Top UN officials launched a fresh global campaign to tackle the climate emergency on Tuesday, with social media influencers, Indigenous leaders and corporate giants showing what they’ve done and what’s to come.
The Climate Promise 2025 aims to accelerate efforts from local to international levels to take more ambitious steps to ensure the global temperature does not heat up beyond the 1.5° limit, a goal set with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the initiative, driven by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), recognises an important truth in the climate battle: “it is not all doom and gloom”.
“Many countries have the will to take more ambitious steps on climate action, but the world needs to mobilise to ensure there is a way,” he said at the Below 1.5 by 2025: The Plan launch event.
Hosted by actor Ato Essandoh, the event featured conversations and pledges for action interspersed with videos aired from around the world, echoing a chorus of calls for world leaders to join and keep the promise.
Business leaders shared their experiences in aligning production practices with the Paris Agreement.
A representative from Lavazza in Italy described how UNDP-facilitated efforts are working towards such achievements as deforestation-free coffee in Ecuador alongside other innovations to come.
In addition, Indigenous groups from around the world shared their own initiatives, from climate-friendly coffee cultivation to raising awareness about mitigation and how to preserve and share traditional knowledge.