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After Friday’s global Climate March, this week sees the U.N Climate Summit kick off in New York city. But what is the summit, and how can it help the fight against climate change?
The Climate Action Summit is a meeting of the world’s biggest powers and leaders to attempt to kickstart the global campaign against climate change.
In 2015, the Paris climate accord took place, which was a historic agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from each participating country. Laid out in the 2015 agreement was the pledge that countries would have their first plans on how to reduce emissions ironed out by 2020.
This years’ summit organisers want to get countries back on track and provide inspiration and a platform for world leaders to explain their plans to reduce their carbon footprint.
This year’s summit is to drum up the motivation for global leaders to reduce their carbon emissions. It will act as a platform to put pressure on countries not doing enough to act on climate change, and will showcase ambitious and successful climate plans in an effort to mobilise leaders. It will also build on the already-rife public pressure that has been put on governments to act on climate change.
Secretary-General of the U.N António Guterres has made four key demands of participating countries ahead of the summit. These are:
This year’s summit discussions are based around nine key areas of climate change:
World leaders from a number of countries will speak on the above topics, and the summit will also give them a chance to lobby and network with each other on how they can further the cause.
Leaders from around 110 countries are expected to attend the summit. However, not all of these leaders will have a chance to speak at the summit.
In a bold move by Secretary-General Guterres, some nations that have been lax in their support for climate action will not be permitted to speak at the summit. Nations like Australia, Japan and South Korea, that have expressed support for the expansion of coal plants, along with the U.S, Brazil and Saudi Arabia are excluded from the speeches.
Some of the world’s most influential climate activists will also take to the stage to address world leaders, including 16-year-old Greta Thunberg.
This year’s summit is seen as a major milestone after the 2015 Paris agreement. Time is ticking on countries to commit to their plans on climate action, and the U.N want to convey the urgency of the current climate emergency on them.
Public support for climate action has also seen a massive swell this year, with multiple protests, marches, speeches and campaigns, many from students and school-age supporters. Public pressure on governments to act on climate change has never been greater.
Friday saw the biggest worldwide march against climate change ever, with several million supporters (again, mostly children and students) taking part. In Ireland, tens of thousands of supporters marched in cities across the country, taking the day off school as a sign of solidarity.
Read more: Tens of thousands of Irish young people took part in the Climate Strike today
Read more: ‘My school doesn’t want me to attend today’s climate action strikes. Here’s why I’m going anyway’
Read more: Global Climate Strike Ireland: here’s everything you need to know