Countries where a climate emergency has been declared, as of December 2020:
Countries that have declared a climate emergency
EU countries that had not made their own climate emergency declaration prior to the EU doing so
Countries where a climate emergency has been declared for a subdivision
A climate emergency declaration or declaring a climate emergency is an action taken by governments and scientists[1] to acknowledge humanity is in a climate crisis.
The first such declaration was made by a local government in December 2016.[2] Since then over 2,100 local governments in 39 countries have made climate emergency declarations As of May 2022[update]. Populations covered by jurisdictions that have declared a climate emergency amount to over 1 billion citizens.[3]
On 29 April 2019, the Welsh Government declared a climate emergency, which was subsequently passed by its parliament, the Senedd, on 1 May 2019, when it became the first in the world to officially declare a climate emergency.[4][5][6]
Once a government makes a declaration, the next step for the declaring government is to set priorities to mitigate climate change, prior to ultimately entering a state of emergency or equivalent.[7] In declaring a climate emergency, a government admits that climate change (or global warming) exists and that the measures taken up to this point are not enough to limit the changes brought by it. The decision stresses the need for the government and administration to devise measures that try to stop human-caused global warming.[8][9]
The declarations can be made on different levels, for example, at a national or local government level, and they can differ in depth and detail in their guidelines. The term climate emergency does not only describe formal decisions, but also includes actions to avert climate breakdown. This is supposed to justify and focus the governing body towards climate action. The specific term emergency is used to assign priority to the topic, and to generate a mindset of urgency.
The term climate emergency has been promoted by climate activists and pro-climate action politicians to add a sense of urgency for responding to a long-term problem.[10] A United Nations Development Programme survey of public opinion in 50 countries found that sixty-four percent of 1.2 million respondents believe climate change is a global emergency.[11]
^Ripple, William; Wolf, Christopher; Newsome, Thomas; Barnard, Phoebe; Moomaw, William (2019-11-05). "World Scientists' Warning of a Climate Emergency". BioScience, Biz088, American Institute of Biological Science (Oxford Academic; Oxford University Press). Retrieved 2019-12-14.
^"History of Climate Emergency Action by Councils". CACEonline.org. Council Action in the Climate Emergency. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30.
^"CEDAMIA list of global declarations". CEDAMIA. Climate Emergency Declaration and Mobilisation In Action. 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
^"Wales' first ever climate change conference set to take place in Cardiff". ITV Consumer Limited. ITV News. 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
^"Welsh Government makes climate emergency declaration". Welsh Government. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
^"'Climate emergency' declared by Welsh Government". BBC News. 2019-04-29. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
^"How a council can enter into full emergency mode". CACE. Council and Community Action in the Climate Emergency. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
^Gorey, Colm (2019-05-10). "What Does Declaring a Climate Emergency Actually Mean?". Silicon Republic. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
^Resolution, Climate Emergency. "What is a Climate Emergency Declaration". The Climate Mobilization. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
^Freedman, Andrew (2019-11-05). "More than 11,000 scientists from around the world declare a 'climate emergency'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
^The Peoples' Climate Vote. United Nations Development Programme. 2021-01-26. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. 64% of people said that climate change was an emergency – presenting a clear and convincing call for decision-makers to step up on ambition. - The highest level of support was in SIDS (Small Island Developing States, 74%), followed by high-income countries (72%), middle-income countries (62%), then LDCs (Least Developed Countries, 58%). - Regionally, the proportion of people who said climate change is a global emergency had a high level of support everywhere - in Western Europe and North America (72%), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (65%), Arab States (64%), Latin America and Caribbean (63%), Asia and Pacific (63%), and Sub-Saharan Africa (61%). - Four climate policies emerged as the most popular globally: 1. Conservation of forests and land (54% public support); 2. Solar, wind and renewable power (53%); 3. Climate-friendly farming techniques (52%); and 4. Investing more in green businesses and jobs (50%).{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help) (Page has download link to 68-page PDF.)
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