"2020 is the year when countries need to up their ambition, expressed in enhanced nationally determined contributions. They must. The world faces a climate emergency and strong political decisions must be taken immediately."
Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, are national climate action plans under the Paris Agreeent. The deputy UN Climate Change chief also said that the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in November in Glasgow would have to "finish the work that COP25 was unable able to conclude - setting out the rules for a carbon market between countries."
In Brussels, Ovais Sarmad spoke about the growing importance of non-State actors in climate action, explicitly recognized in the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
Global Climate Action brings together partners and potential partners to scale up cooperative action on: Climate Finance, Human Settlements, Resilience, Energy, Industry, Land Use, Oceans and Coastal Zones, Transport and Water.
Ovais Sarmad pointed out that whilst aviation accounts for about 2 percent of global emissions, these emissions are growing fast.
UN Climate Change is increasingly working with the private sector to help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in specific sectors of the economy with growing carbon footprints, working with groups such as Airports Council International, which is a partner of UNFCCC's Climate Neutral Now initative, which to date has 340 signatories.