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Press release

Climate Ambition Summit: New year's resolutions needed for absent leaders


Reacting to today's Climate Ambition Summit, Dr Kat Kramer, Christian Aid's climate lead, said:

“It’s good to see world leaders announcing revised national climate plans as part of the Paris Agreement. As we mark the 5th anniversary of the accord it’s significant to see that, despite Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine it, there remains so many other heads of state that want to step up and take action to address the climate crisis.  In the same way that the Paris Agreement has proved resilient, this weekend’s summit has shown it is also dynamic. The pledges made in Paris in 2015 were a welcome first step but only put us on track to a world of 3C. What made the Paris Agreement fit for purpose was the requirement for countries to strengthen these pledges at least every five years and it’s good to see so many doing just that. 
 
“However although we saw more than 70 world leaders making new commitments that still leaves many more that are yet to do so.  It’s shameful that major fossil fuel-producing countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and Australia have so far failed to come forward with new pledges and risk catastrophe for themselves and vulnerable communities around the world.  With countries both rich and poor committing to new climate plans these rich polluters have no excuse to continue to bury their heads in the sand.  Their new year’s resolution should be to rectify this as soon as possible in 2021.”
 
She added that ahead of the COP26 summit next year richer countries needed to deliver on their previous climate finance commitments.  “The UK government along with other rich countries have promised to deliver $100bn of climate finance annually by 2020 to help climate vulnerable countries. This promise remains unfulfilled. The UK government must use its leadership to mobilise resources, starting by stepping up its own climate finance commitments.”