When it began ten years ago, World Climate Summit aimed to become the first platform for bottom-up climate action alongside the COP negotiations.
From Cancun to Durban, Doha to Warsaw, Lima to Paris, Marrakesh to Bonn, and Katowice to Madrid, World Climate Summit has brought together public and private sector leaders from across the world to collaborate on setting ambitious climate commitments and realise those goals through innovation, investment, and partnership.
This year’s 10th Anniversary Summit in Madrid attracted over 1,000 Delegates, 80 Speakers, and 50 Partners, participating in fruitful discussions on what needs to happen to make the next ten years a Decade to Deliver on Climate Action.
- This year the clarity of climate goals increased along with the ambition, as evidenced by announcements from representatives from across business, finance, and government.
- For key areas were identified as crucial for emissions reductions: improving energy efficiency worldwide, electrifying power demand and decarbonising the grid, conserving and regenerating forests, and addressing non-carbon emissions.
- Multiple sessions evidenced that as the cost of clean technologies decreases, the economic fundamentals are moving in the right direction, albeit not fast enough.
- Contributions from all sectors are necessary yet none are sufficient on their own. There is strong demand for collaboration: within sectors, across sectors, and across communities.
- Many sessions underlined the importance of engaging affected communities earlier: from involving youth and partnering internationally, to inviting citizens to participate in Smart City decision-making.
- Finally, calls were made to fully integrate Paris Agreement objectives into organizational strategy—from overarching purpose to measuring performance—with year by year targets to keep results on track.
World Climate Ltd is committed to providing another 10 years of World Climate Summit – The Investment COP and contributing to the Decade to Deliver on Climate Action.
Thank you to all of this year’s Partners, Speakers, and Delegates for contributing to an action-oriented discussion. We look forward to continued collaborations in 2020 and beyond.
