UN Climate Summit: Major Economies Fall Short; More Action Needed

WRI President & CEO Andrew Steer states that while the UN Climate Action Summit saw commitments from 67 countries to enhance climate plans and 66 working toward carbon neutrality, major economies fell short of necessary ambition. Progress was instead driven by the private sector and subnational actors, including 87 businesses committing to 1.5 degree C targets and over 100 cities aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050.

• Major economies failed to meet expectations for enhancing climate ambition at the UN Climate Action Summit, contrasting with the efforts of smaller, vulnerable nations and the private sector.
• The summit resulted in several specific commitments from non-state actors and partnerships, including 87 businesses adopting 1.5 degree C targets, over 100 cities targeting net-zero emissions by 2050, and 130 banks with $47 trillion in assets signing new climate principles.
• Financial commitments were made to support climate resilience and funds, including $7.4 billion raised so far for the Green Climate Fund's replenishment and $790 million from the Gates Foundation, World Bank, and governments to support over 300 million small-holder farmers.

APA

Steer, A. (2019). UN Climate Summit: Major Economies Fall Short; More Action Needed. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-un-climate-summit-major-economies-fall-short-more-action-needed

Chicago

Steer, Andrew. UN Climate Summit: Major Economies Fall Short; More Action Needed. World Resources Institute, 2019. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-un-climate-summit-major-economies-fall-short-more-action-needed.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Steer |first1=Andrew |title=UN Climate Summit: Major Economies Fall Short; More Action Needed |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=23 September 2019 |url=https://www.wri.org/news/statement-un-climate-summit-major-economies-fall-short-more-action-needed |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{steer2019climate, author = {Steer, Andrew}, title = {{UN Climate Summit: Major Economies Fall Short; More Action Needed}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www.wri.org/news/statement-un-climate-summit-major-economies-fall-short-more-action-needed}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }