- This year’s UN General Assembly gathers world leaders in New York, with just 60 days until the next major UN climate summit, COP29 in Azerbaijan this November.
- With 2024 on track to be the hottest year ever, world leaders in New York City have a responsibility to show they are stepping up climate leadership and doubling down on multilateral approaches to global challenges. Despite political fractures and geopolitical divides, taking their eye off the ball on climate is not an option.
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Governments at this year’s UN General Assembly are just months away from crucial deadlines including:
- A new climate finance goal for developing countries – to be agreed upon at COP29. Governments in New York must meet the moment to resource and set up structures for greater impact on implementation, delivery and closing the financing gap. And fresh momentum behind the agenda to reform the international financial architecture is necessary, so it better delivers for climate action. Leaders should reinvest political capital behind reforming the multilateral development banks and provide early signals on replenishing the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), a key fund to support the poorest developing countries. Meanwhile, political champions must now step forward in support of ensuring an ambitious outcome for the finance negotiations on the ‘New Collective Quantified Goal’ (NCQG) in Baku.
- New national climate plans – to be submitted to the UN by every government by February 2025. UNGA is a chance for first movers to signal their commitment to lead on the climate transition by announcing 1.5oC-aligned Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). These country plans are vital for translating COP28’s historic agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, and address adaptation and resilience into action at a domestic level. This year’s Summit of the Future (22-23 September) will issue a Pact for the Future that can reinforce and build on this needed momentum.
- The 10-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement – at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, in November 2025. The Paris Agreement was one of, if not, the biggest success story of multilateralism in recent history. With geopolitical tensions putting more pressure than ever on multilateralism and the UN climate process, this year’s UNGA is a critical moment to coalesce with political resolve in demonstrating why climate action is a must have – not a nice to have – priority for governments around the world. Leaders must clearly articulate the geopolitical risk of climate failure – and the benefits of bold joined-up action.
Quotes
Cosima Cassel, Senior Policy Advisor, E3G said:
“UNGA is a pivotal moment to ramp up climate ambition before COP29. Bold climate commitments from leaders can help to break the deadlock in finance talks, strengthen trust with developing nations, and boost their ability to set an ambitious national climate action plan (NDC) ahead of COP30.”
Kaysie Brown, Associate Director, E3G said:
“Amid multiple global challenges, one crisis demands our undivided attention: climate change. By prioritising climate action now including at UNGA, leaders can demonstrate unequivocally that global cooperation works, seize green economy opportunities, and avoid devastating costs of inaction.”
Leo Roberts, Programme Lead, E3G said:
“Preventing runaway climate change unequivocally requires a rapid and managed transition from fossil fuels to clean power-led economies. UNGA represents a key moment for leaders to send a clear signal to the world – that they recognise the energy transition commitments they made at COP28, and that they’re now committed to making these a reality, both at home and overseas. These signals are absolutely essential to building the political momentum needed to ensure positive outcomes at COP29 and COP30.”
Rob Moore, Associate Director at E3G said:
“An international finance and development system that gets money flowing to emerging markets and developing economies on the front line of climate change is critical for ensuring climate safety and sustained growth. After much talk of progress in recent years there is a risk of political stagnation. UNGA provides a platform for progressive leaders to show that they have a plan to scale up and improve the international financial architecture, build bridges with the Global South and set the stage for agreeing a new global climate finance goal at COP29.”
– ENDS –
Available for comment
Alden Meyer (EN), E3G Senior Associate, (UNFCCC and G7/G20 dynamics, multilateral climate and clean energy diplomacy, mitigation ambition, climate finance, US policy and politics)
m: +1-202-378-8619 | alden.meyer@e3g.org
Kaysie Brown (EN), E3G Associate Director, (multilateral climate diplomacy, geopolitics, US foreign policy)
kaysie.brown@e3g.org
Ana Mulio Alvarez (EN, ES), E3G Researcher, (UNFCCC, loss and damage, adaptation)
m: +32 490 000 514 | ana.mulio@e3g.org
Clarence Edwards (EN), E3G Executive Director, Washington DC, (US energy transition, energy security)
clarence.edwards@e3g.org
Laura Sabogal Reyes (EN, ES, DE), E3G Senior Policy Advisor, (Public development banks, Paris Alignment and E3G Public Bank Climate Tracker Matrix, climate finance, nature finance, innovative financial mechanisms, country platforms)
m: +49 160 96466368 | laura.sabogal@e3g.org
Kate Levick (EN, FR, ES), Associate Director, and Co-Head of the Transition Plan Taskforce Secretariat, (Public and private sector finance, financial initiatives, climate disclosure, transition planning, financial regulation)
m: +44 (0) 7860 861225 | kate.levick@e3g.org
Travis Brubaker, E3G Senior Policy Advisor, (US Climate Foreign Policy)
m: +1(202)-870-4350 | travis.brubaker@e3g.org
Leo Roberts (EN), E3G Programme Lead, (JETPs, coal phase-out, power sector transitions particularly Global South)
m: +44 (0) 7908 664 334 | leo.roberts@e3g.org
Rob Moore (EN), E3G Associate Director, (MDBs/DFIs, financial architecture reform, climate finance geopolitics)
rob.moore@e3g.org
Ignacio Arroniz Velasco (EN, FR, ES), E3G Senior Policy Advisor, (EU climate diplomacy and foreign policy, trade & climate, climate & security nexus)
m: +34 (0) 689 768 246 | ignacio.arroniz@e3g.org
Cosima Cassel (EN, DE, ES), E3G Senior Policy Advisor, (UK and German Climate Foreign Policy, multilateral climate diplomacy)
m: +49 (0) 160 339 0883| cosima.cassel@e3g.org
Notes to Editors
- E3G is an independent climate change think tank with a global outlook. We work on the frontier of the climate landscape, tackling the barriers and advancing the solutions to a safe climate. Our goal is to translate climate politics, economics and policies into action. About – E3G
- For further enquiries email press@e3g.org or phone +44 (0)7783 787 863.
- Register for our journalist WhatsApp briefing service to receive updates and analysis for key geopolitical and climate events over 2024 and 2025 on the road to COP29 and COP30: E3G WhatsApp registration for journalists – E3G.
