Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are five ways that leaders are spurring climate action, with the understanding that there must be stronger commitments to address this climate emergency. 

• How are donors getting involved in climate action planning? 

• Here is a framework for addressing the impacts of climate change. 

On September 23, UN Secretary-General António Guterres convened leaders from government, business, and civil society at the UN Headquarters in New York City to boost momentum in the race against the climate emergency. While leaders made important announcements — from more than 70 countries pledging to increase their national climate commitments to major asset-owners announcing plans to make their portfolios climate-neutral by 2050 — these commitments are not enough to tackle the climate emergency, and must be followed up with greater ambition.

Here are 5 ways leaders boosted momentum at the UN Climate Action Summit:

  1. Building momentum for increased national action: Many countries signaled their commitment to meeting key climate deadlines. In total, 70 countries announced they will either boost their National Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020 or have already started doing so.
  2. More partners join the movement to push past coal: In the lead up to the summit, Secretary-General Guterres took a hard stance on coal – one of the most polluting and widely used fossil fuels. “No new coal power plants should be built after 2020,” he urged again at the summit.
  3. Investments in climate action receive a jolt:  France, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, and others announced they would double their current contributions to the Green Climate Fund, the official fund to assist developing countries in countering climate change.
  4. New initiatives unlock the power of nature: The power of nature in climate action took center stage more than ever before. 150 nature-based solutions, from a wide variety of stakeholders, designed to draw down carbon pollution and protect vital ecosystems, were announced.
  5. Strong commitments to leave no one behind: Efforts to scale up climate action can only work if they work for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.

Read the full article about climate action by Chandler Green at the United Nations Foundation.