The UN Special Summit on Climate Action on 23 September in New York is an opportunity for all governments to respond to young people's call for increased action to address the climate emergency. They must commit themselves to “improving their inadequate climate objectives by 2030”, stressed the NGO CAN (Climate Action Network) Europe, on Monday 16 September.
Encouraged by the growing number of European governments in favour of raising the EU's 2030 target, the NGO relies on the EU to engage the other parties.
According to CAN Europe, it is essential for the success of the summit that all EU leaders clearly state their commitment to significantly increase the EU's climate target for 2030, bringing it to a 65% reduction in emissions compared to 1990, in line with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target as an average global rise in temperature.
“The process is expected to be finalised in the first quarter of 2020, which would provide the necessary momentum for other countries to follow suit”, says the NGO in a statement.
The European Parliament, the President-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, and a growing number of EU Member States, including the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia and the Nordic countries, have recently called for the target to be raised to 55%, the NGO recalls.
CAN Europe also considers it essential that European governments promise to “at least double their contributions to the Green Climate Fund” to help developing countries meet and raise their targets.
From 20 to 27 September, millions of young people will take to the streets to sound the climate alarm. On Friday 20 September, a global climate strike will be launched. “Now it is time for governments to listen to the people on the streets and step up”, says Wendel Trio, Director of CAN Europe. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)