Speeding up action on climate change

This is part of a series of articles exploring the role the World Economic Forum has played in supporting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ahead of our Sustainable Development Impact Summit in New York. Goal 13 is action on climate change.

The Climate Project is using the World Economic Forum platform and network to spur greater action against climate change, and ensure that business, governments and civil society work together to meet existing commitments.

There is unprecedented international support to address climate change. International commitments are incorporated within the Sustainable Development Goals, while the 2015 Paris Agreement aimed to unite the world's nations in a single effort to tackle climate change. Two subsequent agreements seek to limit international carbon emissions from aviation and reduce HFCs – one of the more potent greenhouse gases.

Yet, delivering on these agreements will require unprecedented cooperation.

The challenge now is clear. How can companies, governments and civil society work together most effectively to meet these commitments?

The World Economic Forum Climate Project is using the Forum platform and global network to launch the multistakeholder action needed to achieve market-led, low-carbon and climate-resilient growth. This will accelerate progress towards the targets set by international climate agreements.

The Climate Project is supporting two critical networks taking climate action.

The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders is an informal network of leading CEOs committed to ensuring private sector support for climate work. The Forum helped establish and strengthen this alliance, which joined together to call for “bold” action from governments ahead of the Paris Agreement, and is now committed to helping implement the agreement.

The Friends of Climate Action is a multistakeholder platform that brings together public and private non-state organizations, providing informal coordination, collaboration and knowledge sharing to help deliver global climate action.