Today’s UN Climate Summit brought together more than 125 heads of state and government officials—the largest-ever climate meeting of world leaders. Leaders clearly demonstrated their understanding that the impacts of climate change are real and costly, and that they no longer have to choose between economic growth and climate action—they go hand-in-hand.
Momentum for action took a massive leap forward in the last three days – with cities, companies from many sectors, and national governments announcing new actions to shift away from fossil fuels to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. Marches around the world provided a clear mandate for leaders to stay engaged all the way to the Paris Summit in December 2015.
WRI’s experts were in New York for all the action. While the outcomes from the Summit are still evolving, here’s our first look at progress made and next steps.
International Climate Action
A wide number of countries, the private sector, and civil society groups voiced support for a clear, long-term goal to shift from fossil to clean energy, potentially by phasing out greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by mid-century.
Many countries reaffirmed their commitment to make their post-2020 emissions-reduction offers by the first quarter of 2015, a critical milestone in securing a global climate agreement by the end of 2015. There was also growing support amongst countries, companies, and civil society for a long-term transformational goal. This is captured in the Secretary General's Chairman's Summary. Key global leaders like U.S. President Barack Obama and China’s Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli signaled their clear intent to take ambitious action, showing that even the biggest economies are ready to shift to a low-carbon growth path. Developing countries like Colombia, the Philippines, and Vietnam stated their readiness to act now, independent of what others do, due to the severe impacts their countries are experiencing. These countries could achieve even more with support from the international community. And with 700,000 people around the world participating in climate marches ahead of the Summit, it was clear that a new public voice can hold leaders accountable.
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