Below is a statement from Champa Patel, our Executive Director for Governments and Policy on the deadline for countries to submit new nationally determined contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The NDCs are the moment for new climate leadership to step up and set the terms of ambition. We have no time to lose.
NDCs are critical to climate action, yet only a few dozen countries met today’s deadline. It’s worrying that countries are failing to meet the urgency of the moment, but it also creates an opportunity.
No doubt, the geopolitical context is challenging with protectionism and populism on the rise. But it is now more paramount than ever that countries work on ambitious NDCs ahead of the September call for revised NDCs. We need to be laser focused and specific on what is needed. For that to happen, national governments should plan with their states, regions and cities – those levels of government on the frontlines of dealing with climate crises. This level of government knows what is needed for their communities.
This focus will also give clarity and confidence to business to crowd in the innovation and financing needed for the transition. What is needed is a united front against devastating impacts of climate change, one that supports competitiveness, economic growth, and green jobs.
The stakes are dangerously high – the geopolitical impulse seems to be not just slowing down action but actively weaponising against climate action. The world cannot afford inaction. The NDCs are the moment for new climate leadership to step up and set the terms of ambition. We have no time to lose. - said Champa Patel, Executive Director for Governments and Policy
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Spokespeople available. For media requests please contact: Vanessa Power – vpower@climategroup.org or +44 7752403008
About Climate Group
Climate Group is an international non-profit, launched in 2004, with offices in London, Amsterdam, Beijing, New Delhi, and New York. Our mission is to drive climate action, fast. Our goal is a world of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with greater prosperity for all. We do this by forming powerful networks of business and government, unlocking the power of collective action and scale to move whole systems such as energy, transport, industry, and food to a cleaner future. Together, we’re helping to shift global markets and policies towards faster reductions in carbon emissions.