Climate Leaders Pledge to Accelerate Climate Action

Asia-Pacific Climate Leaders Pledge to Accelerate Climate Action

Brisbane, June 4, 2019: As climate change continues to make headlines globally, an ambitious group of leaders from Asia-Pacific nations, states, regions, territories and cities gathered in Brisbane today and committed to ramping up efforts on climate action.

At the Asia-Pacific Climate Leadership Forum organized by The Climate Group, an international non-profit with the mission of accelerating climate action, an Asia-Pacific Climate Leaders’ Declaration was launched and nine governments pledged their support. In doing so, they committed to tackling key challenges such as protecting marine life, cutting emissions from the land sector and strengthening international cooperation and dialogue on climate action, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The endorsing governments also called on other state, regional, city and national governments in the Asia-Pacific region to join them in signing this declaration to help strengthen international efforts in tackling climate change.

Tim Ash Vie, Director of the Under2 Coalition of States and Regions, The Climate Group, said:

“As we enter this decade of climate action, we want to drive greater commitment from governments and businesses to deliver action at the scale and speed we need.

“Right now, international collaboration is vital in building momentum towards this goal. As we approach global climate events such as the UN Climate Action Summit in September, we have to see increased ambition from global governments.”

2019 is a particularly important year for climate action as national governments evaluate how to increase the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. In this context, the Asia-Pacific Climate Leadership Forum is particularly timely, giving these key players from across the region an international platform to showcase their action.

Leeanne Enoch, Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland Government, said:

“It is important that Queensland and other subnational governments have a forum to come together and speak about our collective desire to combat climate change. These conversations are happening all over the world, and our region should be part of them.

“In Queensland we know that climate change will deliver environmental challenges, including more extreme weather. However, it will also deliver us some great economic opportunities.

“I am pleased that the subnational governments here in Brisbane for Queensland’s first ever Climate Week and have taken the opportunity to engage in this important set of meetings.”

During the event, states, territories and regions, as well as the Pacific Island nations also discussed how they can collaborate to limit global warming, exchanging experiences and ideas, while showcasing their commitments.

The Asia-Pacific Climate Leadership Forum took place at the beginning of Climate Week QLD 2019, during which Al Gore will facilitate climate leadership training from 5 – 7 June 2019 in Brisbane, Queensland.

As the Secretariat to the Under2 Coalition of global states and regions committed to climate action, The Climate Group is proud of its long-standing relationship with the Asia-Pacific members of the Under2 Coalition. The Under2 Coalition is driven by a group of ambitious state and regional governments, who are committed to keeping global temperature rises to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts towards 1.5°C. It brings together more than 220 governments who represent over 1.3 billion people and 43% of the global economy.

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Asia-Pacific Climate Leadership Forum Attendees

• Australian Capital Territory, Australia

• Chhattisgarh, India

• City of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

• City of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

• City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

• Gujarat, India

• New South Wales, Australia

• North Kalimantan, Indonesia

• Northern Territory, Australia

• Papua New Guinea

• Queensland, Australia

• Independent State of Samoa

• South Australia, Australia

• Tasmania, Australia

• Torres Strait Island Regional Council, Australia

• Torres Strait Regional Authority, Australia

• Victoria, Australia

• West Papua, Indonesia

Asia-Pacific Climate Leaders’ Declaration Signatories

• Chhattisgarh, India

• City of Melbourne, Australia

• City of Sydney, Australia