This agreement will spur a transformation of global
growth and development and open the door to a low-carbon, stable, sustainable
future, the French Presidency of COP21 said.
Today, approaching 700 major cities, regions, companies
and investors from around the globe promised to quickly and effectively help
implement the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transformative changes needed
to meet the climate change challenge.
L’Appel de Paris, or
the Paris Pledge for Action, is a call to action in support of the
Paris Agreement which
brings together a multitude of voices on an unprecedented scale within a single, collective statement:
“We welcome the adoption of a new, universal
climate agreement at COP 21 in Paris, which is a critical step on the path to
solving climate change. We pledge our support to ensuring that the level of
ambition set by the agreement is met or exceeded.”
This landmark
pledge is a clear signal that the message sent by the negotiations has been
received loud and clear and that cities, regions, business, investors and other
non-state actors are now ready and willing to stand shoulder to shoulder,
alongside governments, to implement the terms of the agreement. This is our
best opportunity to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees
Celsius – and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees – and raise
ambition even before the agreement takes effect in 2020.
L’Appel de Paris is
an inclusive initiative by the French Presidency of COP21 that invites all
businesses, regions, cities, and investors to join and vow to act on the
outcomes of the Paris UN Climate Change Agreement. It has already been signed
by over 400 businesses, 150 cities and regions and 120 investors controlling
US$11 trillion in assets.
Initial
signatories include businesses such as Acciona, Allianz, Mars,
Kellogg’s, Tata Group, Unilever; investors like Lloyd’s and Aviva; megacities
such as New York, Johannesburg, Quezon City, Hong Kong, Rio De Janeiro and
Mexico City; and regions such as Cross River State (Nigeria), Scotland (UK),
Chiapas (Mexico) and California (United States).
French
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, President of COP 21,
said: "Non-state
actor leadership is key to the success of COP21 and to the effective transition
to a low-emissions and climate-resilient future. The world needs you to step up
and rise to the challenges of climate change and sustainable development. This
is why I strongly encourage you to take bold actions and make ambitious
commitments, both individually and collectively, register them on NAZCA, and
sign on to the Paris Pledge for Action, to make sure the commitments made in
Paris by governments are achieved or even exceeded."
Christiana
Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said: “COP21
was a landmark, and not just for the Paris Agreement by governments. The
extraordinary momentum witnessed before and during the UN conference by cities,
provinces, regions, companies and citizens was also a hallmark.
“The Paris Pledge for Action is about taking
that momentum to the next level in support of nations as they work towards
raising ambition up to 2020 and well beyond—it is about building ever more
support by non-state actors who are aligning with government policy as never
before.”
The pledge uniquely
incorporates under one roof a diverse range of entities that are already
committed to quickly mitigate emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate
change. These non-state actors include members of the Under 2 MOU, the White
House Act on Climate Pledge, the Montreal Carbon Pledge, the Principles for
Sustainable Insurance (PSI) Initiative, the We Mean Business ‘Road to Paris’
initiatives, the Paris City Hall Declaration, ICLEI and many more.
The pledge is open to more signatories and will spread
around the world. All non-state actors are invited to join this call to action in
support of the Paris Agreement.
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