UN
Global Climate Action
23
January
2024 | |
High-Level
Champions'
Newsletter | |
2024:
a year of unprecedented hurdles and limitless
possibilities |
|
Welcome to the 108th
edition of the UN Climate Change High-Level
Champions Newsletter.
As we stand at the
threshold of a new year, 2024 presents
unparalleled potential and unprecedented
challenges. It is not merely the dawn of another
year but a critical juncture that demands our
collective commitment to accelerating emissions
reductions, fostering adaptation to protect
vulnerable communities, fortifying resilience on a
global scale, and safeguarding and restoring
nature and biodiversity.
Infusing climate and
nature in the biggest election year in history
In the mosaic of human
history, 2024 emerges as a defining chapter. The World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) has officially confirmed that
2023 is the warmest year on record, by a large
margin. Crucially, 2024 will be the biggest
election year in history, with countries
representing more than half the world’s population
- over four billion people - sending their
citizens to the polls. In the midst of global
elections - where the choices we make will
reverberate for generations to come - we can play
a crucial role in ensuring that climate and nature
permeate the electoral discourse. By forging broad
alliances, leveraging influence, and driving
public engagement, all non-State actors - from
farmers, to companies, to Indigenous Peoples - can
collectively propel climate action to the
forefront of electoral agendas.
The ‘existential politics of climate
change’ mean that it is becoming imperative
for communities to unite at the local level,
fostering resilience and grassroots action. By
coalescing within cities, states and regions,
communities can ensure that momentum persists. In
the face of inevitable setbacks, localized efforts
become the bedrock for climate resilience -
impactful change often begins from the ground
up. | |
COP
28: A beacon of
hope | |
The
achievements of COP 28
in Dubai stand as a beacon of hope. The final COP
28 declaration, the UAE Consensus,
made it clearer than ever that we must transition
away from fossil fuels in a just and equitable
manner, underpinned
by deep emissions cuts and scaled-up
finance.
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries came
together in Dubai with a decision on the world’s
first ‘global stocktake’ to ratchet up climate
action before the end of the decade – with the
overarching aim to keep the global temperature
limit of 1.5°C within reach.
COP
28 also underscored the importance of the
global goal on adaptation
and its framework in strengthening resilience and
reducing vulnerability to climate change. The
vital importance of protecting and restoring
nature, in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity
Framework,
was also reinforced, for example, through the
agreement to halt and reverse deforestation by
2030 and other terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
The
COP 28 decisions set out a to-do list for Parties
and partners to work together to achieve deep,
rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions in line with 1.5 °C pathways. The
stocktake calls on Parties to take actions towards
achieving, at a global scale, a tripling of
renewable energy capacity and doubling energy
efficiency improvements by 2030. The list also
includes accelerating efforts towards the
phase-down of unabated coal power, phasing out
inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, and other
measures that drive the transition away from
fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly
and equitable manner, with developed countries
continuing to take the lead.
Now
these signals must be translated into real economy
transformation, reflected in updated nationally
determined contributions (NDCs), and supported by
legislation and effective climate action at all
levels and through enhanced international
cooperation. Through the stocktake, Parties
further recognized that achieving this
transformation requires all stakeholders and urged
Parties and non-Party stakeholders alike to join
forces to accelerate delivery through inclusive,
multilevel, gender-responsive and cooperative
action.
There’s
no technical and economic reason we cannot reduce
emissions down to zero by 2050, through rapidly
cutting emissions and protecting and restoring
nature to boost its capacity to capture
carbon.
Realising
the art of the possible
Taking
emissions reductions, for example, The
International Energy Agency (IEA) states that
global annual renewable capacity
additions increased by almost 50% to nearly 510
gigawatts (GW) in 2023, the fastest growth rate in
the past two decades.
On
this trajectory, global capacity should increase
to 2.5 times its current level by 2030 - but falls
short of the goal to triple capacity. And
countries must go beyond adding renewables, by
also actively showing the intent to replace fossil
fuels. National net zero targets cover 88% of
global GHG emissions, but only 7% of those
emissions are covered by any kind of national commitment to phase-out
exploration, production or use of coal, oil or
gas.
Contrary to popular belief, the build-out of
renewable energy supply does not require a surge
in capital expenditure (capex). By reallocating
energy capital from fossil fuels to renewables, a
new report finds
that a net growth in capex of only 2 percent per
year is needed, which is in line with the past
seven years, and much lower than in the decade
after 2000.
The
art of the possible is clear within the Breakthrough Agenda,
which provides an established, collaborative
process — supported by 57 countries, covering over
80% of global GDP, to make clean technologies and
sustainable solutions the most affordable,
accessible, and attractive option by the end of
2030. With this initiative channeling global
cooperation in seven key sectors: power, road
transport, steel, hydrogen, agriculture,
buildings, and cement and concrete - it’s clear
that systems change is not only possible, but more
affordable than maintaining
our current destructive, legacy
systems.
The
art of the possible is also reflected within
the Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation
Agenda
(SSA). While countries are increasingly reaping
the benefits of moving towards clean energy
technologies, the growing momentum on adaptation
is generating myriad opportunities for societies
and economies to advance resilient development
towards 2030 and beyond. The SSA provides a set of
clear and tangible near-term solutions that enable
adaptation and resilience transformations across
all systems to make 4 billion vulnerable people
resilient by 2030. As highlighted in the SSA Implementation Report, progress
across systems is happening. In 2023, for
instance, there was greater recognition of the
importance and potential of nature-based solutions
(NbS) in Coastal and ocean systems, with almost
100 new or updated NDCs including at least one
coastal and marine NbS - and funding is starting
to flow on mangrove protection and restoration
projects.
The
above are but a subset of why transformational
change can be realized. The Summary of Global Climate Action at
COP 28
and the Yearbook of Global Climate
Action
– the seventh edition of the annual report on
global climate action – outline several other
opportunities for stronger collaboration to
radically enhance ambition and action to achieve
our collective climate goals.
Your
support is needed!
We
want to thank you for being part of this movement
to transform our economies. This year, we invite
you to join the campaigns and action-oriented
frameworks as outlined in the
2030 Climate Solutions,
as the primary infrastructure for global climate
action. Race to Zero
is the world’s largest coalition of
multi-stakeholder non-State actors, with over
13,500 members taking action to halve global
emissions. You can see Race to Zero’s 2023
Progress Report here,
and activities at COP28 here.
While its sister campaign, Race to Resilience,
has mobilised USD 40 billion for work in 164
countries through its 647 members. You can see
Race to Resilience’s 2023 Progress Report
here.
And
if you are already a partner of the Races, we ask
that you please introduce the campaigns to your
networks and ecosystems to help increase their
influence and impact. We also invite you to
showcase your leadership in
implementing net zero
- by sharing your progress against our ‘5 Ps’
and the preparation of transition plans which
light the way for others.
The
leadership and increased ambition, action and
collaboration of this community is critical to
ensuring a strong, action-oriented, all-of-society
response, to advance the outcomes of COP 28 and
turn them into tangible progress.
Read
on…
How
the Breakthrough Agenda
is catalysing international cooperation on climate
change by Simon Sharpe, Director, Economics and
Kapil Narula, Senior Analyst, Breakthrough Agenda,
Climate Champions Team.
We
want to hear from you - reader survey
We
are approaching 30,000 subscribers to this
newsletter. And our daily ‘Top of the COP’ edition
was read around 75,000 times over the climate
summit in Dubai. This year, we want our stories of
climate recovery, adaptation and resilience to go
even further. To help this endeavour, we would
love to receive your feedback to make our
newsletter better if you can please spare 5-10
minutes. Please find a link to
our subscriber’s
survey. | |
- Non-State actors and observer organizations
in the UNFCCC are encouraged to suggest topics
to be discussed at the global
dialogues under the Sharm el-Sheik mitigation
ambition and implementation work programme
in 2024. The call for submissions is open until
1
February. The work programme was
operationalized at COP 27 and through the global
dialogues (GDs) and investment-focused events
(IFEs) set up a forum to facilitate an active
interaction between Parties and non-Party
stakeholders, with the High-Level Champions
supporting the effective participation of
non-Party stakeholders. Instructions on how to make a submission and
background information on last year’s dialogues
that focussed on accelerating the just energy
transition (GD1 and IFE1, GD2 and IFE2) including the annual report, are available on the UNFCCC
website.
- The Global Resilience Partnership
(GRP) has partnered with the Shockwave
Foundation and the Munich Re Foundation on the Resilient Agriculture Innovations
for Nature (RAIN) Challenge. RAIN seeks to
transform resilient agricultural ideas in East
Africa into sustainable businesses by
identifying and supporting innovative
initiatives, aligning them with funders, and
advocating for agricultural system
transformation. The call is open to
not-for-profit organisations in East Africa
until 30 January
2024.
- Following the GST outcome at COP 28, ICLEI
released the Stocktake4ClimateEmergency
Outcomes Report which presents the key
outcomes of the local stocktake initiative
while highlighting the local climate ambition
and subnational alignment with national action
plans.
- The Institutional Investors Group on
Climate Change (IIGCC) published the Net Zero Voting Guidance. The
guidance aims to assist asset owners and
managers in creating net zero voting policies,
emphasizing the crucial role of voting in
supporting real economy decarbonization as part
of climate-focused engagements, and aligning
with fiduciary duties and the Net Zero
Investment Framework's recommendation for
achieving net zero emissions in the portfolio by
2050 or earlier.
| |
- World Economic Forum Annual
Meeting,15-19 January, Davos, Switzerland
- World Governments Summit, 12 -14
February, Dubai, UAE
- IEA 2024 Ministerial Meeting,
13-14 February, Paris, France
- World Hydrogen MENA, 26-29
February, Dubai, UAE
- United Nations Environment
Assembly, 26 February - 1 March, Nairobi,
Kenya
- Zero Carbon City Forum, 8-9
March, Tokyo, Japan
- Accelerating Nature-Based
Solutions Conference, 11-15 March,
Livingstone, Zambia
- Global Methane Forum 2024,
18-21 March, Geneva, Switzerland
- International Renewable Energy
Conference 2024, 8-12 April, Adelaide,
Australia
- 2024 Ocean Decade Conference,
10-12 April, Barcelona, Spain
- UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues, 23rd Session, 15-26
April, New York, USA
- Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week,
16-18 April, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- World Bank and IMF Spring
Meetings, 19-21 April, Washington, D.C., USA
- World Energy Congress, 22-25
April, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- IEA Summit on Clean Cooking in
Africa, 14 May, Paris, France
- World Water Forum, 18-25
May, Bali, Indonesia
- International Transport Forum 2024
Summit, 22-24 May, Leipzig, Germany
- 60th Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary
Bodies, 3 -13
June, Bonn, Germany
- Daring Cities 2023, TBC, in
conjunction with SB 60, Bonn, Germany
- Sustainable Energy for All Global
Forum, 4-6 June Bridgetown, Barbados
- G7 Summit 2024, 13-15 June,
Puglia, Italy
- London Climate Action
Week,
22-30 June, London, UK
- 26th International Union of Forest
Research Organizations World Congress, 23-29
June, Stockholm, Sweden
- World Water Week 2024, 25-29
August, Stockholm, Sweden
- 79th
Session of the UN General Assembly
(UNGA), 24-27 September, New York, USA
- Summit of the Future, 22-23
September, New York, USA
- New York Climate Week, 22 –
27 September, New York, USA
- United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity COP 16, 21 October - 1
November, Colombia
- UNFCCC COP 29, 11-24 November,
Baku, Azerbaijan
- G20 Summit 2024, 18-19
November, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification COP 16, 2-13
December, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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