Amid the busy UN Summits Week, Heads of State and Government and other leaders convened for a full day of discussions on pathways towards accelerated climate action and increased ambition.
Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminded delegates that “humanity has opened the gates of hell,” leaving current levels of climate action “dwarfed by the scale of the challenge.” He stressed that the world’s poorest nations have a “right to be angry” about lagging ambition, lacking climate finance, and skyrocketing costs of borrowing.
Highlights from leaders’ statements included:
- calls for negotiating a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty;
- updates on the development of Joint Energy Transition Partnerships;
- announcements of earlier dates for phasing out fossil fuels;
- criticisms of fossil fuel companies’ deceit and inaction;
- appetite for reigning in corporate greenwashing and enhancing the credibility of net-zero commitments; and
- resolve to recapitalize the Green Climate Fund in the context of its second replenishment.
Several speakers said the outcome of the first Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement should serve as a course correction to achieve the 1.5°C target. Momentum seemed to be growing to adopt a goal to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency by 2030.
Developing countries and others underscored their support for the UN Secretary-General’s “Early Warning for All” initiative, with several offering to share lessons learned through South-South cooperation.
Solidarity was a theme of discussions on decarbonization, as well. Governments offered to share experience in emissions trading schemes, recognizing the need for all possible sources of finance. High-emitting industries like steel and cement were a target for raising ambition.
As the day’s discussions concluded, Guterres listened to the key messages of the day and reflected that leaders had helped to turn ambition to hope. Addressing those who had been featured as “climate doers,” he asked them to keep going: scale up action, bring more people together, and “take no prisoners.”
All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For the UN Summits Week 2023 please use: Photo by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera.
To receive free coverage of global environmental events delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the ENB Update newsletter.
Opening Plenary Session
Delegates gather for the opening of the Climate Ambition Summit.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal
Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania
Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, and Gabriel Boric, President of Chile
The dais follow the Summit's proceedings
Kausea Natano, Prime Minister of Tuvalu
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada and Co-Chair of the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates Group
Delegates listen to interventions from fellow leaders
Zuzana Caputova, President of Slovakia
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
Principals of International Finance Institutions and Other Relevant Entities on “Loss and Damage”
Delegates meet at lunch time for the event on loss and damage
The dais during the meeting on Loss and Damage
Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General
Moderator Rachel Kyte, Dean Emerita, The Fletcher School at Tufts University
High-Level Thematic Sessions
Delegates meet for the session on “Credibility of Net Zero through “Integrity Matters” implementation: Leadership by early movers and doers and the role of regulation”
Sabine Mauderer, Vice and Incoming Chair, Network for Greening the Financial System
Catherine McKenna, Chair, High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, Canada
Miguel Stilwell d'Andrade, CEO, Energias de Portugal (EDP)
Jean Paul Servais, President, International Organization of Securities Commission, and Helena Viñes Fiestas, Chair, European Union Platform on Sustainable Finance, Spain
Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister, Bangladesh
Delegates during the session on "Delivering climate justice: Accelerating ambition and implementation on adaptation and early warnings for all"
Delegates during the session on “Accelerating decarbonization through collaboration and implementation”
Closing Plenary
Delegates listen to the final remarks by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Laurence Tubiana, President and CEO, European Climate Foundation
Selwin Hart, Special Adviser and Assistant Secretary General for Climate Change, closes the meeting at 6:10pm.
Around the Venue
The Climate Ambition Summit team at the end of the meeting
Participants make their way to the SDGs Pavilion
Participants between sessions
The global scrub choir performs since early in the morning
The ENB team at the UN Summits Week 2023 (L-R) Daniel Bertram, Germany; Soledad Aguilar, Argentina; Jennifer Bansard, France/Germany; Diego Noguera, Colombia; and Faye Leone, US