The success of the climate summit now rests on the shoulders of government representatives, including Climate Change Minister James Shaw, who has arrived for the UN talks in Glasgow.
At the same time, concessions that allow countries to trade “hot air”, double-count emissions savings or to provide incomplete reports on their Paris pledges would also see the talks branded as a failure.
The pressure and impatience – coming from activists, but also leaders and companies – is adding to the momentum, he added.
At the last COP in 2019, the US was in the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.
Alongside meetings with other countries, one of Shaw’s first tasks was delivering a speech on behalf of New Zealand and Tokelau.
In the speech, he outlined the Government’s recent passing of legislation requiring companies to disclose their climate-related risks and its introduction of the feebate scheme.
These will determine what information countries must publish on their progress towards their carbon-cutting pledges under the Paris Agreement.