On November 9, 2016 on the margins of COP22, Galvanizing the Groundswell of Climate Actions, with WWF, The Stanley Foundation, and WRI, convened a consultation on ways forward for Global Climate Action (GCA). The session provided an informal forum for participants to share thoughts and discuss priorities for GCA and its emerging architecture in light of the High-Level Champions’ reflection note.
The session opened with a reflection on the results of the US election. Participants emphasised that a Trump presidency only increases the urgency and the importance of galvanizing bottom-up climate action. The Champions’ reflection note reflects this importance and the continued acceleration of GCA, underscoring that climate action can and must move even faster.
Participants welcomed the Champions’ reflections, and underscored the urgency of bringing coherence to GCA here at COP22 so that implementation can rocket ahead in 2017. To fully unleash GCA, participants agreed that it must become a continuous process. GCA should not be an event held during COP, but something that occurs from November 20 right until COP23 and beyond with additional on-going events while also connecting with other key flashpoints such as intersessionals, and in 2018 the Facilitative Dialogue and Non-State Actor Summit.
It was agreed that GCA needs to expand in a number of ways. It needs to broaden geographically, through prioritising action in Global South and fostering links with regional platforms. It also needs to promote a wider range of actions, particularly by addressing the lack of focus to date on adaptation. Furthermore, participants emphasised the need to extend the horizons of GCA to consider long-term transition pathways, emphasizing actions with the scale and innovation to achieve carbon neutrality by the second half of this century.
