Michael Bloomberg lands top UN role to accelerate climate action

Michael Bloomberg, the three-term former Mayor of New York City, has been chosen to support the UN’s climate strategy and mobilise action towards climate change.

The longstanding entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of the Bloomberg media company was awarded the title of Special Envoy on Climate Action at a ceremony in New York yesterday.

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, told reporters at the event that Mr. Bloomberg was ideal for the role, noting that he “has made an enormous difference, and makes us believe that we will soon be running faster than climate change, that we will soon be starting to defeat climate change, that the Paris Agreement can be fully implemented but with an enhanced ambition”.

Along with supporting the Secretary-General’s climate strategy, the former Mayor will also work on the UN’s 2019 Climate Summit and seek to strengthen ambition towards initial 2020 climate targets set by the Paris Agreement.

Mr. Guterres also highlighted Mr. Bloomberg’s work on creating America’s Pledge. The campaign seeks to unite US cities, states and businesses to fulfil the goals of the Paris deal after President Trump announced his withdrawal from the agreement.

“There is an enormous capacity to mobilize the civil society, the business community and cities. It is not by chance that we are called citizens, even if we live in a village. The cities define today’s world more and more”.

“We see cities, but also companies and the civil society everywhere leading climate action, leading the capacity of the international community to be able to beat climate change. And leading these efforts we see Michael Bloomberg”, he added.

Mr Bloomberg commented on Twitter that: “As the new UN Special Envoy for Climate Action, I'll work with state and non-state actors to help implement policies that reduce emissions & build resilience”.

He previously served as the UN Special Envoy on Cities and Climate Change under Ban Ki-moon.