The UN has been actively engaged in the climate change conversation as a entity mediating and taking the lead on many initiatives. The most recent such activity was the UN Climate Summit 2014 (“the Summit”), held from September 23, 2014 – September 30, 2014 at the UN Headquarters in New York. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced the Summit in 2013 and invited leaders from around the world stating, “I am counting on leaders everywhere, from all sectors of society, to lead by example and bring bold actions and ideas and strong political vision and political will to New York.” Attendees at the Summit came from nations around the world and consisted of politicians, academics and business persons from various corporations representing a diversity of industries.

The UN stated that the primary purpose of the summit was to make plans and develop legal solutions to addressing climate change. The importance of achieving this goal was highlighted by Ki-moon in his opening where he called climate change “the defining issue of our time.” After eights days of talks, meetings, and presentations, various entities agreed to research and develop ways to cut carbon emissions at the local, national and international levels, or in the alternative, determine a system of carbon pricing. This included commitments by national leaders and corporations, amongst others.

No tangible agreement was reached or signed as a result of the Summit; however, that was not the goal. All of the entities involved in the Summit have committed to negotiate and agree upon a binding plan during a follow-up summit to be held in Paris in 2015. Prior to that meeting, leaders, including Barack Obama, have agreed to figure out ways to turn their commitments into strategic action.

This was not the first effort by the UN to bring nations together on the issues of climate change. In 2011 the UN hosted a similar meeting in Durban, South Africa. This meeting resulted in a commitment by delegates from 194 countries to negotiate climate change initiatives in the near future.