We know we must address climate change. We may not have sorted out every detail, but we are willing to take a leadership position and embrace open dialogue... that will get us all to our common goals of protecting our world for future generations. The changes that are needed can't be incremental; we need major breakthroughs.

Alain Belda, Chairman Alcoa, USA

Energy and the environment are the two great social and engineering challenges of our time and will only increase in importance as world economies continue to grow. As businesses and government prepare for post-Kyoto, these proposed climate change policy recommendations serve as a useful guide.

Since the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development the role of Business globally in addressing the challenges of Climate Change has been increasingly emphasised. Eskom, as a major emitter of CO2 must play its role. As such we intend to reduce our relative emissions of green house gasses up to 2025, and thereafter reduce total emissions in support of local and global goals.

Phirwa Jacob Maroga, Chief Executive Eskom, South Africa

Businesses compete on ingenuity, innovation, technology and strategic risk-taking. In the long-run the value we create emerges from this competition. We welcome the chance to compete on climate. A successful political framework will tell business that emissions avoided means money earned, now, tomorrow, in 30 years and beyond. The Gleneagles CEO statement clearly shows how such a framework can send the right signals and allow business and competition to transform the global economy.

The Gleneagles CEO Statement provides an essential framework for a market-based climate policy. By leveraging the markets, financial institutions like Deutsche Bank can accelerate clean energy investments, particularly in emerging market countries, and thereby help fight climate change. However, we are only at the start of a long journey, and we need to progress much more quickly than in the past. We now have to considerably reduce CO2 or CO2-equivalent emissions per unit of GDP, while ensuring continued growth.

Dr. Josef Ackermann, Chairman of the Management Board and the Group Executive Committee, Deutsche Bank AG, Germany

Global warming and energy security are two of the biggest challenges the world faces. If we are to minimize the harmful impact on the environment of human activity then stakeholders across government, business and civil society, from both developed and emerging economies, must work effectively together. It is time now that we stop just talking about these problems and start implementing the practical measures needed to tackle them. We all believe that these recommendations, prepared and signed by CEOs from many of the world's largest companies, will serve as guidelines for G8 leaders and help them build a new model to tackle effectively the world's environmental and energy issues."

Business is a very important actor when it comes to fighting climate change. It’s good to see that so many companies have come together to deliver a solid statement to the G-8 leaders and are ready to step up to their responsibilities.

Peter Bakker, CEO TNT, Netherlands

Business has the skills, expertise and drive to help combat climate change. Telstra, for instance, has already taken the lead in Australia by cleaning up our own business and showing that better use of telecommunications - from phones to broadband connections - can reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the country by as much as 5 per cent. But businesses need governments to provide regulatory certainty and to encourage investment in emissions-reducing technologies. Only then can markets respond rapidly and with confidence.

BT recognises the critical importance of leadership from the G8 in tackling climate change. Governments, business and citizens need to act urgently and in concert to meet this challenge. We are determined to play our part and support moves that will move us all towards a low carbon economy.

Ian Livingston, CEO, BT Group, United Kingdom