The heads of more than 150 global companies, including Apple and Google, have urged European leaders to set a higher target for reducing climate-heating emissions, says the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

A long list of CEOs from some of the world's largest brands and investors including Microsoft, Ikea, Deutsche Bank, Unilever and H&M signed the letter, said the CISL.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is due to unveil the 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target in her State of the Union address to the European Parliament on Wednesday.

The letter calls on European leaders "to avoid the worst effects of climate change and secure a sustainable, competitive economic recovery" by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by the end of this decade.

Brussels intends to raise its target for cutting EU greenhouse gas emissions to 55 percent compared with 1990 levels, a European source told AFP on Saturday, compared with the current goal of 40 percent.

The European Commission is pushing a five-year "Green Deal" as part of a strategy to achieve "carbon neutrality" by 2050.

It binds the EU's 27 member states to balance polluting emissions and the removal of greenhouse gases -- such as by using carbon capture technology or reforestation -- within the next 30 years.

It is seen in Brussels as the trigger for an economic revolution that will make Europe sustainable and meet the targets of the Paris climate accord.

But that proposal earlier this year stepped back from the commission's ambition to order countries to cut emissions by 50 percent or even 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.

"From a business and investor perspective, clarity on the net zero transition pathway and timetables for each sector, as well as policy that enables substantial investments in carbon neutral solutions is essential," the letter from business leaders said.

"This in turn would provide us with the confidence needed to invest decisively at the necessary pace and scale to reduce emissions, create decent green jobs, drive innovation, and accelerate the rebuilding of a resilient zero carbon economy."

The initiative was led by the European Corporate Leaders Group (CLG Europe), presented as "a cross-sectoral group of European businesses working towards delivering climate neutrality", said the CISL.

Prince William, Al Gore to lead free TED talks on climate
San Francisco (AFP) Sept 14, 2020 - The prestigious TED talks series is to hold its first-ever free live event next month, with Prince William and other prominent figures calling for action on climate change, the group announced Monday.

Known for thought-provoking speeches recorded at exclusive events, the nonprofit behind TED will stream the five-hour special called "Countdown" on its YouTube channel on October 10.

The line-up of speakers also includes European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, teenage climate activist Xiye Bastida, actor Chris Hemsworth, and former US vice president Al Gore.

"The moment to act on climate change has been upon us for too long, and now is the time to unite all levels of society -- business leaders, courageous political actors, scientists and individuals -- to get to net-zero emissions before 2050," said TED head Chris Anderson.

Since starting as an intimate gathering in California 36 years ago, TED has grown into a global media platform with a stated devotion to "ideas worth spreading."

TED has a massive following for its trademark presentations in which speakers strive to give "the talk of their lives" in 18 minutes.

Hundreds of smaller "TEDx" events are planned around the world to encourage local action on climate change.

US President Donald Trump triggered outrage on Monday by suggesting global warming will reverse itself and dismissing climate change as a cause of ferocious fires engulfing swaths of the US West.

Google chief Sundar Pichai also announced Monday that the internet colossus is ramping up efforts to cut down carbon emissions by aiming to run its entire business on renewable energy by the end of this decade.

The California-based company is already offsetting its emissions with carbon credits.

"This is our biggest sustainability moonshot yet, with enormous practical and technical complexity," Pichai said in a blog. "The science is clear: The world must act now if we're going to avert the worst consequences of climate change."

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