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The UNEP report published to coincide with COP23 and the warning to humanity from 15,000 scientists reveal that restricting global warming to under 2°C is a difficult target to meet and, moreover, may not be enough. And yet the pledges that governments have thus far made to reduce their emissions set us on course for an increase of over 3°C by the end of the century.

We must intensify our actions now. Governments have been called on to step up their commitments in preparation for COP24, while efforts made by civil society were praised during this year s conference in Bonn, as the IDDRI (Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations) remarked, For the first time in the history of COP climate change conferences, key actions were not in the Blue zone dedicated to negotiations - but in the Green zone; it was

the accomplishments of non-state actors, and not the negotiations, that were the focus. Indeed, since COP21, which was unarguably a catalyst for change, civil society has played a substantial and significant role. Approximately 7,500 towns and local authorities have set targets for reducing carbon emissions; 91 C40 cities, representing 25% of global GDP and one inhabitant in twelve, have launched 10,000 actions to fight climate change.

2,138 companies from 145 countries, representing a combined revenue of about 37 trillion dollars, have made climate commitments. Their total revenue is the equivalent of the GDP of the USA, China, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. SUEZ is one of these companies.

Since 2015, we have adopted a strict climate strategy that ensures our business activities

are in line with the 2°C trajectory. It aims first and foremost to reduce our carbon emissions by setting a target of 30% reduction by 2030 and by adopting an internal carbon price in 60% of our investments, in order to promote low-carbon technology. And the results are there for all to see. In Granada, Spain and in Santiago, Chile we are transforming our wastewater treatment plants into bio factories. By recovering 100% of sewage sludge and converting it into energy or compost for farming, these installations will be energy self-sufficient and carbon neutral.

Climate change cannot be dissociated from the growing scarcity of resources. That is why I have signed SUEZ up to the resource revolution to designing and marketing products and services based on the circular economy approach. Because the circular economy offers a growth model that uses

multi-player action: the only solution to halt rising temperatures!