Today, UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and Race to Zero and Race to Resilience Global Ambassador Michael R. Bloomberg and the United Nations Climate Change High-Level Champions Nigel Topping and Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin announced they will co-host the United Nations Climate Action: Race to Zero and Resilience Forum on September 21, 2022 in New York City. The Forum, which will take place during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, will bring together members of the largest ever alliance committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions – including businesses, cities, regions, financial institutions, and civil and cultural leaders – to chart progress and showcase subnational actors raising the bar on net zero delivery and building resilience ahead of COP27.
“From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to record-breaking heatwaves and droughts, the past year has made it crystal clear that dependence on fossil fuels is not just an environmental threat, but an urgent economic and security issue as well,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and Race to Zero and Race to Resilience Global Ambassador. “Through the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience coalitions, cities, states, regions, and businesses are working together to build a safer, more resilient future powered by clean energy. This forum is a critical opportunity to highlight their progress over the past year and launch new partnerships in the lead-up to COP27.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: “We have a critical mass of global commitments to net-zero, from both governments and non-state actors. We must now zoom in on the quality and implementation of plans. On measuring and analyzing. On reporting, transparency and accountability. That is why, I have decided to establish a High-Level Expert Group to propose clear standards to measure and analyze net zero commitments from non-state actors. We need action if commitments are to pass the credibility test. We need to hold each other accountable — Governments, non‑State actors and the civil society. Because only together can we keep 1.5°C within reach and the equitable and resilient world we need.”
The Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns were launched ahead of COP26 to rally leadership and support from actors outside of national governments to build momentum towards a healthy, resilient, zero carbon economy and to spark a step-change in global ambition for climate resilience. This year, both global campaigns have sought to harness the momentum built in the run-up to COP26 and translate their members’ robust commitments into rapid implementation. To date, over 11,000 non-state actors from across 116 countries have joined Race to Zero, committing to meeting the Paris goals and halving global emissions by 2030. These include 8,000 businesses, 1,000 cities, and 500 financial institutions – including well over two-thirds of FTSE 100 companies. In parallel, Race to Resilience now comprises 28 Partners, representing over 2,000 organizations, delivering action in over 100 countries.
The Forum, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, will focus on turbocharging progress and mobilizing capital, highlighting the importance of transparency, accountability, and delivery for bottom-up climate action. Building on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ commitment to carry forward Race to Zero and Resilience initiatives beyond COP26 and ensure climate pledges are leading to concrete action with measurable impact, the Forum will recognize the progress being made through the Races and also explore what more is needed from all stakeholders to create a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy.
“Voluntary actors continue to race to reduce emissions and build resilience, but we still need a lot more,” said Nigel Topping, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP26. “I look forward to this forum to show how members of our Global Campaigns are making good on their promises, and as an opportunity to candidly highlight the gaps that need to be plugged between now and COP27 to keep 1.5C within reach.
“In the context of today’s interconnected geopolitical crises, it is more important than ever to bridge the gap between government leaders and non-state actors, to ensure the fulfillment of pledges and commitments, and to drive the radical collaboration needed for increasing ambition and delivering on our climate goals and objectives,” said Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP27. “I look forward to this event for helping to shine a light on the need to accelerate the mobilization of capital, to continue reducing emissions at pace without exacerbating debt burdens and to build climate adaptive capacity and resilience across all corners of the world.”
The agenda and featured speakers for The United Nations Climate Action: Race to Zero and Resilience Forum supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies on September 21 will be announced soon. The Forum will take place in the afternoon, following The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in the morning. Media interested in attending the Forum should email pressinfo@bloomberg.org.
As a mayor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Michael R. Bloomberg has long been a global leader in the fight against climate change. He has committed more than $1 billion to efforts across the world to mobilize cities and local leaders to reduce emissions, improve air quality, advance the global transition to clean energy, protect and preserve ocean ecosystems, and help unlock billions of dollars in sustainable finance. In addition to acting as UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and Race to Zero and Race to Resilience Global Ambassador, Bloomberg helps lead a number of efforts, including the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, America Is All In Coalition, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, Climate Finance Leaders Initiative, and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.
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Media Contact: pressinfo@bloomberg.org
About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 941 cities and 173 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2021, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.66 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About the Climate Champions
The UN High Level Champions for Climate Action from the UK and Egypt – Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin and Nigel Topping – build on the legacy of their predecessors to engage with non-state actors and activate the ‘ambition loop’ with national governments. Their work is fundamentally designed to encourage a collaborative shift across all of society towards a decarbonised economy so that we can all thrive in a healthy, resilient, zero carbon world.
Mahmoud and Nigel have convened a team to help them deliver on this work through flagship campaigns, targeted stakeholder engagement and leadership in systems transformation.
About Race to Zero
Race to Zero is the global campaign rallying non-state actors – including companies, cities, regions, financial, educational, and healthcare institutions – to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions within this decade and deliver a healthier, fairer, zero carbon world in time.
All members are racing towards the same overarching goal: reducing emissions across all scopes swiftly and fairly in line with science, with transparent action plans, robust near-term and long-term targets, and annual reporting against their progress.
Led by the High-Level Climate Champions for Climate Action – Nigel Topping and Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin – Race to Zero mobilizes actors across the global economy in radical collaboration to decarbonise, giving national governments the confidence to go further, faster.
About Race to Resilience
Race to Resilience – the sibling campaign to Race to Zero – is a non-state actor led global campaign to catalyze a step-change in global ambition for accelerating the investment and implementation of adaptation solutions. It aims to put people and nature first in pursuit of a resilient world where we do not just survive climate shocks and stresses, but thrive in spite of them. Led by the high level Climate Action Champions – Nigel Topping and Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin – the campaign aims to increase the resilience for four billion people living in vulnerable communities, in collaboration with partner organizations from around the world, while developing tools to support them in their work. Through a partnership of initiatives, the campaign focuses on addressing the climate risks faced by urban, rural and coastal vulnerable communities and elevates the actions that businesses, financial institutions, civil society organizations and local communities are already pursuing to unlock systems transformation towards resilience.
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