General Electric (GE) Joins Pew Center On Global Climate Change, Next step in Company-wide Focus on Addressing Global Warming

General Electric (GE) sets target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, joins Pew Center's Business Environmental Leadership Council.

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) July 13, 2005 -- The Pew Center on Global Climate Change announced today that General Electric Company (GE) has joined the Pew Centers Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC) and their efforts to address global warming.

GE, one of the worlds largest companies, has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions one percent by 2012 and the intensity of its GHG emissions 30 percent by 2008 (both compared to 2004).

Immelt continued. We need to work in concert with the government and important groups like the Pew Center to promote and reward leadership. We are glad to join Pews effort to work toward these goals -- all keys for our shared future.

These efforts to reduce emissions are part of GEs 'Ecomagination initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.

Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center welcomed GE enthusiastically, When a company like GE stands up and says that climate change is a serious issue that demands immediate action, people tend to listen. As the newest member of our business environmental leadership council, we are pleased to have them at the table as we work to craft acceptable policy here in the United States and abroad."

Ecomagination is GEs commitment to address challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy and reduced emissions," said Jeffrey Immelt, GE chairman and CEO. It is time for the private sector to assume its rightful place as a major catalyst for environmental change. We believe that the growing market for environmental technology can get us where we need to be.

But industry cannot get there alone," Immelt continued. We need to work in concert with the government and important groups like the Pew Center to promote and reward leadership. We are glad to join Pews effort to work toward these goals -- all keys for our shared future."

Members of the Pew Centers Business Council agree that enough is known about the science of global climate change to warrant action, and they pledge to take steps to reduce or offset their own greenhouse gas emissions. Members work together to formulate reasonable public policy, both in the United States and internationally. The Pew Centers council now has forty members, most of them Fortune 500 companies with operations around the world.

GE is among the leaders in energy-efficient power generation technologies, renewable energy technologies, water purification, and energy-efficient consumer appliance and lighting products. Also, GEs aircraft engines and locomotives are among the most efficient and cleanest in the world. GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide.

The Business Environmental Leadership Council was established by the Pew Center in 1998. The BELC is comprised of mainly Fortune 500 companies representing a diverse group of industries including energy, automobiles, manufacturing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, metals, mining, paper and forest products, consumer goods and appliances, telecommunications, and high technology. Individually and collectively, these companies are demonstrating that it is possible to take action to address climate change while maintaining competitive excellence, growth, and profitability. The companies together generate over $1.5 trillion in revenue and employ more than 2.5 million people.

The other members of the BELC are: ABB; Air Products and Chemicals; Alcoa; American Electric Power; Baxter International; Boeing; BP; California Portland Cement Co.; CH2M HILL; Cinergy Corp.; Cummins Inc.; Deutsche Telekom; DTE Energy; DuPont; Entergy; Exelon, Georgia-Pacific; Hewlett-Packard Company; Holcim; IBM; Intel; Interface Inc.; John Hancock Financial Services; Lockheed Martin; Maytag; Novartis; Ontario Power Generation; PG&E Corporation; Rio Tinto; Rohm and Haas; Royal Dutch/Shell; SC Johnson; Sunoco; Toyota; TransAlta; United Technologies; Weyerhaeuser; Whirlpool; and Wisconsin Energy Corporation.

For more information about global climate change and the activities of the Pew Center and the BELC, visit www.pewclimate.org.

global warming global climate change climate change general electric ge pew pew charitable trusts greenhouse gas emissions ghg emissions greenhouse gases emissions

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