Zurich North America statement on the United States rejoining the Paris Agreement
NewsroomArticleFebruary 1, 2021
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Feb. 1, 2021 – With the news that the United States has rejoined the Paris Agreement aimed at limiting global warming, Ben Harper, Head of Corporate Sustainability for Zurich North America, has made the following statement:
“Zurich North America applauds the decision of the United States to rejoin the Paris Agreement. We support the goal of the global climate agreement to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. America’s commitment to fight climate change is critical if we hope to achieve this goal and help save our planet for future generations.
At Zurich, we believe we can have a positive impact in our role as insurer, investor, employer and in society. Zurich has long been an advocate for climate resilience, signing the UN Global Compact in 2011, committing to the Principles for Sustainable Investment in 2012, and being the first insurer to make the UN Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge in 2019. This includes setting science-based CO2 reduction targets in our operations and investments. In addition, Zurich has joined the UN Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance as a founding member and has committed to a zero-emissions investment portfolio by 2050.
Beyond these collaborative efforts, we also recognize that we must act. Operationally, Zurich has consistently achieved ambitious emission reduction targets, and has been operating as a carbon-neutral business since 2014. In addition, Zurich committed to using 100 percent renewable energy as power across our global operations by 2022 and joined the RE100 initiative in 2019. We also recently signed on to the EV100 pledge, committing to switch our entire global automobile fleet to electric vehicles by 2029.
At the heart of being a responsible and sustainable company is supporting our customers in their journey towards a low-carbon future, and we continuously work to develop relevant products and services that help solve today’s most pressing societal and environmental issues. We help customers and communities become more resilient to natural disasters and extreme weather and work closely with communities and policymakers to place more emphasis on risk reduction, preparedness and resilience, rather than purely focusing on recovery and rebuilding.
Zurich will continue this commitment with the understanding that our role in the marketplace, as an insurer and investor, can have significant impact beyond our own operations.”