Council applies its respected thought leadership and effective advocacy to generate constructive solutions and take shared action.  Leveraging its strong relationships with stakeholders as the leading advocate for business, the Council helps drive debate and policy change in favor of sustainable development solutions.

The WBCSD provides a forum for its member companies - who represent all business sectors, all continents and a combined revenue of more than $8.5 trillion, 19 million employees - to share best practices on sustainable development issues and to develop innovative tools that change the status quo.  The Council also benefits from a network of 70 national and regional business councils and partner organizations, a majority of which are based in developing countries. www.wbcsd.org  Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn