Editing Office - Geneva

Patricia Espinosa Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC

Climate change remains a growing, existential threat. We were given stark warnings of this in 2018 from scientists in the Global Warming of 1.5 °C report of the International Panel on Climate Change and from nature in the form of record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather events. Are we doing enough? The answer is clearly, no. We need to commit to urgent, increasingly ambitious global climate action. In 2015, governments adopted the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The first describes a universal commitment and means to address climate change. The second describes our detailed aspirations for human wellbeing, thriving sustainably on a healthy planet. What is clear in both agreements is that government action alone cannot bring success. All levels of government, all sectors public and private, civil society, and yes, individuals, need to step up their action. We need to act together, around the globe and at home, where we work and where we live. We need global climate action that encompasses the world and our relationship with this beautiful but finite planet. The Paris Agreement recognizes that non-Party stakeholder participation is integral to success and countries since its adoption have taken steps to encourage broad-based global climate action. A year after Paris, countries endorsed the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, launched by the High-Level Champions, knowing that we can do more when we act together.

For more Information: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/GCA_Yearbook2018.pdf