BP, Shell, Airbus, and other multinationals call for 50 percent emission cuts by 2050 2

The CEOs of 100 large multinational corporations -- including companies from carbon-intense industries -- have signed a World Economic Forum statement [PDF] that calls on the G8 to create a strategy to cut global greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050. The G8 will be meeting in Japan next month, and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will be pushing hard for an agreement on climate change.

Notable signatories to the statement: Airbus, British Airways, BP, Duke Energy, DuPont, Electricite de France, Entergy, E.ON, Michelin, Petrobras, Renault, Rolls-Royce, and Shell.

Are pigs flying? Not quite.

The companies see money to be made, of course:

Climate change is not only a challenge, it is also an opportunity. ... The scale of new technologies, practices, services, products and innovations that will be required to address climate change is large. The business of addressing climate change and the rapid shift to a low-carbon economy that lies ahead has the potential to drive forward the next chapter of technological innovation.

And then there's this handy disclaimer at the top of the endorsement list:

This document contains recommendations that enjoy broad support within the group of companies represented; however, not every CEO necessarily agrees with each observation or idea expressed herein.

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