Christiana
FigueresEXECUTIVE VICE
PRESIDENT FOR A
EUROPE FIT FOR
THE DIGITAL AGE
AND COMPETITION,
EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
Way back in 2015,
the 196 national
governments that
adopted the historic
Paris Agreement on
climate change did
so in part because
they realized that
their enlightened
self-interest coincided
in a decarbonized
global economy that
staved off the worst
climate impacts. But
the agreement was
also made possible
because of the vast
network of stakeholders
that coalesced around
those governments to
encourage them in the
right direction.
Known to only
a few insiders, the
covert effort, code-
named Groundswell,
was organized by the
secretariat of the
U.N. climate-change
convention. Its goal
was to create a
“surround sound”
effect around national
governments so that
no matter where they
looked, they would fi nd
enthusiastic support
for an ambitious, legally
binding agreement
that would guide the
evolution of the global
economy toward carbon
neutrality.
Climate scientists
were of course
central to the effort.
But Groundswell
also included sub-
national governments,
corporate leaders,
captains of fi nance,
women’s groups,
youth, Indigenous
authorities, farmers,
spiritual leaders,
academics and NGOs
of all stripes and
sizes. The stakeholder
groups had their own
particular expectations,
but rather than being
asked to relinquish
those interests, they
were invited to bring
their viewpoints into a
shared initiative to prod
national governments
toward and support
them in achieving
the overarching legal
framework.
Six years later,
the community has
grown immensely and
no longer needs to
operate covertly, as
national governments
have realized they
cannot address climate
change on their own.
At the recent COP26
climate-change meeting
in Glasgow, the Race
to Zero campaign
brought together
hundreds of cities,
regions, businesses
and investors, all of
whom are committed
to achieving net-zero
emissions by 2050 at
the latest. Collectively,
these actors cover
nearly 25% of global CO 2
emissions and over 50%
of GDP, and they manage
fi nancial portfolios
worth $130 trillion.
The objective of theRace to Zero campaign
was to build further
momentum around the
shift to a decarbonized
economy so that
national governments
could strengthen their
formal contributions
to the Paris Agreement
goals, creating a more
inclusive and resilient
global economy.
The collaborative
architecture that has
been built around
climate-change efforts
will continue to grow,
and the “walls” that
used to separateFOUNDING PARTNER,
GLOBAL OPTIMISM,
AND FORMER
EXECUTIVE
SECRETARY OF THE
U.N. FRAMEWORK
CONVENTION ON
CLIMATE CHANGE
it from the work of
national governments
will continue to
soften. Ultimately,
the effective and
timely reduction of
greenhouse-gas
emissions depends
precisely on an all-in
approach, in which
public and private
sectors in every
country align efforts
in order to maximize
their capacities and
increase their response
speed. Climate change
is the defi nitive test of
collaboration.