New York Climate Week 2019
The future of the climate is decided in New York City
Events United States Climate action
New York City (USA) became the epicentre of the climate agenda in September 2019. The city hosted two pivotal events to measure the degree of commitment to global warming. These are the United Nations Climate Action Summit on 23 September and the Climate Week NYC from 23 to 29 September. The next United Nations Conference on climate change (COP25) was held in Chile.
Time is running out. The UN is warning that we have only a few years to prevent an irreversible climate catastrophe: if the Earth heats up more than 1.5°C by 2030 compared to the temperature of the late nineteenth century, there will be serious environmental problems with dire consequences for life: more floods, more extreme heat waves and more frequent and lasting droughts. It can still be fixed but the countdown has already begun.
Climate action on the global agenda
The international community is asking all the planet's stakeholders for new measures against global warming and, above all, greater efforts to comply with them. As a case in point, in 2017
the world record for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was broken with 53.5 gigatonnes of CO2, according to a UN report published in 2018. This same document indicated that fewer than a third of the countries subscribed to the Paris Agreement are doing the right thing to reduce their emissions from 2030.
Within this framework, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on world leaders to come to the New York Climate Summit on 23 September 2019 with ambitious, concrete and realistic plans to accelerate their policies and deliver on the concrete contributions the Paris Agreement demanded from governments by 2020. The idea was to work on new solutions to global warming and to present their most immediate climate action plans. The goal was to minimise CO2 emissions by 2020 to a 45% reduction globally over the next decade and to zero after 2050.
This essential event on the world climate agenda, also brought together the private sector, civil society, local authorities and other international organisations to develop initiatives against global warming. The Summit also received extra stimulus from the activities and initiatives scheduled around Climate Week New York
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organised by The Climate Group, which focused on climate solutions implemented by the private sector in all sectors of the economy.
SEE INFOGRAPHIC: What is the Climate Group? [PDF] External link, opens in new window.
Work areas at Summit and Climate Week 2019
The Summit was organised around nine action areas External link, opens in new window., each of which had its own agenda of initiatives and a structure with governments and organisations to lead the action. The topics covered were wide-ranging, from mitigation strategies for the economy as a whole to measures to decarbonise the energy sector to promote robust CO2 signals at a global level.
The New York Climate Week featured exhibitions, seminars, conferences and round tables, among other activities, and included programs such as:
Youth and climate activism
Greta Thunberg has inspired millions of young people around the world in the fight against global warming. The New York event addressed the role of youth and climate activism in a broader sense.
Energy transition
The program focused on renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage and access to energy, also highlighting innovation such as blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Buildings, infrastructure and sustainable mobility
This section focused on reducing global transport emissions, but also included events on architecture and sustainable construction.
Climate finance and investments
This forum focused on financial opportunities to identify and cushion climate risks. It also reviewed investment options against global warming and the role of carbon.
Health, equality and justice
In this regard, the summit analysed how climate action should address the prosperity and well-being of people at all levels.
Sustainable leisure and tourism
The summit led global dialogue on how travel and entertainment can contribute to the good health of our planet.
Food, land uses and natural solutions
This part investigated how to reduce emissions from the food and agriculture industry, as well as the role of forests and the recovery of terrestrial ecosystems.
Resilience and adaptation to climate change
During the week, the risks of global warming and their impact on food and water, or what to do to prevent natural disasters and how to help their victims were addressed.
'The Hub', the forum to promote commitments to the climate
All these activities were launched in the event known as The Hub, which took place on 24 and 25 September. Organisations and representatives from numerous countries, cities and industrial sectors participated in this two-day forum, which brought together the world's main political and business leaders to join forces, create alliances and debate important measures to combat climate change.
This space for ideas, reflection and cooperation was a forum for discussions on the economy, energy transition and innovation. Above all, work was undertaken to continue moving forward and take action for the climate beyond this summit with a single objective: to call on the governments of the world to do everything possible to fulfil the commitments reached in the Paris Agreement. Time is almost up...