The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) is an informal group of countries within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) committed to advancing progressive proposals on climate ambition. The HAC was founded by the Republic of the Marshall Islands in 2014 with the aim of ensuring the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, was as ambitious as possible. The group succeeded in securing the Paris Agreement's most ambitious provisions, including the five year ratchet-up cycles of nationally-determined contributions, as well as language in Article 2 related to pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. [1] [2] The Republic of the Marshall Islands serves as the convener and secretariat of the HAC.
There is no official list of the group's members, but as of 2022, countries in the HAC include Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Chile, Colombia, Finland, Fiji, France, Gabon, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom among others. [3] [4]
The Coalition is currently chaired by Marshallese climate envoy Tina Stege. [5]
The High Ambition Coalition is distinct from, but coordinates with, the Shipping High Ambition Coalition within the International Maritime Organization, and the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People which is focused on ambition in biodiversity protection (30 by 30) in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution. [6]
Criticism has focused on the name compared to the pledges made by the countries [7] and on the fact that as of 2019, many of the listed countries are not well on track to achieving the general Paris Agreement goals. [8]
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity ; the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. Its objective is to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and it is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development.
The International Maritime Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva in 1948 and the IMO came into existence ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, IMO currently has 175 Member States and three Associate Members.
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HAC may refer to:
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Farhana Yamin is a British lawyer, public speaker and climate activist.
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Tina Stege is the Climate Envoy for the Marshall Islands (RMI). The RMI is one of the countries in the world most vulnerable to climate change, mainly as a result of rising sea levels. Among other meetings, Stege has represented her country at the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) held in Madrid, Spain, the 2021 Conference (COP26) held in Glasgow, Scotland and the 2022 Conference (COP27) held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. She has also been a spokesperson for the RMI on the impacts of nuclear testing.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)The HAC coordinates closely with the Shipping High Ambition Coalition within the International Maritime Organization as well as the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, focused on ambition in the Convention for Biological Diversity, and the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution.