2 Years After Paris, the One Planet Summit Aims to Galvanize New Action on Climate Change

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On 12 December 2017, the anniversary of the adoption of the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the world is meeting again in the French capital with the goal of fast forwarding action on climate change.

The One Planet Summit - which is bringing together the President of France, the President of the World Bank Group, and the UN Secretary-General, among many other leaders - aims to mobilize new announcements of bold projects and substantial financial commitments to combat climate change. The Summit will also showcase successful initiatives that can be scaled up with the right kind of support.

The good news is that climate action is underway in all countries and at all levels, with many sectors already starting to align themselves with the Paris Agreement and the wider Sustainable Development Goals.

One hundred and seventy countries have already ratified the Paris Agreement, which came into force in less than a year—a modern record for such a global treaty.

Many nations have drawn up and are now moving to implement their national climate action plans under the Paris Agreement. Some areas are advancing quickly: new evidence indicates that global growth in renewable energy like wind and solar is doubling every 5.5 years.

One hundred and seventy countries have already ratified the Paris Agreement, which came into force in less than a year—a modern record for such a global treaty.

The costs of these technologies are tumbling—in many places wind power is as cheap as coal and solar is fast approaching competitiveness with fossil fuels. Over 40 nations, led by India and recently joined by China, have signed the International Solar Alliance, which aims to generate 1,000 GW of solar power by 2030.

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