Reuters 17 Dec 09;
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Business leaders are watching Copenhagen climate talks, which might launch new, bigger carbon markets, help drive investment in green technologies and change the way they do business.
Following are views of chief executives attending the conference.
SHIPPING
Nils Smedegaard Andersen, CEO, A.P. Moller-Maersk
"The industry is being heard -- I hope it is being heard -- and that at least we are sending out the right signals, that we want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
"The challenge with CO2 of course is that it is not a local problem, it is a global problem, and therefore we have to be acutely aware that it requires a global solution.
"Whatever laws are implemented to restrict emissions of CO2 have to work globally and they have to establish a level playing field for the shipping industry.
"We have made ourselves heard and people are very aware that you cannot put in place legislation that treats ships from one country differently than ships from another country -- legislation has to apply to everybody.
"I hope that when it comes to the size of taxes or CO2 quotas would come gradually so that it helps the industry to adapt and that it takes into account that shipping is a very environmentally friendly way of sending goods around the world.
UTILITIES
E.ON CEO Wulf Bernotat
"We need long and short-term targets ... Ambitious targets are fine, but they should not be defined in isolation.
"We need a framework that allows us to do step-wise planning, because we don't want big jumps in development. We need to ensure we secure affordable energy supplies because ultimately it's the consumer that has to pay."
RWE CEO Juergen Grossmann
"Copenhagen needs ... to create a level playing field while maintaining European competitiveness. It also needs to trigger the right investments in renewables."
"We have to find some rules to include China in the system. I'm not in favor of different speed limits in the world. We should aim for a cap and trade system, and if we don't have that then a good (carbon finance) mechanism to distribute the fight against climate change on the most economic basis.
AIRLINES
Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group which includes Virgin Atlantic airline
"The airline industry wants to see targets set on Friday, I think the shipping industry wants targets set on Friday, I think the IT industry wants targets set on Friday so that we know where we stand and we can get on with it and make sure this world is back on track again.
"If the governments do not set those targets, then the industries need to get together and set the targets themselves..
"We want targets rather than taxes basically.
"We would accept that if we don't reach those targets, then there would be penalties levied, and the money from those penalties would go for new technology and toward saving rainforests and so forth...
"Airbus and Boeing needs to be building new carbon composite planes, not just parts."
'GREEN' COMPANIES
Ditlev Engel, CEO Vestas Wind Systems
"We need a price on CO2 and we need it now. Renewable energy needs exactly the type of long-term visibility and planning that you had in the oil and gas industry, in that once you understand the possibilities, you make sure the regulatory framework is there. For the political decision that needs to be taken here, it's important that there is a unity across renewable industries."
Tom Knutzen, CEO Danisco
"Even though we will not have the technicalities in place at this meeting, if we produce a binding agreement that is executed in the short term, then I will applaud that."
If the summit talks collapsed then Danisco would go ahead with its present bioethanol business plans but it may take longer for these to grow and to develop new projects, said Krutzen. "We will go on. We will do what we do right now."
Jan Hylleberg, CEO Danish Wind Energy Association
"Our hope is, of course, that no matter what kind of a deal they agree on on Friday, that it becomes as ambitious as possible.
"My concern is that, in a worst-case scenario where we don't have a climate deal, then we could have a setback in relation to how fast we (the wind industry) would otherwise recover from the current financial crisis."
Denise Bode, CEO American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
"We would like to see an agreement on carbon. We are excited that the U.S. is here and that (Obama) is coming at the end of the conference, which indicates to us that the president wants to make a strong statement on behalf of the U.S."
"We just need to have that long term policy in place."
Tulsi Tanti - Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Suzlon Energy
"We need very clear, long-term visibility from Copenhagen. Without a deal, the wind industry could supply 20 percent of global energy by 2030.
"With a deal, that could grow to 30 percent, and that would cut global emissions by 10 percent. In having long-term visibility, we can develop the required resources like capital expenditures, human resources and geographic distributions."
Ian Mays, CEO, Renewable Energy Systems
"We need investment, and that investment needs stability. Mechanisms supported by significant and binding emissions targets agreed here will provide that. They would have to be met with renewables playing a substantial part of the solution."
"We can, by 2020, reduce carbon emissions by around 10 billion tonnes if we have a challenging but achievable program for renewable energy. That will need a very strong message from Copenhagen, a trigger for policy action at the national government level."
