The Climate Ambition Summit was co-hosted by the UN, the UK and France, in partnership with Chile and Italy, on 12 December 2020, on the fifth anniversary of the landmark Paris Agreement.

The Summit marked an important milestone to drive forward collective action on the road to COP26, as adaptation and resilience moved to centre stage. The event showcased that, despite the shared challenges derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change is at the top of the global agenda and that climate action and ambition are on the rise.  

In the framework of the Summit leaders from 75 countries, businesses, sectors, cities, and regions brought forward new pledges to set the world on track to deliver global net-zero emissions and limit global temperature rise to 1.5 C°. The announcements made by participants so far and the ones expected to be made early next year showcase that around 65% of global CO2 emissions, and around 70% of the world’s economy, will have committed to reaching net-zero emissions or carbon neutrality by early 2021.

In addition, leaders showcased increased ambition to put the planet firmly on a greener, more resilient, and sustainable path and 20 countries indicated new or forthcoming commitments to protect people and nature from climate impacts. Countries, such as Ethiopia, said they were taking a whole- of-economy approach that protects people and nature, while Suriname said it is stepping up its implementation of its National Adaptation Plan. Developed countries, including the UK, Portugal, and Spain, announced they were stepping up their adaptation efforts.

Finally, the Summit highlighted the need for more integrated solutions to tackle both the climate and biodiversity crises, such as an increment in the use of nature-based solutions to combat climate change and speed up progress right across the Sustainable Development Goals.

Further information

Read the outcomes of the Summit here.

On-demand videos are available through this link.

Find out about the launch of the RegionsAdapt Brief Report 2020 on 12 December. Press release is availabe here.

Regions4 also celebrates the launch of the Race to Resilience Campaign.