(Oil & Gas 360) – A combined effort between one of the world’s most storied cities and the United Nations aimed at generating more urgency on climate action awaits those in New York this week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Climate Week NYC is from September 22 to 29. The event is held every year in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly.
COP 28 and Climate Week coincide to jointly pursue the stated goals of tripling renewable energy capacity while doubling energy efficiency improvements by 2030. COP stands for “Conference of the Parties” to the U.N.’s Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Former Vice President Al Gore and former Presidential candidate and current climate envoy John Kerry are among some two hundred speakers at the event, which is now in its 16th year.
The theme this year is “It’s Time” to underscore the urgency of action. The conference comes less than a month after a McKinsey and Co. report noted that the world is falling behind on the path to reducing global temperatures by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050.
Five key principles have been announced as the platform for the week’s work: prioritizing the needs and voices of communities most affected by climate change and, secondly, getting the “global north” (i.e., the developed world) to increase its financial commitments to support climate initiatives. The conference organizers this week also are stressing honesty and transparency in addressing the issues surrounding climate action by engaging and incorporating feedback not only from those who have career stakes in policy outcomes, but the citizens and public affected by climate policies. Finally, organizers are urging attendees to “address the tough issues related to fossil fuels via the transition to sustainable energy resources.”
Representatives from over one hundred countries are expected to attend and participate in some six hundred Climate Week events and activities across New York City.
The event is put on by a group called The Climate Group, an international nonprofit with offices where London, New York, New Delhi, Amsterdam, and Beijing. The group says it is working with five hundred multinational businesses in 175 markets around the world on climate change initiatives.
The work continues in seven weeks with the COP 29 Climate gathering in Baku, Azerbaijan.
By Jim Felton for oilandgas360.com
