The Climate Summit of the Americas has issued the first-ever Pan-American Climate Action Statement leading up to the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UN framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled to take place in Paris, France, from 30 November to 11 December 2015.
The Government of Ontario convened over 300 government, business and civil society leaders to foster and strengthen partnerships among jurisdictions for global climate action, and build motivation and support for carbon pricing.
9 July 2015: The Climate Summit of the Americas has issued the first-ever Pan-American Climate Action Statement leading up to the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled to take place in Paris, France, from 30 November to 11 December 2015. The Government of Ontario convened over 300 government, business and civil society leaders to foster and strengthen partnerships among jurisdictions for global climate action, and build motivation and support for carbon pricing.
The Climate Action Statement released by the Summit highlights commitments by leaders of state, provincial and municipal governments across the Americas related to: carbon pricing; greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction reporting; ambitious targets; and action in key sectors. It emphasizes the urgency of fighting climate change; affirms the role of state, provincial and municipal governments in achieving global climate action; and acknowledges the need to work together to continue reducing GHG emissions.
The Statement includes: an appendix on governments’ participation in the Compact of States and Regions and the Compact of Mayors; a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on actions across sectors, such as energy and transportation, titled ‘Under 2 MOU’; and a ‘Putting a Price on Carbon’ statement.
In addition to the Climate Action Statement, the Summit’s key achievements include: a climate science statement calling for governments, industry and community leaders to make risk- and science-based decisions to limit global warming; an announcement by IKEA Canada on plans to install electric vehicle charging stations at its stores; and an announcement by CanSIA about a new solar task force that will bring industry leaders together to create a consistent and simplified solar electricity connection and metering structure across Canada.
The Summit took place in Ontario, Canada, from 7-9 July 2015. [Climate Summit of the Americas Webpage] [Climate Action Statement] [IISD Summary of Climate Summit of the Americas Outcomes] [Ontario Press Release on Climate Action Statement] [IISD RS Sources]