United Nations Climate Action Summit
At the United Nations’ Climate Action Summit in New York City today, world leaders and climate activists are meeting to create concrete plans to combat the climate emergency.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called the summit to encourage all countries to form realistic plans to reach nationally determined emissions reduction goals by 2020. These targets, created by the 2015 Paris Agreement, aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% over the next decade. The UN Climate Action Summit aims to “…boost ambition and accelerate actions to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change” in order to get the globe to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
This means ending subsidies for fossil fuels and high-emitting agriculture and shifting towards renewable energy, electric vehicles and climate-smart practices. It means carbon pricing that reflects the true cost of emissions, from climate risk to the health hazards of air pollution. And it means accelerating the closure of coal plants and halting the construction of new ones and replacing jobs with healthier alternatives so that the transformation is just, inclusive and profitable. – António Guterres
The Summit will bring together governments, the private sector, civil society, local authorities, and other international organizations to develop ambitious climate solutions.
Along with personal lifestyle changes, climate action requires political mobilization. National leaders must re-imagine and re-invest in sustainable economic growth while ensuring that the most marginalized communities are not left behind in the transition to a clean energy future.
Through participation in the Pact for a Green New Deal, Canadians have demonstrated a willingness and excitement for increasing governmental commitment to the Paris targets. In town halls across the country this spring, communities created visions for tackling the climate crisis while addressing societal challenges such as injustices in Indigenous communities, job losses, rising racism, and economic inequality.
The 2019 Climate Action Summit is happening at a point in time where we can still stop catastrophic changes to the environment. The results of the meetings today could shape our future for generations to come.
To learn more please visit United Nations.
