China, the EU and the UK should form a coalition of “the world apart from the US” on climate action after the retreat under President Trump, the chair of an alliance of global companies focused on net zero emissions said.
“To have the most powerful man in the world believe that climate change is a liberal hoax is a big problem,” said Lord Adair Turner, head of the Energy Transitions Commission, which includes member companies such as Shell, BP, HSBC, Iberdrola, ArcelorMittal and Tata Steel.
His remarks followed Trump’s moves to scrap dozens of policies behind green energy development ahead of the launch of an ETC report on the measures needed for buildings to shift to renewable energy systems. The sector contributes a third of greenhouse gas emissions through the use of fossil fuels.