On 12 December 2017, two years to the day from the adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP21, President Emmanuel Macron of France co-convened the One Planet Summit, in partnership with the World Bank Group and the UN Secretary-General. The Summit opened a new process of global knowledge-sharing, finance re-commitment, and climate-smart innovation, to speed the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

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The Summit was attended by thousands of non-Party stakeholders and more than 50 heads of state and senior government ministers. The work product of the Summit was:

  1. The launch of a One Planet Coalition, to keep connecting and scaling up the work needed to meet the Paris Agreement’s goals.
  2. The delivery of 12 Transformational Commitments to innovate or scale up climate-smart finance through various strategies.
  3. The sharing of 20 Projects for Our Planet, through the Climate Agora, open to Summit attendees.
  4. The convening of Side Events and Working Sessions on issues related to the One Planet Summit’s areas of focus.
  5. The creation of new Climate Action Collaborations between attendees and Coalition partners.

Citizens’ Climate Education, the Geoversiv Foundation, and the International Centre for Dialogue and Peacebuilding, in collaboration with the Norwegian Nobel Institute and the Kingdom of Morocco, convened a Working Dialogue on Resilience Intel at the Embassy of Morocco in Paris, the day after the One Planet Summit.


Here, we outline in brief 12 transformational commitments announced at the Summit…


Commitment 1: Responding to Extreme Events in Island States

Rebuilding the Caribbean — Mobilisation of USD 3 billion in a public-private partnership within an 8 billion investment plan to make the Caribbean the first Climate Smart Zone.

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Sir Richard Branson, whose home is in the British Virgin Islands, describes the harrowing experience of living through Hurricane Maria. He was able to restore power using his own solar microgrid—technology that all the region’s island communities need, if they are to achieve real resilience and mitigate the disastrous aftermath of extreme weather events.

Commitment 2: Protecting Land & Water Against Climate Change


Commitment 3: Mobilizing Researchers & Young People to Work for the Climate

$15 million for the One Planet Fellowship for young African and European researchers

The Gates Foundation and the BNP Paribas Foundation are joining forces for $15 million over five years to enable young researchers from Africa and Europe to be hosted in international laboratories.

Launch of the “European Solidarity Corps” for the climate, with €40 million

The European Commission will fund a programme to encourage young European volunteers to participate in climate-related projects in Europe and around the world.


Commitment 4: Public Procurement & Local Government Access to Green Finance

Global Urbis — common framework for cities to simplify access to climate financing

Under the initiative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Global Covenant of Mayors, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, the “Global Urbis” programme will provide easier access for cities and regions in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin to public and private funds to implement their climate plan and thus speed up their transformation to sustainable cities.

Alliance of cities and regions for low-carbon public procurement

The C40, a network of 90 metropolitan areas, the Global Covenant of Mayors, United Cities and Local Governments and Local Governments for Sustainability have joined forces to launch green public procurement contracts (sustainable infrastructures, green mobility, zero-emissions housing, energy efficiency etc.) in an agreed framework.


Commitment 5: Zero Emissions Targets

Towards Carbon Neutrality coalition
16 countries and 32 cities commit to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, initiated by Marshall Islands and New Zealand

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Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna discusses the need, for building macroeconomic resilience, of pricing carbon, and accounting for climate impacts, as well as Canada’s leadership role in these areas.

Launch of the Paris Collaborative on Green Budgeting
OECD and a group of countries including France, Sweden, Mexico and Canada will pilot a new framework for presenting budgets that indicate the ecology and climate aspects in all their forms — public expenditure for the ecological transition, clean taxes, green bonds etc.

Creation of a Climate Observatory in Space
To provide States and the scientific community with all the space data necessary for monitoring the health of our planet, providing access to interoperable space-based earth observation data will be a significant step forward in the earth monitoring system.


Commitment 6: Sectoral Shifts toward a Decarbonized Economy


Commitment 7: Zero Pollution Transport

8 countries and 10 partners commit to decarbonized transport and clean mobility solutions

Eight countries including Portugal, the Netherlands, Costa Rica and France, supported by the stakeholders of the Paris Process on Mobility and Climate (PPMC) platform, are creating an alliance to work together on roadmaps towards decarbonizing transport and increasing investment in clean transport.

34 countries pledge to reduce maritime transport emissions

The “Tony de Brum” declaration receives support of some 34 States, calling for ambitious progress on the International Maritime Organization to regulate CO2 emissions relating to maritime transport.

Partnership of eight western US states for electric vehicles

The partnership for the Regional Electric Vehicle Plan for the West (“REV West Plan”) brings together eight federated US states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.


Commitment 8: Toward Carbon Pricing Compatible with Paris Agreement Goals

Commitments by several countries to a more significant carbon price

The Environment and Climate Ministers of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom welcome recent European Council agreements on reform of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme. They also commit to examining, or even implementing in some cases, a significant carbon price in relevant sectors.

French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the One Planet Summit, announcing the formation of a One Planet Coalition, and describing the economic, political, and security imperatives of speeding the transition away from climate-forcing fuels.

Launch of Carbon pricing for the Americas

Mexico launched a regional collaboration on carbon pricing in the Americas: Canada, Colombia, Chile, México and States of California, Washington, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.

Announcement by China of the unification of its carbon market

Today, China launched its national cap and trade carbon market which stands as a major progress for carbon pricing worldwide.

Call by businesses for carbon pricing

A coalition of more than 40 companies led by the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC) is calling for a carbon price in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, in accordance with the recommendations of the Stern-Stiglitz High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices.


Commitment 9: Actions of Central Banks & Businesses

Commitment of 200+ businesses support the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD)

10+ central banks and supervisors launch the network “Greening the Financial System”


Commitment 10: International Mobilization of Development Banks

More than 30 public development banks commit to align their financing with the Paris Agreement

A Joint IDFC-MDB Declaration was adopted during the One Planet Summit between the 23 national and regional development banks from the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) (such as Brazil, China, France, Germany etc.) and multilateral development banks to increase funding dedicated to the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

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World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim announced the Bank’s commitment to cease all funding for new oil and gas exploration and extraction, starting in 2019. This decision is part of the World Bank’s commitment to ensure it is not supporting funding that erodes natural capital and puts the stability of societies and institutions at risk.

These banks commit specifically to:

  • further embed climate change considerations within their strategies and activities
  • redirect financial flows in support of transitions towards low-carbon and climate resilient sustainable development
  • support the implementation of national contributions and preparation of long term decarbonised trajectories by 2050
  • promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, including through putting in place more explicit policies to significantly reduce reliance on fossil fuels and rapidly accelerate financing for renewables.

Commitment 11: Action by Sovereign Funds

Creation of the working group One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds: 6 of the largest sovereign wealth funds create an ESG framework (environmental, social and governance) to guide their investment decision

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Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund is the largest in the world, worth nearly $1 trillion. It is also a leader in diversifying away from the carbon intensive energy practices that launched it. Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg described her country’s commitment to building a low-carbon future.

Sovereign funds hold assets which could reach over $15 trillion by 2020. At the initiative of the President of the French Republic, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are launching an unprecedented coalition of large sovereign funds in support of climate action. The initiative will be coordinated by France.


Commitment 12: Mobilizing Institutional Investors

Climate Action 100+ coalition

The “Climate Action 100+” coalition was launched during the One Planet Summit. It brings together 225 major institutional investors representing more than $26 trillion in managed assets to coordinate their actions as regards the 100 highest-emitting public companies.

$1 billion Energy Breakthrough Coalition

  • At the One Planet Summit, Breakthrough Energy Coalition announces an expansion from its group of 27 individual investors to include a broad network of world leading banks, funds, energy producers, and technology companies committed to commercializing innovative zero-carbon energy technologies.
  • Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the US$1 Billion fund created by the BEC, announced its initial technical focus areas for investment, which are Grid Scale Storage, Mini-Grids, Liquid Fuels, Building Materials, and Geothermal.
  • Press release – $1bn Energy Breakthrough Coalition

Coalition of 10+ philanthropists working to improve climate action finance and to develop new investment mechanisms

During the One Planet Summit, some 15 philanthropists launched a task force to mobilize philanthropy to contribute to the implementation of the Paris Agreement.