In December this year countries from around the world will gather in Paris to forge rules aimed at limiting global temperature increases to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
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The White House said more companies are expected to sign up to the pledge later this year.
The United States government announced on Monday that 13 major companies in the country will donate a total of $140 billion to sponsor efforts in lowering carbon emissions.
Companies including General Motors, Bank of America, Microsoft and Coca Cola, were to join U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the White House to launch the American Business Act on Climate Pledge to support the administration as it tries to secure a climate agreement. The move supports the climate change agreement to be discussed in Paris later this year.
The corporate support for climate change action could affect the climate talks in Paris, since this is a new, influential corporate dynamic on the worldwide stage.
However, none of the companies scheduled to take part in Monday’s pledge are involved in the production of oil, natural gas and coal – major sources of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
Apple, already running all of its U.S. operations on 100% renewable energy, will bring an estimated 280 megawatts of clean power generation online by the end of 2016 through investments in Arizona, California, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon and Sichuan Province, China.
“We believe that by directly investing in renewable energy projects, we can help accelerate the shift to zero-carbon power and create a better future for everyone”, the company said in the White House fact sheet. Alcoa agreed to slash its carbon emissions by half from its 2005 levels, Cargill promised to meet 18% of its energy requirements from renewable energy, while beverage giant Coca-Cola said it will reduce its carbon footprint by a quarter.
Also signing the pledge are Google Inc., Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. Germany has taken a big step in this direction, as it has greatly invested in producing electricity through wind, solar, and biogas.
A second round of similar pledges from several other companies is expected to be announced later this fall, the Journal reported.
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In its push for a strong Paris climate agreement, the White House faces widespread and deep opposition in both houses of Congress, where many Republicans doubt the mainstream science findings on manmade global warming.
