CLIMATE AMBITION SUMMIT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env & Eco)

Context: The United Nations Climate Ambition Summit (CAS), hosted by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, took place recently in New York. China, the U.S., and India were absent at the U.N.’s Climate Ambition Summit.

Climate Ambition Summit

• About: The summit took place to display leaders who are movers and doers and have credible actions, policies, and plans to keep the 1.5°C degree goal of the Paris Agreement alive.
• Headquarters: New York
• Venue: UN Headquarters, New York.
• 3 tracks: Ambition, Credibility and Implementation.
• Credibility: Leaders of businesses, cities, regions, and financial institutions are expected to present transition plans aligned with the UN-backed Integrity Matters report.
• Implementation:  All entities come together by addressing challenges and opportunities related to accelerating the decarburization of high-emitting sectors or delivering climate justice.

Key Points

• Brazil will now need to propose more ambitious measures to curb its emissions and look towards a just transition away from fossil fuels.
• Nepal announced a revised target of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2045 instead of 2050.
• Thailand expressed its determination to be Net Zero by 2050 and Portugal announced a goal to be carbon neutral by 2045, instead of 2050.
• Canada, which was one of the largest expanders of fossil fuels last year, announced the development of an emissions cap framework for the oil and gas sector.
• At COP27, India’s suggestion to call for the phasedown of “all fossil fuels” and not just coal was omitted in the final document.