Climate Ambition Alliance: Nations Renew Their Push to Upscale Action by 2020 and Achieve Net Zero CO2 Emissions by 2050 11 DECEMBER 2019
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Climate Ambition Alliance: Nations Renew their Push to Upscale Action by 2020 and Achieve Net Zero CO2 Emissions by 2050 11 DECEMBER 2019 In Madrid today, the President COP25, Minister Carolina Schmidt, presented a renewed alliance of countries and Non-State Actors who determined to follow the recommendations of science as regards climate change. Chile has led this alliance after a request of the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in the context of the 2019 Climate Summit. Minister Schmidt announced that 103 nations have signaled their intention to submit an enhanced climate action plan (or Nationally Determined Contribution), and she acknowledged those 11 nations who have started an internal process to boost ambition and have this reflected in their national plans by 2020, as established in the Paris Agreement. This group represents 114 nations in total (full list in Annex 1). She also stated that 120 countries plus the EU (121 total), alongside 15 regions, 398 cities, 786 businesses and 16 investors are working towards achieving net- zero CO2 emissions by 2050. This demonstrates clearly that both State and non- State actors recognize the urgent need to take ambitious action to address the climate change emergency (full list in Annex 2). Minister Schmidt expressed that “Today we are strengthening our global push for more ambition. More and more leaders are joining this effort to demonstrate that boosting NDC ambition is both necessary and possible. We are here to listen to what our people are demanding its leaders to do”. Minister Schmidt also indicated that Chile and the United Kingdom will join efforts to mobilize additional actors to join the alliance on the road towards COP26. The Alliance will also strengthen its work on adaptation and the involvement of the private sector. All efforts will aim to accelerate the transformation needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and ultimately stabilize global temperature rise at 1.5C. “Led by Chile, the Climate Ambition Alliance was launched at the Climate Action Summit in New York”, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said at COP25. “I am deeply encouraged by the growth [in the Ambition Alliance]. The shift from the grey to the green economy is on, and it is gathering pace. As we look ahead to 2020, there is much to be done.” UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa said, “Joining the Chile-driven Climate Ambition Alliance is a concrete way to demonstrate that the world is united behind the imperative to boost ambition. Under this Alliance, nations can publicly commit to enhancing their national climate plans by 2020.” As we urgently increase our efforts to reduce emissions, we must also give equal and increased urgency to adapt to climate impacts and build resilience for the future. Communities that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change face an existential threat. The IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C states that both urgent and transformational adaptation action is needed to reduce climate-related risk. The scale of expected impacts is such that business as usual is no longer an option for any country, community, business or financial institution. The Call for Action on Adaptation and Resilience was launched at the UN Climate Action Summit and has been signed by 118 countries. The call marks the beginning of a paradigm shift in the way we all build adaptation and resilience. “The UK is hugely determined and committed to work together with our global partners to tackle the climate crisis. Every country must come forward as soon as possible in 2020 with a more ambitious NDC. Sixty-six Parties joined the Climate Ambition Alliance at UNCAS through commitments to going net zero. I commend the leadership of Chile in launching the Alliance. We only have this planet, and we all have a duty to do everything we can to leave it a better place than we found it.”, said Claire O’Neill, COP26 President Designate of UK. For mitigation, the Climate Ambition Alliance will focus on the submission of enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions; reaching new commitments to achieve Net Zero by 2050; and the implementation of measures to strengthen the protection of forests and oceans. For adaptation, the Climate Ambition Alliance, will focus on strong actions to improve the management of water, resilience in infrastructure and the sustainability of cities. It’s time for action. Annex I: Enhanced ambition in national climate plans Under the Paris Agreement, Parties have been requested to present new or updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020. In this context, 103 countries are responding to the urgent need to reduce emissions in the next decade by having communicated an enhanced NDC or signaling their intention to work towards enhancing the ambition of their NDCs by 2020. In addition, 11 Countries have started internal processes in their national plans and policies to boost ambition by 2020. The decisions to trigger the transformation to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement must be taken now; for this reason, other countries are encouraged to express their intention to join this list. Countries that will enhance ambition of their NDCs by 2020: • Afghanistan • Angola • Antigua and Barbuda1 2 • Argentina2 • Armenia2 • Bahamas1 • Bangladesh2 • Barbados1 • Belarus • Belize1 2 • Benin2 • Bhutan • Botswana • Burkina Faso2 • Burundi2 • Cabo Verde1 • Cambodia2 1 This country belongs to the SIDS 2020 Ambition Leadership Coalition, which promotes more ambitious climate action through new and updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the development of Long-term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) in Small Island Developing States in the context of the necessary means of implementation being made available. 2 This country is a member of the NDC Partnership. Members are working together to provide technical assistance and capacity building to effectively implement current NDCs and increase ambition. • Central African Republic2 • Chad2 • Chile2 • Colombia2 • Comoros1 • Cook Islands1 • Costa Rica2 • Democratic Republic of Congo2 • Djibouti • Dominica1 • Dominican Republic1 2 • Ecuador2 • Eritrea • Ethiopia2 • Federated Stated of Micronesia1 • Fiji1 2 • Gambia2 • Georgia2 • Ghana2 • Grenada1 2 • Guinea2 • Guinea-Bissau2 • Guyana1 • Haiti2 • Jamaica1 2 • Kiribati1 • Lao PDR2 • Lebanon2 • Lesotho2 • Liberia2 • Madagascar • Malawi2 • Maldives1 2 • Mali2 • Mauretania • Mauritius1 • Mexico2 • Mongolia2 • Montenegro • Morocco2 • Mozambique2 • Myanmar • Namibia2 • Nauru1 2 • Nepal2 • Nicaragua2 • Niger2 • Niue1 • Norway2 • Pakistan2 • Palau1 • Panama2 • Papua New Guinea1 2 • Peru2 • Republic of Marshall Islands1 2 • Republic of North Macedonia • Rwanda2 • Samoa1 • Sao Tome and Principe2 • Senegal • Serbia • Seychelles1 2 • Sierra Leone • Solomon Islands1 • Somalia2 • South Sudan • St. Kitts and Nevis1 • St. Lucia1 2 • St. Vincent and the Grenadines1 • Sudan2 • Suriname1 • Switzerland • Timor-Leste1 • Togo2 • Tonga1 • Trinidad and Tobago1 • Tunisia2 • Tuvalu1 • Uganda2 • Ukraine2 • United Republic of Tanzania • Uruguay2 • Vanuatu1 2 • Yemen2 • Zambia2 • Zimbabwe2 Countries that have started internal processes in their national plans and policies to boost ambition by 2020 • Denmark2 • Finland • France2 • Germany2 • Iceland • Luxembourg • Netherlands2 • Portugal • Spain2 • Sweden2 • United Kingdom2 Annex II: Net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 This list brings together countries, businesses, investors, cities and regions who are working towards achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Under the Paris Agreement, Parties should communicate long-term, low- greenhouse gas emission development strategies which target the middle of the century. 120 Countries plus the EU (full list below) are demonstrating genuine leadership either by having developed plans to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, by having identified this target as a long-term national goal, or by advancing consultations on a long-term strategy for climate-neutrality in line with the Paris Agreement. The overall goal is clear and needs to be net-zero CO2 emissions in line with latest scientific information. However, the deep transformation towards net zero CO2 emissions requires the mobilization of all actors across all segments of society. Fortunately, 15 Regions, 398 Cities, 786 Businesses and 16 Investors (full lists below) are united behind this same target because they recognize the benefits of the low-carbon transition and, accordingly, are included in the alliance. Regions in the Under2 Coalition – which brings together more than 220 governments, representing over 1.6 billion people and 45% – are in a particularly unique position to accelerate climate action, because they work at a level that allows for rapid action and experimentation. In total, there are 15 states and regions in the Climate Ambition Alliance, including 12 in the Under2 Coalition, which have committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. Cities consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy, accounting for more than 70% of global energy-related CO2 emissions and are therefore critical to delivering a climate safe future. Megacities under ‘Deadline 2020’, as well as local cities under ‘The Argentinian Network of Municipalities’ – representing over 660 million people – are following a pathway that would deliver emissions reductions consistent with 1.5°C. Moreover, ICLEI – a global network of local and regional