The world is facing a grave climate emergency. Climate disruption is happening now, and it is happening to all of us…We are in a battle for our lives. But it is a battle we can win...Let us accelerate the transformation the world needs, and usher in a new era of sustainability for all people on the planet.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Climate change is the defining issue of our time and now is the defining moment to do something about it. While there is still time to address the climate emergency, it requires an unprecedented effort from all sectors of society, as the Special Report on Global Warming by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows.
Around the world, the United Nations is working tirelessly to raise the global level of ambition to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and to galvanize action that can limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, to avert the most disastrous consequences.
Recently, the Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit brought together Government, business and civil society leaders at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, showcasing their concrete plans to enhance their nationally determined contributions by 2020, in line with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent over the next decade, and to net zero emissions by 2050.
Accelerated climate solutions can strengthen our economies and create jobs, while bringing cleaner air, preserving natural habitats and biodiversity, and protecting our environment. Only with such transformation, we’ll be able achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals and provide a better future for all.