The high-profile Ministerial on Climate Action (MoCA), taking place on 20-21 June in Brussels and co-convened by the EU, China and Canada is one of the most important moments for global climate diplomacy this year. The three hosts, together with ministers representing more than 30 other major powers, are expected to advance discussions towards a successful outcome of the next climate summit COP24 in December 2018 in Poland.
Audio recording of the press briefing on the MoCA with speakers representing CAN Europe, CAN Canada and Greenpeace held on 20 June 2018 is available here
Setting expectations for the summit, Wendel Trio, Director of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said:
“Ministers attending the Ministerial on Climate Action need to seize a unique opportunity to show a united front on climate change and to build a good foundation for the successful outcome of the next climate summit COP24. We need them to join forces and make meaningful progress towards increasing climate pledges, adopting the Paris Agreement rules and delivering clarity on finance at COP24. The heat is on for the ministers to demonstrate political leadership by unblocking political differences and following through on the commitments at home.”
Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, Climate Action Network Canada said:
“Climate action has become a lynchpin of multilateralism and international diplomacy. During the second Ministerial on Climate Action, a diversity of countries will come together to tell the rest of the world that they stand firm in their commitment to the success of the Paris Agreement and the decarbonization of the global economy. Along with sending the right political signals to technical experts working to land a strong outcome at COP24, Ministers must take this opportunity to build trust between countries and identify the action alliances that will be able to advance particularly complex pieces of the climate agenda, including finance and the Paris rulebook. Most importantly, this meeting must affirm the resilience of the international climate regime, even in the face of political change, and communicate countries’ intention to raise their ambition as required by the urgency of the climate crisis.”
Li Shuo, Climate Policy Advisor, Greenpeace China said:
“Born out of Trump’s rapid climate retreat, MOCA is designed to counter political backlash and maintain global climate momentum. The burden of proof is on the ministers meeting in Brussels to show climate leadership. They must use their presence to bridge political differences and signal the need for a strong COP24 package. A commitment to complete a high quality rulebook and assurances to fulfill previously made finance commitment are critical outcomes that must emerge from this meeting. Countries should also start their domestic process now to raise their national climate ambitions so that they are in line with the Paris Agreement by 2020.”
ENDS
Contacts:
Ania Drazkiewicz, Head of Communications, CAN Europe, ania@caneurope.org, 00 32 494 52 57 38
Notes:
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change. With over 150 member organisations from 35 European countries, representing over 1.700 NGOs and more than 40 million citizens, CAN Europe promotes sustainable climate, energy and development policies throughout Europe.
