UN organizations to hold climate action summit in 2016 News
UN organizations to hold climate action summit in 2016

[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official profile] stated [press release] Saturday that various UN organizations will sponsor a summit in 2016 to promote progress in addressing worldwide climate issues. During the UN climate change conference (COP21) [official website], the secretary-general announced that organizations such as the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility [advocacy websites] will gather with international leaders in May in Washington D.C., a location agreed upon [UN report] due to its close proximity to international and financial institutions. He further stated there will be additional climate action efforts in areas of interest such as “cities, land use, resilience, energy, transport, tools for decision makers, and finance.” During the same conference, the UN also released an agreement [text, PDF] drafted between 195 countries addressing carbon dioxide emissions in addition to other significant international concerns. Officials will finalize [CNN report] the agreement during the ongoing conference and establish a plan that decreases worldwide carbon dioxide levels by 2050.

Of the countries currently attending COP21, 166 have submitted plans [JURIST report] to limit their emissions so that global temperature will rise no more than 3 degrees by the end of the century. These 166 countries are responsible for approximately 90% of the worlds emissions. Earlier this month the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights stated [JURIST report] that environmental issues should also be considered human rights issues. According to many experts, climate change [JURIST backgrounder] as a result of global greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most pressing and controversial environmental issues facing the international community today. In July US President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced an agreement [JURIST report] to address climate change. China also announced its climate change goals [press release] in July, including reducing its adjusted carbon monoxide output by 60 percent.

THIS DAY @ LAW

19th Amendment adopted

On August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was adopted, granting women full suffrage. The Amendment states that "[t]he right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." Learn more about the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment from the National Archives.

Declaration of the Rights of Man adopted

On August 26, 1789, the Declaration of the Rights of Man was adopted by the French National Assembly. Click here to read the text of the Declaration and learn more about its formulation.