“Everyone has a role to play” in addressing climate change, agreed UN leaders, advocates, business and other leaders at 'Earth To Paris—Le Hub,' which convened on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference.
Participants at the event discussed cross-sector solutions to climate change, stressing that now is the time for bold action.
9 December 2015: “Everyone has a role to play” in addressing climate change, agreed UN leaders, advocates, business and other leaders at ‘Earth To Paris—Le Hub,’ which convened on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference. Participants at the event discussed cross-sector solutions to climate change, stressing that now is the time for bold action.
Earth To Paris is a coalition of partners working to raise awareness about the connections between people and planet. The event during COP 21 provided an opportunity for solutions-oriented engagement in climate change conversations around the Conference, and served as a platform for amplifying the conversation across social and digital media.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged youth to be part of the process and challenge their leaders to take bold action on climate change. UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Anthony Lake also described children as powerful agents of change.
Accountability and openness are critical in ensuring governments deliver on climate change commitments, participants stressed. They described the Paris Climate Change Conference as a “springboard” for further action and advocacy on climate change and sustainable development.
Several speakers addressed the relationship between climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Robert Kirkpatrick, UN Global Pulse, and Elizabeth Cousens, UN Foundation. Helen Clark, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, described climate change as one of the biggest threats to human development and sustainable development. Referring to the various major agreements of 2015, she said “if we can bring these agendas together, we have an incredible platform for sustainable development and human development.” Irina Bokova, Director-General, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said actions to tackle poverty, gender equality, energy security and the other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be detached from addressing climate change.
Over the two-day event, participants discussed deforestation, technology and innovation, and fossil fuel divestment, among other topics. They addressed intersections among climate change and renewable energy, education and health. They observed that, despite clear science and compelling economic arguments, the politics of climate change represent a challenge in reaching global agreements while also recognizing an “optimistic tone” to the Paris negotiations.
The convening partners of the Earth To Paris Coalition are UNDP, UNESCO, UNFCCC, UN Foundation, UNICEF, GOOD Magazine, City of Paris, Mashable, National Geographic, Jynwel Foundation, and HAVAS Worldwide. [Earth to Paris Twitter Feed] [Earth To Paris—Le Hub Website] [Event Videos] [Earth to Paris Press Release] [UNDP Press Release, 9 November] [UNDP Press Release, 29 October] [UN Foundation Press Release, 6 December] [UN Foundation Press Release, 27 October] [Earth to Paris in Huffington Post]