Last week at COP 21 in Paris, governments of the world united in action on climate change by adopting the Paris Agreement, the first universal, legally binding climate deal. This agreement will spur a transformation of global growth and development and open the door to a low-carbon, stable, sustainable future.
Today, non-state actors and organisations from around the globe, including major cities, regions, companies and investors, promised to quickly and effectively help implement the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transformative changes needed to meet the climate change challenge.
L’Appel de Paris, or the Paris Pledge for Action, is a call to action in support of the Paris Agreement which brings together a multitude of voices on an unprecedented scale within a single, collective statement:
“We welcome the adoption of a new, universal climate agreement at COP 21 in Paris, which is a critical step on the path to solving climate change. We pledge our support to ensuring that the level of ambition set by the agreement is met or exceeded.”
The IES is proud to be a signatory to this pledge, which has already been signed over 400 businesses, 120 investors, 150 cities and regions representing 150 million people and US$11 trillion.
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said: “COP21 was a landmark, and not just for the Paris Agreement by governments. The extraordinary momentum witnessed before and during the UN conference by cities, provinces, regions, companies and citizens was also a hallmark”.
“The Paris Pledge for Action is about taking that momentum to the next level in support of nations as they work towards raising ambition up to 2020 and well beyond—it is about building ever more support by non-state actors who are aligning with government policy as never before" she added.
The Paris Pledge for Action is an initiative of the COP21 French Presidency. The pledge is open to more signatories (join the pledge here) and will spread around the world.
