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e are past the need of convincing people about the validity of climate change. The science is settled. The Paris Agreement shows that the world agrees: climate change is happening, it is impacting our lives, and it needs to be addressed.At this point, those who want to fight against the Paris agreement do so at their own peril. The world is moving one way: cleaner, greener and more sustainable. Those not embracing this shift will be left behind.But the shift is not a fait accompli. Much remains to be done. The work now is not to convince, but to emphasize the urgency and provide concrete, actionable solutions to the problem. The urgency can be seen on news tickers on an almost daily basis now. Climate change dominates headlines. We have passed the threshold of 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. The last time it was at this level was millions of years ago. Scientists say we are unlikely to fall back below that level, which is dire news for the greenhouse effect. But few people can directly experience a CO2 threshold being crossed in the atmosphere. What they can experience is consistently rising temperatures and natural disasters. July 2016 was the hottest month on record. Each year from 2001-2015 is one of the 16 hottest years on record. For 30 consecutive years we have seen above-average temperatures.Weather-related disasters, meanwhile, have been on a steady rise. Between 2005 and 2014, there were 335 weather-related disasters worldwide each year. That is an increase of 14 per cent from ERIK SOLHEIM, UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL, THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP)EMBRACE THE CHANGE“THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE COMPANIES THAT TAKE THE TRANSITION TO A GREEN ECONOMY SERIOUSLY AND AS FUNDAMENTAL TO THEIR BUSINESS ”Wthe 1995 to 2004 period, and almost double the number recorded from 1985 to 1995.There is clearly no time to waste. None of these trends show signs of stopping. None of them bode well for humanity.Governments have so far played a major role in addressing the issue. The Paris Agreement was ratified by national parliaments. Many countries have committed large sums to fund green projects, such as renewable energy in Africa or mountain ecosystem restoration. But combatting climate change is a costly proposition. And the budgets of national governments are not entirely directed toward environmental sustainability. But even if they were, combined, they would not come close to the tens of trillions needed over the coming years to build resilience and adapt to a changing world. The private sector must play a fundamental role providing the investments we need to see. Government funding should complement and stimulate private sector contributions. They can set the benchmarks for sustainability and encourage green investment.‘Investment’ is the key word here. The future belongs to the companies that take the transition to a green economy seriously and as fundamental to their business. To stay in the black over the long-term, organizations should be going green now.It is not only companies and consumers that stand to benefit, but the financial system as a whole. The central banks, insurers, ministries of finance, 048 GLOBAL VOICES