A week after devastating flooding ravaged eastern Libya, the United Nations top brass hope their exclusive Climate Ambition Summit can coax governments and companies into doing more for the environment.
U.N. insiders say that access to the high-profile event, which takes place in New York during the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 20 and is hosted by Secretary-General António Guterres, will be barred if attendees don’t come with new and tangible ambitions.
But climate experts are concerned that the event could be heavy on hype but underdeliver on what the countries most vulnerable to climate change need. Guterres has made climate action a defining issue of his tenure, but many other key world leaders — including Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping — are not visiting New York at all this week, and the outlook among climate watchers for the summit is mixed.
About the author
William Worley@willrworley
Will Worley is the Climate Correspondent for Devex, covering the intersection of development and climate change. He previously worked as UK Correspondent, reporting on the FCDO and British aid policy during a time of seismic reforms. Will’s extensive reporting on the UK aid cuts saw him shortlisted for ‘Specialist Journalist of the Year’ in 2021 by the British Journalism Awards. He can be reached at william.worley@devex.com.
