SSG publishes paper on the role of cooperatives in addressing climate change

The world’s nations will convene in December 2014 in Lima, Peru and then in December 2015 in Paris, France to negotiate an agreement to collectively address climate change. In the course of these negotiations, we urge countries to recognize and employ the value that co-operatives bring to this challenge.

Climate action leadership is a common trait of co-operatives across all sectors in which they work. This is not to say that every co-operative is meaningfully addressing climate change and that there is no more work to be done. It is clear, however, that co-operatives are one of the most exciting and powerful vehicles through which societies can confront what Secretary General Ban Ki Moon describes as the defining issue of our age.

This paper is a call to action to massively engage cooperatives. It highlights examples of co-operative leadership, describes characteristics that uniquely position them to confront climate change challenge, and details redcommended policy that would empower co-operatives to drive the world in its transition to a low carbon economy.

Co-operatives offer a pathway forward, a solution that is tried and tested, that addresses climate change while also confronting inequality, advancing democracy, building resilient economies, and confronting poverty.
This is the co-operative model.

This paper was supported by the International Co-operative Alliance and launched at COP20 in Lima, Peru. Access the paper here