Top of the COP: All of Society Global Action Agenda

Top of the COP:  All of Society Global Action Agenda

Thursday 17 November 2022

At today’s closing event “COP27 Action Agenda: Progress & Priorities”,  the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions take stock of the contribution of non-State actors at COP27.

With the publication of the ‘Summary of Global Climate Action at COP27’, the Champions will detail the headline outcomes at COP27 that have been mobilised with the Marrakech Partnership in pursuit of a 1.5ºC, resilient world.

Across the two weeks, non-State actors offered a wide range of actions, announcements, and events across thematic areas. This included the launch of the African Cities Water Adaptation Fund, an African-led insurance commitment to provide cover for up to USD 14 billion in climate losses, and the Sharm-El-Sheik Adaptation Agenda in partnership with the COP27 Presidency.

Read on for more news from Solutions Day and the Closing of Global Climate Action Agenda at COP27.

Today’s Key Announcements 

• Launch of the Presidency initiative Low Carbon Transport for Urban Sustainability (LOTUS) aimed at decarbonising the global urban mobility landscape.  Following a  multi-stakeholder consultation process convened by the Egyptian COP27 Presidency, the global transport community affirmed the need to create highly tailored, context-driven urban transport solutions for developing countries. This was facilitated  by  the SLOCAT Secretariat and Boston Consulting Group. LᶜO₂TUS will today set out interventions for new Transport Breakthroughs in 2023.
• Launch of the Presidency initiative Sustainable Urban Resilience for the next generation(SURGe) which aims to build on commitments of cities and provide a holistic framework to achieve sustainable and resilient urban systems. It also aims to unlock urban climate finance and work with national governments, multilateral development banks and the private sector to facilitate access to finance, and develop a pipeline of bankable projects. This was in collaboration with UN Habitat and with the facilitation of ICLEI.
• The Presidency in collaboration with UN Habitat and ICLEI is convening the first ever Urbanisation and Climate Ministerial on 17 November bringing together Ministers and Mayors to discuss the key challenges facing cities. The Ministerial Meeting will reinforce the commitment of cities to achieving the Paris Agreement through multi-level climate action and will commit to accelerated mitigation and adaptation and urban climate finance. The SURGe initiative will be launched at the Ministerial. 
• The human settlements technical report, in support of the Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda,   explores the adaptation outcomes specific to human settlements, for example urban infrastructure, urban nature, and safe housing, as well as highlighting action underway to achieve them.
• Launch of the Accelerate to Zero (A2Z) coalition to promote and support the transition to zero emission vehicles  globally. It’s the world’s largest transportation coalition with over 200 organizations including  governments, industry and civil society. It’s working towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission no later than 2035 in leading markets and 2040 globally. The coalition is a partnership of the UK , the High-Level Champions, the International Council on Clean Transportation, The Climate Group, and the Drive Electric Campaign. The A2Z Coalition builds off the momentous foundation of the “Zero Emission Vehicles Declaration”generated at COP26. 
• The US launches the Zero Emission Vehicles Emerging Market Campaign (ZEV-EM-C), a one-year campaign that seeks to accelerate zero-emission passenger vehicle deployment in emerging markets. The campaign will highlight private sector contributions and foster dialogue between emerging markets and major companies to accelerate private investment to achieve ambitious ZEV deployment goals. 
• Launch of The Collective for Clean Transport Finance, which aims to create the tools to change the risk profiles of investment in zero-emission transport. The Collective is launched by five leading international organizations and the High-Level Climate Champions as a strategic collaboration and its membership will continue expanding over the coming year. 
• The ISO Net Zero Guidelines were recently launched by  Our 2050 World – a collaboration to accelerate the transition to net zero by  offering all actors a single core reference text for credible net zero action. The ISO Net Zero Guidelines align with the recently published recommendations by High-Level Expert Group on the Net Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities  and were developed through a consensus-led process involving more than 1200 organisations and individuals from over 100 countries. The Race to Zero, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub are collaborating withthe Our 2050 World. 
• Three states and 17 cities from India and Bangladesh have joined the Race to Resilience. Together, this represents a population of approximately 298  million up from 112 million at COP26. In doing so they commit to a  climate-resilient future by conducting climate risk and  vulnerability assessments with support from Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and Regions4. 
• Released The 2022 Annual Progress Report on Green Shipping Corridors. This follows the implementation of the Clydebank Declaration for green  shipping corridors  at COP26 in which signatories agreed to establish at least six green shipping corridors by the middle of this decade. The progress report identifies more than 20 green corridor initiatives across Transpacific, Asia Pacific and Transatlantic regions, Europe, North and South America.
• Unveiling of the online Green Shipping Corridor Hub by the Zero-emission Shipping Mission. It’s the first online one-stop-shop meant to streamline the formation and development of green shipping corridors. The Hub currently has three features: a route tracker which allows users to explore green shipping corridors that have been announced throughout the world; the Matchmaker,  an interactive map that enables stakeholders interested in developing green shipping corridors to find interested partners; and a curated library of reports, frameworks, blueprints, and case studies on green shipping corridors published by industry thought leaders.

GLOBAL CLIMATE ACTION EVENTS SCHEDULE

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND WEBCAST, ACCESS HERE

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Climate Action

Location: We Mean Business Pavilion, Pavilion 118, Zone C 

Time:  8:30 - 9:30 

Marrakech Partnership Human Settlements Action Event, Action towards a zero-emission,circular, & resilient built environment and cities for everyone, everywhere

Location: Action Room 1 (Ibis)

Time: 10:00 - 12:00

Future of International Road Freight: One year On. 

Location: UK Pavilion

Time: 11:30 - 12:30 

Marrakech Partnership Implementation Lab, Achieving the 2030 Built Environment 2030 Breakthrough

Location: Action Room 2 (Lotus)

Time: 12:30 - 14:00

The Multi-stakeholder Forum on Equitable Transition Towards Sustainable Urban Mobility

Location: MR20

Time: 12:30 – 14:15

Marrakech Partnership Implementation Lab, Actionable Adaptation Plans 

Location: Action Room 2 (Lotus)

Time: 14.30 - 16:00

UK COP26 Presidency event: Accelerating the Transition to Zero Emission Vehicles

Location: Climate Action Zone

Time: 15:00 – 16:30

Unlocking Finance for India’s EV Leadership

Location: India Pavilion, Blue Zone, Delegate Pavilions 3

Time: 16:00 - 17:00

Global Climate Action High-Level Event: COP 27 Action Agenda – Progress & Priorities  

Location:  Plenary Ramses

Time: 17:00 - 18:30

Accelerating the Transition to ZEVs: Deep Dive

Location: Business Pavilion of Egypt

Time: 17:00 - 18:30

#BuildingtoCOP: Building a resilient and zero emissions future

Location: Buildings Pavilion

Time: 18:00 - 19:00

Launch of Urban Mobility Scorecard Initiative (UMSi) by the World Economic Forum. 

Location: Business Pavilion of Egypt, Blue Zone

Time: 18:30 - 19:30

EXPLORE COP27

Children and Youth Pavilion 

For the first time ever at a UNFCCC Conference, children and young people have a dedicated space at COP27 alongside world leaders, ministers, prominent non-State actors and other delegates. 

Visitors have been invited to create pieces of art currently on display at  the pavilion.

Don’t miss the amazing artwork on display as well as the  beautiful, intricate detail of the finished hand painted mural by artists from the Fearless Collective . 

From left to right it shows climate activists Puyr Tembe, Vanessa Nakate and Ayisha Siddiqa.

No More Fairy Tales: stories to save our planet

Before we can build the resilient zero carbon economy that we have promised future generations, we must first imagine it. 

Stay inspired by reading today’s story drawn from an anthology of  short stories written by a variety of authors such as Kim Stanley Robinson, Paolo Bacigalupi and others. These stories present positive visions of what a sustainable society might look like and how we might get there.

Each story links to a webpage where readers can see how they can help to make the story a reality. Compiled by the Green Stories Project, in association with Herculean Climate Solutions.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Helping cities unleash the cooling power of nature

Yesterday at COP27 a joint effort under the framework of the Cool Coalition was launched, seeking to help cities unleash the cooling power of nature and catalyze NbS implementation. 

BEEAH Group pledges to achieve emissions-free mobility at COP27

By signing the ZEV Declaration at COP27, BEEAH Group has become the first organisation in the UAE that has pledged to transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) and contribute to net-zero emissions targets nationally and globally.

Carbon removals emerges as a critical discussion point at COP27

COP27 continues for a second week in Sharm El-Sheik, with discussions now moving to loss and damage – in which carbon removals can play a critical role. This pivot has been reflected in the number of events, discussions and policy announcements supporting carbon removals in the last week.

Framework launched to guide the development and purchasing of high-quality blue carbon projects and credits

A new set of principles to build investable, high-quality blue carbon projects to ensure positive outcomes for people, nature and climate, has been launched at COP27 by Conservation International, along with Salesforce and a global coalition of ocean leaders.

Network of industry leaders launch first-of-its-kind guide to accelerate uptake of sustainable aviation fuel

A new Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) pocket guide demonstrates to businesses how to lead the charge and implement SAF into their corporate net zero goals by committing to regular use of the fuel.

Speaking at the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF)  ‘Agenda for Nature and People’ event on  Biodiversity  Day, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion Mahmoud Mohieldin highlighted the recent launch of  the first climate change carbon market for Africa with a focus  on climate and nature solutions. 

Agreement calls for parties to work closely together to promote the widespread adoption of renewables to bolster climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Wednesday. Through the partnership, the two parties agreed to exchange knowledge and collaborate on initiatives to accelerate widespread renewable energy adoption to mitigate climate change. According to IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook, avoiding the catastrophic consequences of 1.5°C global warming requires a fundamental change in how energy is generated and consumed.

WHO ARE THE HIGH LEVEL CHAMPIONS?

The UN Climate Change High-Level Champions enhance and strengthen the engagement of non-Party stakeholders in collaborating with Parties, to deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement. To connect the work of governments with the many voluntary and collaborative actions taken by cities, regions, businesses, investors and civil society, at COP 21, countries decided to appoint two High Level Champions. 

The current Champions are Mr. Nigel Topping and Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin. Working with the Marrakech Partnership, they build on the legacy of their predecessors to engage with non-Party stakeholders and activate the ‘ambition loop’ with national governments. Their work is fundamentally designed to encourage a collaborative shift across all of society towards a decarbonized economy so that we can all thrive in a healthy, resilient and net-zero world.

For any press enquiries contact: media@climatechampions.team