Combat Climate Change (3C), a new coalition of 46 international companies, is pushing global governments to join together for immediate action to address climate change.

The group released its roadmap and call for action at a seminar in Washington, D.C., aimed at the leaders of the G8+5 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S., as well as Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa -- along with a statement saying that a low-carbon economy is well within reach, and the time to act is now.

The companies involved work in sectors ranging from finance, insurance and media to energy, transportation, energy and chemicals. The roadmap was timed to lead off the discussions in advance of next month's summit on climate change in Bali, Indonesia.

"Industry can and should be an ally, not an obstacle, to addressing the
very real climate problem," Lars Josefsson, the initiative's founder and president and CEO of Swedish energy group Vattenfall, said in announcing the partnership. "But the initiative must be taken not by one industry,
but by all of us working together: the global challenge of combating
climate change requires a global solution."

Among the goals of the 3C roadmap are the creation of a global goal to dictate the maximum amount world leaders will allow global temperatures to increase and setting emissions targets to meet this goal. The group also aims to create a global emissions-trading market and set requirements for energy efficiency and resource-use, especially in the transportation and building sectors, create similar solutions for forestry and agriculture, and spurring the development of alternative energy technologies.

While saying that governments themselves must shoulder some of the burden of addressing climate change, the 3C members also committed to working together across sectors as well as within their own operations to maximize efficiency and reduce emissions from within, while also working toward a comprehensive joint solution.

Combat Climate Change's six-step roadmap, as well as a list of all 46 member companies, is available on the group's website, CombatClimateChange.org.