*[Enwl-eng] Here is the latest news from the Climate High-Level Champions!
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Fri Jul 25 16:38:39 MSK 2025
UN Climate Change – Global Climate Action
25 July 2025
Climate High-Level Champions'
Newsletter
View as webpage
New Work Programme Drives Stronger, More
Coordinated Climate Action
The Climate High-Level Champions and the
Marrakech Partnership have launched their 2025 work programme focused on
aligning the climate action already underway across the systems we all rely
on. This programme forms the operational backbone of the newly launched
Brazilian COP 30 Action Agenda that brings existing efforts into sharper
focus around 30 shared objectives (grouped into six core ‘axes’) aligned
with the first Global Stocktake - the UN’s official ‘report card’ on climate
progress.
Each objective is supported by Activation
Groups, made up of initiatives already working in that space. These groups
are responsible for identifying barriers; coordinating delivery efforts;
sharing practical solutions; and reporting progress. To ensure local
breakthroughs become global solutions, each Activation Group will contribute
to a “Granary of Solutions” — a collection of proven approaches that others
can adopt or adapt.
Organisations and initiatives currently
contributing to the shared objectives are encouraged to register through the
UNFCCC Global Climate Action Portal and explore opportunities to participate
in relevant Activation Groups. Progress will be shared throughout the year
and reviewed at COP 30 in Belém, supporting a more coherent, accountable and
durable approach to climate action.
The work programme not only guides delivery in
the leadup to COP 30, it also serves as a springboard for a broader
consultative process that was launched on 17 July to help guide the next
five years of the Global Climate Action Agenda. Parties to the UNFCCC and
non-State actors are encouraged to submit their views by 18 August. More
information including a set of guiding questions is available on the UNFCCC
website and in the Champions’ letter from 17 July 2025.
Climate Week 2: Strengthening Regional Action
and Global Impact
The second Climate Week of the year (CW2) will
take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 1 to 6 September. It will focus on
strengthening regional and global cooperation on climate action, with a
spotlight on local priorities and practical solutions.
Implementation Forum – 3–4 September:
A key feature of CW2 is the Implementation
Forum, held on 3–4 September. This two-day event will include a range of
activities, including:
a.. High-level sessions hosted by the COP 30
Presidency.
b.. Thematic Implementation Labs focused on
forests, agriculture, sustainable cities, energy transition and access, and
carbon markets.
c.. Roundtables for businesses and
subnationals.
d.. Sessions on climate finance and other
topics.
All registered CW2 participants are welcome to
attend the Implementation Forum, subject to venue capacity. Please note that
participation is in-person only; virtual attendance will not be available.
To express your interest in participating in
the Implementation Forum, click here. For more information and the full
programme, visit the Implementation Forum event page.
The 2025 Climate Weeks, scheduled for 2025
convened by the UN Climate Change secretariat, are strategically aligned
with the intergovernmental processes under the UNFCCC and the Paris
Agreement. These gatherings serve as critical platforms for translating
global climate commitments into concrete, on-the-ground action.
An overview of the sessions and a detailed
preliminary programme are available on the UNFCCC website.
A Critical Season for Climate Solutions
Across the world, recent climate meetings are
setting the stage for a critical year ahead. Amid record heat and rising
urgency, policymakers, businesses, and civil society are converging to pivot
from pledges to action.
With just four months until COP 30, the latest
climate meetings are setting the tone for a decisive second half of the
year. This edition covers key areas of renewed climate momentum, including
finance, standards-setting, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and
regenerative agriculture.
In the past few weeks, climate leaders
gathered at the UN Bonn sessions and London Climate Action Week to urge
faster action to close the widening gap between climate commitments and
implementation.
Climate High-Level Champions Dan Ioschpe and
Nigar Arpadarai at London Climate Action Week’s Derisking Summit.
The incoming COP Presidency also unveiled a
unified Global Climate Action Agenda, reaffirming its commitment to
implementing the outcome of the first Global Stocktake - the first
comprehensive review of progress under the Paris Agreement. Echoing this
call for delivery, the Climate High-Level Champions, Nigar Arpadarai and Dan
Ioschpe, underscored that promises must now translate into practice.
“What we need now is pace with purpose,
urgency with alignment and the capacity to reach the finish line together
and in time,” said Nigar Arpadarai and Dan Ioschpe, COP 29 and COP 30
Climate High-Level Champions.
Adaptation and Resilience is at the center of
the COP 30 Action Agenda
Governments and non-State actors are
increasingly recognising that accelerating climate adaptation offers not
only protection - but also significant benefits for people, nature and the
economy - beyond the goal of cutting emissions. A new Climate Champions
publication, ‘Recognising Enabling Conditions for Adaptation and Resilience,’
sets out a path to scaling adaptation, drawing on lessons from the Race to
Resilience campaign and the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda.
The report identifies five enablers of
resilience: Knowledge and Capacity Building; Finance; Markets; and
Governance; as well as two crosscutting enablers: Partnerships and
Collaboration; and Equity and Inclusive Participation. Drawing on the Sharm
El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, which sets measurable sectoral targets to close
the USD 366 billion adaptation finance gap by 2030. It highlights solutions,
such as early warning systems, mangrove restoration, and community-led water
security programmes that often lack consistent policy and funding. Private
sector engagement on adaptation and resilience is gaining real momentum,
with COP 30 set to highlight the urgent need to scale business-led action
and finance. While more companies now recognize the material risks posed by
climate change, many still struggle to move from awareness to concrete
investment.
Encouragingly, momentum is building to
integrate risk reduction into core business strategy—supported by tools like
the WBCSD–Sharm Adaptation Agenda report, which provides a practical
framework for corporate adaptation planning. This was reflected during a
London Climate Action Week roundtable, hosted by Dan Ioschpe with over 20
business leaders, where participants identified clear opportunities to
accelerate private sector adaptation, surfacing readiness to address
barriers to investment, including data gaps, limited incentives, and
inadequate finance tools.
The first ever London Climate Resilience
Summit, also held during the week, gathered Heads of State, senior
Ministers, finance and business leaders, and civil society to explore how to
supercharge effective finance for climate resilience. Sheela Patel, Global
Ambassador to the Champions and COP 30 President-Designate Ambassador André
Aranha Corrêa do Lago emphasised the critical need to mobilise finance for
climate resilience that reaches those on the frontlines, especially
communities in informal settlements.
Small and Medium Enterprises: the missing
driver
The Champions are spotlighting small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 90% of employment and 40%
of GDP globally. SMEs have the potential to unlock a USD 789 billion green
finance market, but almost half cite access to capital as their top barrier.
Launched at London Climate Action Week, the new SME Finance Sprint has been
designed to mobilise banks, lenders, and corporates to close the finance gap
in emerging economies. It also calls on large companies to green their
supply chains by investing in SME innovation.
Find out more about London Climate Action Week
here.
Inside the Revised SBTi Corporate Net-Zero
Standard with CEO David Kennedy
As companies face increasing pressure to
deliver on climate commitments, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
is in the process of finalizing a revised Corporate Net-Zero Standard,
shifting the focus from target setting to implementation.
The SBTi, the world’s most widely used
framework for validating corporate climate targets, was established to help
companies align their decarbonisation plans with the goals of the Paris
Agreement. For thousands of companies worldwide, having an SBTi-validated
target signals to investors, customers, and regulators that their plans to
cut emissions are not just promises, but measurable commitments grounded in
science.
The SBTi’s CEO, David Kennedy, provides an
exclusive insight into the growth of SBTi-validated targets, as well as how
Version 2 of the Standard - which is expected to be ready for use by early
2026 - will tackle challenges like how and when to use carbon credits, as
well as consistent, transparent emissions accounting.
This interview has been edited for length and
clarity.
What trends are you seeing in terms of
corporate net zero target-setting?
“We’re seeing sustained growth in the quantity
of net zero targets. Over 11,000 companies now either have validated targets
or commitments to set them with the SBTi. In 2024, the number of companies
with validated net zero companies more than doubled, and in just the first
five months of this year, we’re already 30% ahead of where we were at the
same point in 2024.
We continue to see strong demand from the
U.S., UK, and Europe, but also growing engagement in Asia. More companies
are recognizing the need to prepare for a carbon-constrained future and the
benefits of getting ahead of that challenge.
On the quality of commitments, more and more
companies are coming to us with a solid understanding of their carbon
footprint, which is the foundation for setting credible, science-based
targets. Our Corporate Net-Zero Standard requires companies to align their
decarbonisation pathways with limiting warming to 1.5°C. For example, that
means committing to cut absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by
at least 42% by 2030, relative to a 2020 baseline.
The Corporate Net-Zero Standard is now
entering a second phase. What prompted this revision?
The first version of the Corporate Net-Zero
Standard was designed for the first phase of the net zero transition. It
took a climate objective and translated it into a global pathway to curtail
emissions, and secured commitments and then targets to deliver emissions
cuts.
Now, the broader climate action ecosystem is
in the implementation phase. That’s reflected in the second version of the
Standard, which has already been shaped by extensive consultation and active
engagement from a wide range of organizations and businesses, and is now
entering pilot testing.
What are the most important changes companies
need to know about?
Key changes currently proposed in the draft
version of the Standard include splitting Scope 1 and Scope 2, recognising
the distinct challenges they pose. We’re also proposing an action-based
approach to Scope 2, where companies set targets to reduce location-based
emissions, and either reduce market-based emissions or set a zero-carbon
electricity target, which means committing zero-carbon electricity by 2040
at the latest by investing directly in renewable generation, entering power
purchase agreements, or procuring certified green power.
There’s also a stronger link to transition
planning, as companies increasingly publish and execute detailed plans for
how they will deliver their targets. For Scope 3, the draft’s focus is on
companies driving net zero alignment in their supply chains, especially with
key suppliers.
We’ve also set out options for consideration
around using high-integrity carbon credits, but with a clear message: these
can never be a substitute for reducing your own emissions. Carbon dioxide
removals (CDR) can be a useful complement to emissions reductions, but it’s
vital that this does not dilute efforts to reduce emissions profiles.
How is SBTi addressing concerns about
over-reliance on carbon removals?
I want to be clear: some decarbonisation
frameworks allow companies to trade off emission reductions with buying more
credits. That is not the SBTi’s approach. Reducing your own emissions
remains non-negotiable. That’s true of version one of the Standard and will
remain true in version two.
However, to meet global climate goals, we also
need to scale up large-scale removals - 10 gigatons annually over time - in
addition to all of the stretch ambition to slash carbon footprints. So there
is a role for high-integrity removals within a science-based approach, as a
complementary measure. In our consultation, we presented options for
recognising these levels of removals, and we’re now reviewing feedback and
undertaking pilot testing before deciding how best to move forward.
Do we need to separate targets for emissions
reductions and for removals, to help clarify the role each plays in company
net zero pathways?
Yes. In the consultation, we made it clear
that companies must have targets to reduce their own emissions, with no
trade-offs. We also acknowledged that high-integrity removals could have a
complementary role, but exactly how we recognise that is still under
consideration. We’ll share more in the next draft of the Standard.
How would you describe corporate attitudes to
the climate challenge?
The corporate net zero transition isn’t about
companies doing the right thing for the sake of it. Ultimately, it’s about
the business case.
Despite the weakening of top-level climate
leadership in certain key markets the international climate agreement has
sustained momentum and still covers more than three quarters of global
emissions. National and regional policies, incentives and regulations are
also already in place - and only getting stronger.
All of this points in one direction: we are
going to be living in a carbon-constrained world. And smart companies across
every geography and sector - aviation, shipping, banking, retail, energy,
infrastructure - need to be and are planning for it. They understand that
they’re already facing transition risk. If they don’t act, they will simply
not remain competitive. The SBTi is playing a central role in helping
businesses translate transition risk into concrete action that will protect
their competitiveness now and in the years ahead.”
SBTi is one of 26 Partners in the Race to
Zero, which along with 33 Accelerators, collectively unite more than 16,200
members – the world’s largest alliance working to halve global emissions by
2030 in line with the Paris Agreement, with transparent action plans and
near-term targets.
This is an excerpt of the full article which
is available here.
Innovators Gather in Riyadh to Transform
Water-Scarce Farming
Goumbook, partners and advisers of the MENA
Regional Regenerative Agriculture Summit. (Credit: Goumbook).
The MENA and Turkey (MENAT) region, with its
vast arid and semi-arid lands, has a long history of adapting to water
scarcity, drought, and soil degradation that threaten ecosystems and food
security. This heritage positions MENAT to lead in advancing
climate-resilient farming.
In May, the MENAT Regional Regenerative
Agriculture Summit took place in Riyadh, organized by UAE-based social
enterprise, Goumbook.
The Summit celebrated the top 20 solutions
from the MENAT Regenerative Agriculture Venture Building Programme, launched
in partnership with Saudi Awwal Bank, HSBC Bank Middle East, and supported
by the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Food and the
Climate Champions Team. The programme drew over 660 applications from
innovators across 65 countries, and three winning solutions, from companies
based in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UK, were selected for funding and
incubation support.
Race to Resilience update:
Two New Partners and One City join the Race to
Resilience
New partners are joining the Race to
Resilience, building fresh momentum to the campaign for climate resilience.
Among them is TECHO (pronounced teh-choh), a youth-led non-profit
organization working across 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
to create a just society through building resilient informal settlements. In
the US, Ecosphere Restoration Institute, based in Florida, has restored over
400 acres of critical habitats, and enhanced more than 3,200 acres through
public-private partnerships. In Taiwan province of China, the City of
Taoyuan - with a population of more than 2.2 million people - has joined
more than 90 cities in the Cities Race to Resilience. Taoyuan is committed
to strengthening resilience and improving the well-being of citizens by
integrating adaptation measures across buildings, digital infrastructure,
nature-based solutions, food systems and citizen engagement.
ORRAA Unveils AI-Driven Blue Finance Platform
Credit: Salesforce and ORRAA
In a bold step toward scaling climate
resilience and nature-based solutions for the ocean, Race to Resilience
partner, the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) unveiled the
‘Octopus Platform’ recently in Monaco, ahead of the UN Ocean Conference.
This first-of-its-kind digital tool uses
advanced AI-powered matching - developed in partnership with Salesforce’s
Agentforce - to connect regenerative and sustainable blue economy projects
with global investors. As part of ORRAA’s broader Sea Change Impact and
Financing Facility (SCIFF), the platform aims to mobilize over USD 1 billion
in private investment by 2030, prioritizing projects in developing
countries. Backed by AXA and a consortium of scientific and innovation
partners, the Octopus Platform is set to transform fragmented blue finance
into a coordinated and scalable system, unlocking critical funding for
community resilience and ocean-positive action.
Cooling Indonesia’s Heat-Trapped Homes
Homeowner Uang at Ciasem, Jawa Barat. Credit -
Build Change
Across Indonesia, poorly insulated and
ventilated homes routinely trap dangerous heat, particularly in low-income
neighborhoods where materials are often substandard. For many households,
especially those led by women - staying cool is essential for protecting
health, sustaining livelihoods and coping with an increasingly volatile
climate.
In response, Race to Resilience partner, Build
Change, a social innovator focused on resilient housing and a Race to
Resilience partner, is collaborating with KOMIDA, one of Indonesia’s largest
microfinance institutions, to help women living on less than USD 5 per day
make targeted improvements that reduce heat in their homes without incurring
unmanageable debt.
Supported by a USD 460,000 investment from the
Global Innovation Fund, the project is developing low-cost, adaptable
solutions tailored to informal or substandard housing. Alongside these
measures, KOMIDA is launching Incremental Climate Adaptation Loans -
purpose-built financing designed specifically to help low-income borrowers
fund climate-related home upgrades rather than relying on generic credit.
Find more about this solution story here
Race to Zero Update:
Race to Zero Progress Report: Momentum Grows,
Regulation Needed
The Race to Zero campaign has mobilized more
than 15,700 members across 150 countries, making it the world’s largest
coalition of non-state actors committed to halving global emissions by 2030.
Momentum is building across every region and
sector, for example:
a.. Asia-Pacific includes more than 2,000
members - including from major economies like India, China, Japan, and the
UAE.
b.. Six of the eight newest Race to Zero
Accelerators that help onboard members are from developing countries,
ensuring the transition is inclusive and regionally grounded.
c.. In countries such as India, Mexico, and
Australia, subnational actors are setting net zero targets ahead of their
national governments. Last year alone, they invested USD 140 billion in
climate action projects.
According to the Climate High-Level Champions:
“As Race to Zero enters its next phase, its
focus will deepen: even more effort will be made to strengthen collaboration
and implementation and help members move from commitment to credible
delivery. The campaign will continue to offer a platform for those driving
progress and advocating for ambitious climate policy to turn momentum into
lasting, measurable change.”
Read the progress report here.
Join Our WhatsApp Broadcast Channel
The Champions have set up a WhatsApp Broadcast
channel where they’ll be sharing our latest content and news. If you work
with stakeholders, partners, or contacts who care about getting their
stories out there, please share the link with them.
In case you missed it
a.. UN Climate Change is calling for
registrations for Cooperative Climate Initiatives (CCIs) to join the NAZCA
portal (also known as GCAP). CCIs are voluntary efforts undertaken jointly
by multiple stakeholders, working together to support the goals of the Paris
Agreement. This is an opportunity for CCIs to enhance transparency, gain
visibility, connect with others, and amplify their impact. Review the
criteria and express your interest here.
b.. Open call for submissions –
UNFCCC-mandated event on Waste Sector Mitigation: The co-chairs of the
Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme (MWP) invite Parties
and non-State actors to submit inputs for the upcoming sixth global
dialogue, to be held on 5 September during UNFCCC Climate Week 2, in Addis
Ababa. This dialogue will focus on enabling mitigation solutions in the
waste sector, including through circular economy approaches. Submissions may
cover opportunities, best practices, actionable solutions, challenges, and
barriers relevant to the topic. Submissions are encouraged by 30 July but
will be accepted no later than 8 August. For details on how to submit,
please visit the MWP web page.
c.. Paris +10: Celebrating and Doubling Down
for the Next Decade: To mark ten years since the adoption of the Paris
Agreement, the governments of France and Brazil, together with the UN
Climate Change secretariat, have launched a special ‘Paris +10’
commemorative logo for public use. Organizers of climate-related events in
the lead-up to or during COP 30 are invited to apply to use the logo,
provided their event meets the eligibility criteria outlined here.
d.. In a speech delivered on 22 July, the UN
Secretary-General shared a hopeful story amid the ongoing climate
devastation and turmoil: the rise of a new energy era. He presented a
compelling and evidence-backed case for why a just transition away from
fossil fuels to renewable energy is inevitable – and outlined the
far-reaching benefits it will bring for people and economies. Read the
special technical report here.
e.. The latest cost analysis from the
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows that renewables
continued to represent the most cost-competitive source of new electricity
generation in 2024. Read the full report here.
Mark Your Calendar
a.. UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktaking
Moment, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 28 - 30 July.
b.. ASEAN Urban Sustainability Week, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, 10 - 15 August.
c.. Rio Climate Action Week, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, 23 - 29 August.
d.. World Water Week 2025, Stockholm,
Sweden, 24 - 28 August.
e.. UNFCCC Climate Week 2 in Addis Ababa,
1 - 6 September, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
f.. New York Climate Week, New York City,
USA, 21 - 28 September.
g.. World Biodiversity Conference, London,
UK, 25 September.
h.. Bangkok Climate Action Week, Bangkok,
Thailand, 28 September - 4 October.
i.. Baku Climate Action Week, Baku,
Azerbaijan, 29 September - 3 October.
j.. UN Forum of Mayors, Geneva, Switzerland,
6 - 7 October.
k.. International Union for Conservation of
Nature World Congress, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 9 - 15 October.
l.. Pre-COP, Brasilia, Brazil, 13-14
October.
m.. European Town Hall COP, Brussels,
Belgium, 15 October.
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From: Global Climate Action <globalclimateaction at unfccc.int>
Date: пт, 25 июл. 2025 г. в 15:24
Subject: Vladimir, here is the latest news from the Climate
High-Level Champions!
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