中国气候变化信息网 China Climate Change Info-Net

(2016-11-23)Last week in Marrakech, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the secretariat of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), hosted the COP 22/ CMP 12: High Level Meeting on Climate Change. More than 100 high level business leaders and investors met with leaders from the Government, civil society and the UN in a show of resounding support and commitment to taking action on the Paris Climate Agreement.

On the occasion, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged businesses across the world to further increase their commitment to climate action. “Now it is time to turn words into deeds, to seize the opportunity before us for. We have no time to lose … that is why Marrakech is critical for strengthening the global climate action agenda, ensuring that we close the gap to meet the below 2° pathway. And that’s where business has an enormous role to play.”

Over the course of the High-Level Meeting, business representatives shared proposals on how the private sector can support and reinforce national climate priorities on mitigation and adaptation, and also highlighted the inextricable link between addressing climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Global Compact Network Canada (GCNC), which is the Canadian chapter of the United Nations Global Compact echoes the view that addressing climate change is a key priority in the achievement of the immediate and future wellbeing. Climate Change will complicate the achievement of the other Sustainable Development Goals, including giving rise to conflict situations, endangering food security, health and wellbeing, and negatively impacting gender equality.

Commenting on the private sector’s role in addressing climate change, Lise Kingo, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, emphasized: “The climate movement is unstoppable. More and more companies are taking action, and seeing new opportunities for growth and innovation. That is why we will increasingly focus our efforts on supporting private sector climate action at the country level”.

In support of the UN Global Compact’s new solutions platform, Pathway to Low-Carbon & Resilient Development to mobilize the private sector to catalyze country-level action. Helle Bank Jorgensen, the President of the Global Compact Network Canada (GCNC), stated that, the GCNC will work closely with Canadian business, to ensure that low carbon and resilient development becomes a reality for the Canadian private sector. The Global Compact Network Canada lauds the Canadian government’s clear commitments to advance climate action and promoting collaborative approaches to addressing climate change, including investing towards a low carbon future and increasing transparency and accountability. Jorgensen added that “the GCNC is also committed to working with the Canadian government, both at the Federal and Provincial levels in finalizing a Pan-Canadian plan, that seeks to cut emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

In 2017, the Global Compact Network Canada plans to continue its efforts to bring businesses and key stakeholders together to share expertise, best practices and lessons learned in climate action so that we can highlight and scale to impact innovative solutions that have the potential to bring transformative change both at home and globally.