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Following the United States’ second withdrawal, Bloomberg Philanthropies and others will ensure the nation’s funding and reporting obligations to the UN Climate Change Secretariat are met
The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, Michael R. Bloomberg, has announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies and other U.S. climate funders will ensure the United States meets its global climate obligations following the federal government’s intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement for the second time.
This includes covering the funding gap left by the United States to UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) and upholding the country’s reporting commitments.
“From 2017 to 2020, during a period of federal inaction, cities, states, businesses, and the public rose to the challenge to uphold our nation’s commitments—and now, we are ready to do it again,” said Bloomberg, who is also Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
He added: “More and more Americans have had their lives torn apart by climate-fueled disasters, like the destructive fires raging in California. At the same time, the United States is experiencing the economic benefits of clean energy, as costs have fallen, and jobs have grown in both red and blue states. The American people remain determined to continue the fight against the devastating effects of climate change.
“Bloomberg Philanthropies has made significant investments in empowering local leaders, providing businesses with the data to track emissions while driving economic growth, and building coalitions across public and private sectors. Now, philanthropy’s role in driving local, state, and private sector action is more crucial than ever—and we’re committed to leading the way.”
“We deeply appreciate the generous support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the leadership shown by Mike Bloomberg,” said Simon Stiell, United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary. “While government funding remains essential to our mission, contributions like this are vital in enabling the UN Climate Change secretariat to support countries in fulfilling their commitments under the Paris Agreement and a low-emission, resilient, and safer future for everyone.”
This marks the second time Bloomberg has stepped in to help uphold the country’s funding and reporting commitments under the Paris Agreement amid a lack of U.S. federal climate leadership.
In 2017, the U.S. government announced its intention to withdraw from the Agreement – and with it, the country’s obligations to fund, engage with, and report to the UN. In addition to committing to fill the U.S. funding gap, Bloomberg and then-California Governor Jerry Brown launched America’s Pledge – an initiative to close the U.S. reporting gap by annually aggregating and reporting non-federal climate commitments, to ensure the world could track U.S. climate progress as if it were any other nation committed to the Paris Agreement.
Bloomberg also ensured the presence of American climate leadership at UN Climate Conferences by funding U.S. Climate Action pavilions. Beginning at COP23, the Centre showcased the groundswell of support from U.S. cities, states, businesses, and other non-federal organisations and leaders to continue working toward the goals of the Paris Agreement – with or without the federal government present.
That year Bloomberg and Governor Brown delivered the first America’s Pledge report detailing the progress of subnationals in reducing emissions and their potential for higher ambition. Delivered to the UN and international climate community, these analyses detailed how states, cities, businesses, and other non-federal actors drove meaningful emissions reductions and showed that significant progress was possible even without federal support. Support from Bloomberg Philanthropies continued to make up the funding and reporting gaps in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
“Mike Bloomberg’s generous donation ensures the world retains a vital venue for working together on the defining issue of our time, which no country can solve alone or afford to ignore,” said Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation, France’s former Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, and COP22 UN High-Level Champion for Climate Action. “US philanthropy, along with millions of Americans, cities, and states across the country, is stepping up – recognising the huge benefits of climate action, the necessity to pursue the transition to zero carbon economy and the devastating costs of inaction.”
Research from the University of Maryland’s Centre for Global Sustainability shows that ambitious climate action from cities, states, businesses, and other local U.S. institutions can help the U.S. reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 54-62 percent by 2035, even without federal climate action. This analysis shows how U.S. subnational actors can significantly contribute to and potentially deliver on the U.S. goals under the Paris Agreement.
