National action is key to accelerating international progress on climate change

A statement by members of the Global Legislators’ Organisation (GLOBE) and other UK officials arguing that national and sub-national climate legislation is progressing faster than international negotiations and is essential for creating the political conditions necessary for a comprehensive global agreement in 2015.

• International climate negotiations under the UNFCCC are progressing too slowly to match the urgency of the crisis, as evidenced by the difficulties at the Doha conference regarding the second period of the Kyoto Protocol.
• Domestic climate legislation is advancing rapidly, particularly in emerging economies and developing countries, where nations increasingly view emissions reduction and climate preparation as being in their own national interest.
• The 3rd GLOBE Climate Legislation Study indicates that 32 out of 33 surveyed countries are progressing with significant energy or climate-related legislation.
• Specific national legislative examples include China's emissions trading pilots and Shenzhen's sub-national climate legislation; Mexico's General Law on Climate Change and REDD+ readiness legislation; South Africa's proposed carbon tax; the EU's energy efficiency directive; Germany's carbon capture and storage laws; and Japan's carbon tax.
• National action is driven by an understanding of risks and co-benefits, such as increased resource efficiency, improved energy security, better air quality, and the advantage of early adoption of green technologies.
• While a gap still exists between current national ambitions and the UN goal of limiting temperature rise to 2°C, national frameworks for measuring, reporting, and verifying emissions are prerequisites for an effective international treaty.

APA

Gummer, J., Jay, M., Stuart, G., Gardiner, B., Yeo, T., Walley, J., & Matthews, A. (n.d.). National action is key to accelerating international progress on climate change. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/story/opinion-national-action-is-key-to-accelerating-international-progress-on-climate-change

Chicago

Gummer, John, Michael Jay, Graham Stuart, Barry Gardiner, Tim Yeo, Joan Walley, and Adam Matthews. National action is key to accelerating international progress on climate change. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. https://cdkn.org/story/opinion-national-action-is-key-to-accelerating-international-progress-on-climate-change.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Gummer |first1=John |last2=Jay |first2=Michael |last3=Stuart |first3=Graham |last4=Gardiner |first4=Barry |last5=Yeo |first5=Tim |last6=Walley |first6=Joan |last7=Matthews |first7=Adam |title=National action is key to accelerating international progress on climate change |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=https://cdkn.org/story/opinion-national-action-is-key-to-accelerating-international-progress-on-climate-change |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{gummerndnational, author = {Gummer, John and Jay, Michael and Stuart, Graham and Gardiner, Barry and Yeo, Tim and Walley, Joan and Matthews, Adam}, title = {{National action is key to accelerating international progress on climate change}}, publisher = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/story/opinion-national-action-is-key-to-accelerating-international-progress-on-climate-change}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }