23 September 2019: The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, has launched a multi-stakeholder alliance that will lead efforts towards the Santiago Climate Change Conference in December on both mitigation and adaptation. Announced during the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit, the ‘Climate Ambition Alliance’ aims to accelerate the transformation needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change and stabilize the global average temperature rise at 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.

The Alliance brings together 59 nations ramping up action by submitting their enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020, an additional 11 States that have already started an internal process to increase ambition, as well as 65 countries and the EU, ten regions, 102 cities, 93 businesses and 12 investors – all working towards achieving net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050. Chile encourages other nations, regions, cities, businesses and investors to join the Climate Ambition Alliance.

“Many leaders have shown that boosting NDC ambition is both necessary and possible, but other nations must follow,” Piñera stated. With 2020 “just around the corner,” “we must realize that decisions need to be made now. We are the first generation to suffer the effects of climate change and the last one that can do something about it,” he said.

We are the first generation to suffer the effects of climate change and the last one that can do something about it.

Chile, supported by the UNFCCC and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), has led the work of the Summit’s Mitigation Strategy Coalition. As the incoming Presidency of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP), it will continue to lead efforts on mitigation on the road to COP 25 through the Mitigation Track of the Climate Ambition Alliance by focusing on: the submission of enhanced NDCs; reaching new commitments to achieve net zero by 2050; and the implementation of measures to strengthen the protection of forests and oceans. Under the Alliance’s Adaptation Track, Chile will lead actions to improve water management, resilience in infrastructure and the sustainability of cities.

Countries that will enhance the ambition of their NDCs by 2020 are: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, the Federated Stated of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lebanon, Liberia, Maldives, Mali, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niue, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vanuatu.

Countries that have started internal processes in their national plans and policies to increase ambition by 2020 are: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Countries that are working towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050 are: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Cabo Verde, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, the EU, FSM, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Palau, PNG, Portugal, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Spain, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, the UK, Uruguay and Vanuatu. [Government of Chile Press Release] [Climate Action Summit Press Release] [COP 25 Presidency Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Climate Action Summit] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Chile’s Call to Ramp Up Mitigation Ambition Ahead of Summit]