Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Climate Action


Every person, in every country in every continent will be impacted in some shape or form by climate change. There is a climate cataclysm looming, and we are underprepared for what this could mean.

Climate change is caused by human activities and threatens life on earth as we know it. With rising greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than anticipated. Its impacts can be devastating and include extreme and changing weather patterns and rising sea levels.

If left unchecked, climate change will undo a lot of the development progress made over the past years. It will also provoke mass migrations that will lead to instability and wars.

To limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre- industrial levels, emissions must already be decreasing and need to be cut by almost half by 2030, just six years away. But, we are drastically off track from this target.

Urgent and transformative actions going beyond mere plans and promises are crucial. It requires raising ambition, covering entire economies and moving towards climate-resilient development, while outlining a clear path to achieve net-zero emissions. Immediate measures are necessary to avoid catastrophic consequences and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference

EU PVSEC 1977 S c

European Plant Science Organisation

EPSO 2000 Brussels Belgium D y

European Platform on preparedness for nuclear and radiological emergency response and recovery

NERIS 2009 Fontenay-aux-Roses France F

European Policy Centre

EPC 1997 Brussels Belgium F y

European Recycling Industries' Confederation

EuRIC 2014 Brussels Belgium D yt

European Recycling Platform

ERP 2002 Paris France F

European Regional Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference

Geneva Switzerland S c

European Regions Network for the Application of Communications Technology

ERNACT 1991 Letterkenny Ireland F

European Research Community on Flow, Turbulence and Combustion

ERCOFTAC 1988 Bushey UK F

European Responsible Investment Network

ERIN 2016 London UK J y

European Roundtable on Climate Change and Sustainable Transition

ERCST 2016 Brussels Belgium F

European Severe Storms Laboratory

ESSL 2002 Wessling Germany F

European Small Business Alliance of Small and Medium Independent Enterprises

ESBA 1998 Brussels Belgium F y

European Social Survey

ESS 2001 London UK E g

European Society for Automatic Alarm Systems

EUSAS 1989 Duisburg Germany D

European Society for Emergency Medicine

EuSEM 1994 Antwerp Belgium D v

European Society for Engineers and Industrialists

1999 Brussels Belgium G t

European Society for Literature, Science and the Arts

SLSAeu Basel Switzerland D

European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery

ESTES 2007 St Pölten Austria D

European Society of Emergency Radiology

ESER Vienna Austria D

European Southern Observatory

ESO 1962 Garching Germany D g

European Spiritan Centre for Cooperation and Development

CSECD-Kibanda 2001 Brussels Belgium E

European Students of Industrial Engineering and Management

ESTIEM 1990 Eindhoven Netherlands D t

European Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition

STTC 2013 Utrecht Netherlands J

European System of Central Banks

ESCB 1998 Frankfurt-Main Germany F g

European Technical Safety Organisations Network

ETSON 2006 Garching Germany F

European Technology and Innovation Platform on Wind Energy

ETIPWind 2016 Brussels Belgium F

European Theatre Convention

ETC 1988 Berlin Germany F

European Tissue Symposium

ETS 1971 Brussels Belgium F

European Transport Research Alliance

ETRA 2012 Berlin Germany D y

European Transport Workers' Federation

ETF 1958 Brussels Belgium E

European Travel and Tourism Advisory Group

ETAG 1981 Brussels Belgium E y

European Travel Press

ETP 1993 D

European Travel Retail Confederation

ETRC 1988 London UK D yt

European Underwater Federation

EUF Faverges France D

European Union Youth Orchestra

EUYO 1976 Grafenegg Austria F

European Vegetarian Union

EVU 1985 Vienna Austria D

European Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society

EVECCS 2002 D

European Wind Tower Association

EWTA 2018 Brussels Belgium J

European Wound Management Association

EWMA 1991 Frederiksberg Denmark D

European Young Women's Christian Association

The European YWCA 1979 Stockholm Sweden E

European Youth Card Association

EYCA 1987 Brussels Belgium E

European Youth Centres

EYCs 1972 Strasbourg France E gy

European Youth Forum

Brussels Belgium D y

Europeans for Fair Roaming

2010 F

EUROSOLAR - European Association for Renewable Energy

1988 Bonn Germany D

EuroTech Universities Alliance

2011 Brussels Belgium D

EuroTube Foundation

2017 Collombey Switzerland G

Ev-K2-CNR Committee

Bergamo Italy E

Exchange of Letters Constituting an Agreement Concerning the Use of Seamen's Books as Travel Documents

1964 T g

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