2016 Annual Summit of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate

CLOSED DOOR EVENT - BY INVITE ONLY

2015 was a year of unprecedented ambition as countries, regions, cities, and businesses came together to declare action on climate and on achieving sustainable development for all. The challenge for 2016 is to turn that ambition into action; to move from rhetoric to reality.

The scale of action needed will see around US$90 trillion globally invested in cities, land use and energy infrastructure – doubling current global annual infrastructure investment - between now and 2030. Ensuring that those investments are low-carbon and climate-resilient is essential if we are to transition to a sustainable and prosperous growth pathway, and to avoid locking in to a high-carbon future with potentially immense risks for development and growth. Analysis by the New Climate Economy has shown that ensuring infrastructure is climate-compatible does not need to cost much more, and additional up-front investments can be offset by lower fuel and other operational costs. But we need to invest smart, and start now. Getting the investment choices right will be especially critical for developing and emerging economies, where more than 70% of the total infrastructure investment will be made over the next 15 years to deliver energy, water, food and urban systems.

The Annual Summits of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate will provide decision-makers, global thought leaders and Global Commissioners, a high-level forum for frank discussions on progress towards better growth and climate action, and an opportunity to identify together how to accelerate action.