EDITOR - JOSEPH RANKIN
UN CLIMATE PRESS RELEASE / 20 NOV, 2018
UN Climate Change News, 20 November 2018 –
Two key UNFCCC milestone publications released today highlight that success in tackling the global climate crisis can be achieved, but only if public and private sector actions are urgently stepped up.The reports:The Talanoa Dialogue Synthesis Report and Yearbook for Global Climate Action 2018 – take the pulse of where the world stands on its journey towards full carbon neutrality by mid-century.The Synthesis Report was prepared using submissions to the Talanoa Portal – launched on 10 January 2018 – which received a total of 471 inputs throughout the year, including notably the IPCC’s special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius. It also drew from stories that were presented by government and non-government representatives during the intersessional climate change session held in May 2018.The Yearbook for Global Climate Action takes account of some 9,000 commitments – spanning cities, regions, businesses, investors and civil society – incorporating 128 countries (16 per cent of the global population), around 240 states and regions and more than 6,000 businesses in 120 countries representing USD 36 trillion in economic activity.
Map YearbookThis image is from the Yearbook – drawing on data from the Global Climate Action portal (NAZCA) - and depicts the number of stakeholders taking action in all regions of the world. Whilst Europe is the region that has seen the greatest increase in stakeholders between 2016 and October 2018, the number of stakeholders in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean also shows clear growth, increasing by approximately 30, 20 and 20 per cent respectively.Tomasz Chruszczow, Special Envoy for Climate Change and Poland’s High Level Climate Champion said, “Global Climate Action remains the best response to the challenges of changing climate. 2018’s Yearbook documents how the action can deliver on existing NDCs, on adaptation, mitigation, capacity building, etc. Every climate related initiative, programme or action contributes to laying a solid foundation for the climate neutral, peaceful, climate resilient and sustainable future for all. Parties and non-Party stakeholders act together and prove that cooperation may lead to more emission reductions, faster delivering on existing NDCs and strengthening of biosystems’ capacity to store atmospheric carbon, while life standards get improved, economies grow and the nations approach all the goals of the Paris Agreement in an accelerated manner. The examples from this year’s Yearbook will surely inspire more ambitious action by the governments and the stakeholders. Responding to climate change related threats is an opportunity that no one can afford missing.”Together the publications illustrate that global climate action can close the gap to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement: to limit average global warming to 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for the safer 1.5-degree limit.However, what the reports also make clear is that all actors – government and non-governmental, public and private – need to urgently step up the pace of action if the world is to achieve the Paris targets and to avoid the worst effects of climate change.According to key findings in the Synthesis Report, the reality is that, despite current efforts, greenhouse gas emissions and global warming are still on the rise.The Report also describes how these atmospheric changes are already having devastating impacts, citing a total of 11,000 extreme weather events between 1997 and 2016, which have resulted in approximately 524,000 deaths and trillions of dollars of opportunity lost in economic developmentThe publications are sober reading, but they do signpost the solutions that can exponentially drive the transition towards a low carbon economy. That is, if global actors adhere strictly to the Paris Agreement process and its principles.This theme of exponentiality is a major focus of the Yearbook for Global Climate Action, which states that if countries were to fully implement their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and if cooperative initiatives were to meet their commitments, global emissions in 2030 would be in a range consistent with the long-term trajectory to meet the Paris Agreement goal of well below 2°C.Similarly, the Synthesis Report, which emphasizes ways of increasing ambition, points to ‘untapped potential’ that, if properly fulfilled, could yield economic gains of US$26 trillion and 65 million jobs in clean energy.Inia Seruiratu, Minister for Agriculture, Rural & Maritime Development, National Disaster Management and Meteorological Services, and Fiji High-Level Climate Champion said, “This year, the entire Talanoa process – as reflected in the Synthesis Report – shows how we can put in place holistic approaches and policy frameworks across all sectors of the economy and the natural environment. With the right policy frameworks, NDCs could address not only mitigation but also adaptation, disaster resilience and efficient use of resources. Crucially, non-Party engagement will be essential in delivering on all these objectives.”Significantly, these reports are published just two weeks before governments gather for the global climate summit in Poland (COP 24), where they are set to complete the implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement, known as its Work Programme. A finalized Paris Agreement Work Programme has the potential to unleash practical actions from the whole global climate action community commensurate with a 1.5 pathway.For any media enquires, please contact mphillips(at)unfccc.intMore information on the Talanoa DialogueThe Talanoa Dialogue’s Synthesis Report was issued by the Polish and Fijian COP Presidencies.The fulll Report can be read here More information on Global Climate ActionThe Yearbook for Global Climate Action 2018 was issued by the two High-Level Climate Champions, Inia Seruiratu Fijian Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management, and Tomasz Chruszczow, Special Envoy for Climate Change from the Ministry of Environment in Poland