scholarly journals Youth Activists Call for Urgent Climate Action

Eos ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Showstack
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Climate Action

Greta Thunberg and other youth climate activists came to Washington, D.C., days before a major United Nations conference to draw attention to the need for immediate action to address climate change.

cop 25: Losing Sight of (Raising) Ambition

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-160
Author(s):  
Charlotte Streck ◽  
Moritz von Unger ◽  
Sandra Greiner
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Carbon Markets ◽  
Market Mechanisms ◽  
Political Bargaining ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Zero Carbon ◽  
Carbon Economy

The 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (cop-25) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (unfccc) became the longest cop on record – but yielded few results. It appears that four years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, enthusiasm has waned and political bargaining and bean-counting have taken over. Countries, for even the slightest chance to keep temperatures ‘well below’ 2 degrees Celsius, must do much more than they have previously committed to and accelerate the shift towards a zero-carbon economy. However, the conference largely failed to heed the rallying cry of the Chilean presidency. The flagship decisions (grouped under the banner “Chile-Madrid Time for Action”) neither produced new commitments – enhancing ambition or finance for developing countries – nor new rules that would nudge countries closer to the climate action targets needed. The leftover pieces from last year’s negotiations of the “Paris Rulebook” were also not resolved, in particular the unfinished decisions on Article 6 on market- and non-market mechanisms. The procrastination shows that the new architecture of the Paris Agreement, while addressing several of the shortcomings of the Kyoto Protocol, suffers from its own weaknesses. The meager results of Madrid give reason to pause and reflect on the conditions that may hold countries back from fully embracing the Paris Agreement, but also to consider the future and nature of carbon markets and what is making the issue so difficult to resolve.

scholarly journals The Evolution of the UNFCCC

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 343-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Kuyper ◽  
Heike Schroeder ◽  
Björn-Ola Linnér
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Industrial Country ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Voluntary Contributions ◽  
Top Down ◽  
United Nations Framework Convention ◽  
Climate Action

This article takes stock of the evolution of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) through the prism of three recent shifts: the move away from targeting industrial country emissions in a legally binding manner under the Kyoto Protocol to mandating voluntary contributions from all countries under the Paris Agreement; the shift from the top-down Kyoto architecture to the hybrid Paris outcome; and the broadening out from a mitigation focus under Kyoto to a triple goal comprising mitigation, adaptation, and finance under Paris. This review discusses the implications of these processes for the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of the UNFCCC's institutional and operational settings for meeting the convention's objectives. It ends by sketching three potential scenarios facing the UNFCCC as it seeks to coordinate the Paris Agreement and its relationship to the wider landscape of global climate action.

scholarly journals UN Report: 2019 Was Likely the Second-Warmest Year in Recorded History

Eos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Showstack
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United Nations ◽  
World Meteorological Organization ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
The World ◽  
Organization Analysis

In response to the World Meteorological Organization analysis, United Nations head Ant�nio Guterres called 2020 a pivotal year to address climate change.

ACHIEVING UN-SDG 13 IN NIGERIA: ROLES OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-288
Author(s):  
Auwal F. Abdussalam ◽  
Abba A. Abukur
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Religious Leaders ◽  
North Central ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Government ◽  
Strongly Agree ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Descriptive Survey

Religious leaders have major roles to play in enabling the world's societies to take necessary actions to address climate change causes, impacts, and related issues effectively and ethically. This study investigates the roles they can play in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action) in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, it involved 300 participants; 150 religious leaders each from the Muslim and Christian communities in the three geopolitical zones of northern Nigeria (northwest, northeast and north-central). A structured questionnaire was used in collecting information from these leaders. Simple descriptive and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistics were used in analyzing the obtained data. Findings reveal that religious leaders (Muslims and Christians) do not differ in their perception about the causes of climate change in Nigeria (F = 2.37, p = <0.05); and as well do not differ in their perception of its impact (F = 1.54, p = <0.01). Although almost all (94%) of the religious leaders involved in this study strongly agree that they have an important role to play in achieving the UN-SDG 13 target, they however varied in agreeing to pressure the government on exploring an all-inclusive solution (F = 19.56, p = >0.05). The study also reveals that 21% of the respondents have already started some work in addressing climate change, 75% show strong interest in commencing activities in the areas of awareness, formulating community-based adaptation strategies, and engaging policymakers

The Church Climate Action: Identifying the Barriers and the Bridges

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-241
Author(s):  
George C Nche
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Strategic Communication ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Church Climate ◽  
The Church

For many decades, efforts are being channelled towards fostering effective robust church-based climate action across the globe. However, this desired action has unfortunately been in short supply. This has been attributed to some factors that serve as barriers to effective church-based climate action. In an extensive review, this article did not only identify these barriers but also the bridges or pathways out of these barriers/challenges. After a critical review of about 150 empirical studies with a few anecdotal literature, findings showed that beyond the theological barriers that are commonly referenced in many studies, the church also faces institutional barriers in their bid to address climate change. The biblical concept of stewardship, climate change awareness/knowledge creation, strategic communication and engagement, and strategic fundraising and mobilisation were found to be the bridges/pathways towards achieving a robust church-based climate action. Implications of findings for the church and research are discussed.

President's Page: Advancing sustainability in SEG

2022 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-7
Author(s):  
Maria Angela Capello
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Brundtland Commission ◽  
Framework Development

In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In this framework, development is conceived as an integrated approach to elevate the quality of life by raising economic progress with environmental protection considerations. This vision evolved into the formulation in 2015 of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to mitigate the hazards of climate change and to contribute to the development of society in every aspect, establishing targets to be attained by 2030. As an example, SDG 13: Climate Action calls for initiatives to moderate climate change within development frameworks. SDG 14: Life Below Water and SDG 15: Life on Land also call for more sustainable practices in using the earth's natural resources. The world is not making progress against the SDGs fast enough to achieve all the goals within the established timeline, yet with international agreements and specific actions, the success rate is growing incrementally.

scholarly journals A TRANSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF GRETA THUNBERG’S 2019 CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT SPEECH

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-198
Author(s):  
Ardelia Karisa ◽  
Stefanny Lauwren
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Systemic Functional Grammar ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
The Government ◽  
The One ◽  
Climate Crisis

Climate change has been one of the most significant concerns for the United Nations. As a result, the United Nations held a summit in 2019, inviting several notable speakers in the field. One of them is a young teenager from Swedish, Greta Thunberg. Greta Thunberg is a prominent climate activist who delivered a speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019, which is about how people and the government need to limit global warming. Her address became viral and garnered attention from many media, and roused a massive youth-led climate rally. Thus, this study analyzed her speech as the object of the study and employed a descriptive qualitative method. The study scrutinized 54 clauses through transitivity analysis from Hallidayan Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) to understand the processes in the address and its function. This current study has revealed that the speaker’s dominantly used material process (37%) to describe the damage to the environment done by people. The use of relational process (31.5%) describes climate change's effects on the world and her life. The mental process used in 16.7% of the data provokes guilt and responsibility, as she pointed the audience as the actors that cause climate change. The behavioural process (7.4%) shows that Thunberg will not stay quiet on climate crisis when her generation is the one who will suffer from it. Existential process (3.7%) is used to describe the existing problems, while verbal process (3.7%) is used in quoting the high-profile politician to prove that none of their promises have been fulfilled.

scholarly journals Applying a leverage points framework to the United Nations climate negotiations: The (dis)empowerment of youth participants

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leehi Yona ◽  
Marc D. Dixon ◽  
Richard B. Howarth ◽  
Anne R. Kapuscinski ◽  
Ross A. Virginia
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Leverage Points ◽  
Climate Negotiations ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Face ◽  
The United Nations

Young people are both among the generations to be most affected by climate change and critical advocates for climate action. In the face of growing urgency surrounding the climate crisis, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has become an important institutional framework for political progress. We developed a community-based participatory action research project centered on youth involved in the COP climate negotiations. A “leverage points” approach guided our research; this paper is the first time the framework has been applied in an international negotiations context. Our findings point to the structural power, networks, and paradigms that youth might engage with for international climate justice work. We identify actionable leverage points through which youth organizers might increase their social power in the COP process to bring about climate action. Many of these leverage points are rooted in dynamics of power, which we expand upon and connect to broader literature. Moving forward, these findings can benefit and inform the strategies of youth as they participate in the COP process.

scholarly journals From Silos to Synergies: G20 Governance of the SDGs, Climate Change & Digitalization

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-54
Author(s):  
John Kirton ◽  
◽  
Brittaney Warren ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Digital Revolution ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Development Goals

How well and why have Group of 20 (G20) summits advanced Agenda 2030’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) in a synergistic way, with climate change and digitization at the core? An answer to this urgent, indeed existential, question comes from a systematic analysis of G20 summit governance of the SDGs, climate change and digitization to assess the ambition and appropriateness of advances within each pillar and the synergistic links among them. This analysis examines G20 governance of the SDGs, sustainable development, climate change and digitization across the major dimensions of performance and evaluates how performance has changed and become synergistic with the advent of the SDGs in 2015 and the shock of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. The latter has shown the need to prevent global ecological crises and spurred the digitization of the economy, society and health. Yet, G20 summit governance has largely remained in separate silos, doing little to use the digital revolution to address climate change or reach the SDGs. This highlights the need for G20 leaders to forge links at their future summits by mainstreaming the SDGs and mobilizing the digital revolution and climate action for future health and well-being.

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