#DrivingAmbition: Non-State Actors' Engagement

Food production and food systems have an outsize impact on our climate. Did you know that food systems are responsible for fully one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? This is not how it has to be, however: we have the power to support planet-positive farming and circular agricultural practices. Transforming our food systems is both possible and essential.

Goal: This working group will draft proposals on how to improve climate resiliency in food systems and how to productively engage the food industry on ways it can promote sustainability and climate-consciousness.​

• Learn More

  • Join the Summit Community for the UN Food Pre-Summit in July
     

  • Read this comprehensive Climate-Smart Agriculture article from The World Bank

  • Read "Climate Change and the Future of Food," a blog post from the UN Foundation

  • Read this detailed breakdown of Food Security in a dedicated chapter from an IPCC report

  • Peruse the UN Food and Agricultural Organization's page on Climate Change

Entrepreneurs are able to create new technologies to address the world’s most pressing challenges, and thus have a key role to play in combatting the climate crisis. In order to come up with the innovative solutions we need to drive #ClimateAction around the world, we have to invest in entrepreneurs.

Goal: This working group will help identify ways to foster transformation processes and push accelerators into climate technology markets to help entrepreneurs realize their ideas.

• Learn More

  • Read our #Youth4Climate Innovation and Entrepreneurship article

  • Watch Episode 7 of Youth4ClimateLive, "Driving Innovation & Entrepreneurship"

  • Explore the Greenpreneurs program and apply to be a member of the latest Greenpreneurs cohort

  • Explore the many innovation-oriented climate contests open for submissions on the Climate CoLab website

  • Read about the UNFCCC’s work on Energizing Entrepreneurs to Tackle Climate Change

  • Read "Innovation in climate change adaptation: Does it reach those who need it most?," a blog post from the World Bank Group

  • Visit the Innovate4Climate website and subscribe to the newsletter.

  • Read through UNFCCC’s TEC Brief

  • Read up on how the Commision for Environmental Cooperation facilitates collaboration and public participation for young innovators.

Sports and climate go hand in hand. Just as a clean climate is essential for fair and enjoyable sports—abnormal rain washes out playing fields, poor air quality harms players' health—sports are an essential means of communicating the value of the natural world to mass audiences. As our own #Sport4Climate initiative has shown, sports can be a powerful vehicle for driving climate action.

Goal: This working group will form proposals to develop the role of the sports sector within the Climate Action Agenda, strengthening the sports industry's role in raising climate awareness and incentivizing it to set an example of climate consciousness through its own actions.

• Learn More

  • Take a look at The Climate Reality Project to learn How The Climate Crisis Threatens The Future of Sports

  • Check out Connect4Climate’s #Sport4Climate initiative to see how we’ve worked alongside the sports sector to drive climate action over the years

  • Read up on UN Climate Change's Sports for Climate Action initiative too

  • Get a better sense of the interplay between "Climate Change and Sports" in this helpful article from Climate Nexus

Operating under the wasteful paradigm of "fast fashion," the modern fashion industry is one of the leading contributors to water pollution and is responsible for fully 10% of the world's annual greenhouse gas emissions. It is infamously resource-intensive, too: Did you know that the production of a single pair of denim jeans consumes 10,000 liters of water? There will always be a need for clothing, but the fashion sector needs a serious makeover if we're to have a chance at a sustainable future.

Goal: This working group will brainstorm ways in which the fashion industry can reconceptualize to contribute positively to the Climate Action Agenda instead of hindering it.

• Learn More

  • Familiarize yourself with the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action

  • Read the World Bank Group's article, "How Much do Our Wardrobes Cost to the Environment?"

  • Get acquainted with the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, an initiative dedicated to bringing the world of fashion into alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals

  • Check out Connect4Climate’s #Fashion4Climate initiative to see how we've worked with the fashion sector to bring its problems to light and move forward constructively

  • In particular, dive into "X-Ray Fashion," a groundbreaking #Fashion4Climate VR experience

The arts offer the opportunity to communicate the impact of climate change and the need for unified action in a uniquely resonant, emotional way. At Connect4Climate, we interface with the arts regularly through our #Music4Climate and #Film4Climate initiatives, striking up inspiring collaborations with creative people around the world.

Goal: This working group will explore strategies of engaging with the art and entertainment sectors on climate issues and develop novel approaches to using film, music and more to communicate the essential message of climate action.

• Learn More

  • Learn more about Connect4Climate's #Film4Climate collaborations with the film industry

  • Learn more about our #Music4Climate projects to frame the issues through song

  • Browse this helpful selection of "Green Films to Watch #AtHome"

  • Get on board with the Creative Industries Pact for Sustainable Action

  • Read up on the Sustainable Production Alliance and delve into its Green Prodution Guide Toolkit and other resources

  • Read "Greening the Entertainment Industry is Music to Our Ears," an inspiring story from UNEP on a campaign to promote climate positivity in the music industry