Global Ethical Stocktake

Centering Ethics in Climate Action

What is the Global Ethical Stocktake?

In recent years, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) has begun to assess global climate progress through a formal process known as the Global Stocktake (GST). The GST, established in the 2015 Paris Agreement (first conducted in 2023, concluding in COP28 in Dubai) focuses on scientific and technical analysis of emissions targets and national commitments—often behind closed doors.

Now, under the formal leadership of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, with key support from the COP30 Presidency, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the UNFCCC, a groundbreaking initiative has emerged: the Global Ethical Stocktake (GES).

The GES elevates the moral, ethical, philosophical and cultural dimensions of the climate crisis with a broader invitation to civil society. The GES is a necessary moral intervention that assesses not only what we are doing to the Earth, but also who we have allowed ourselves to become in the process and how we can summon the collective will to change course. By integrating ethics into climate negotiations, the GES aims to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement by rooting action in values, justice and conscience.

The Center for Earth Ethics is honored that Executive Director Karenna Gore will serve as the co-leader for the North America Dialogue of the GES.

"For COP30, we must bring factors and methods into consideration that may have been left out before—and the Global Ethical Stocktake gives us the strength and courage to do so. It is especially heartening to support a vision that includes culture and all those beauties and interrelationships in life that cannot be measured by money, yet fill us with the sense of meaning and belonging that has the power to motivate our behavior."

"As I watched the presentations [at the first Global Ethical Stocktake Dialogue in London], I kept thinking how good it would be if our negotiators could see what has been presented here: words like love, solidarity, commitments and responsibility for what is decided. May this Ethical Review and all of us be a kind of prayer for the world to commit to protecting life and the conditions in which it was created."

A New Kind of Dialogue

As part of this initiative, six regional dialogues will take place around the world—in Africa; Asia; Central and South America and the Caribbean; Europe; North America; and Oceania. Each dialogue will gather diverse voices—including youth, elders, Indigenous leaders, artists, philosophers, scientists and faith representatives—to reflect on the deeper values that should guide climate action.

These dialogues will help shape a global moral framework for COP30 in Brazil in November 2025 which will accompany the technical and policy-driven pathways set forth in the Paris Agreement.

Regional Dialogues: Leadership and Co-Leaders

Marina Silva

Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Brazil

The Global Ethical Stocktake “is simply about integrating the ethical dimension to bolster political decisions and technical measures. Only this dimension can instill the urgency required to address the problems we face.”

Wanjira Mathai

Africa Dialogue

Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships, World Resources Institute, and Chairperson, Green Belt Movement

Mary Robinson

Europe Dialogue

Former President of Ireland, Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Founding Member of The Elders

Karenna Gore

North America Dialogue

Founder and Executive Director, Center for Earth Ethics, and Visiting Professor of Practice of Earth Ethics, Union Theological Seminary

Michelle Bachelet

Central and South America and the Caribbean Dialogue

Former President of Chile and Former United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights

Kailash Satyarthi

Asia Dialogue

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Founder, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save Childhood Movement)

Anote Tong

Oceania Dialogue

Former President of Kiribati and Chair of the Pacific Elders Voice

Host Your Own Dialogue

In addition to the official regional dialogues, the GES leadership invites people around the world to join in. Organizations, communities and individuals are encouraged to host self-organized dialogues to reflect on climate ethics in their own settings. These grassroots dialogues can include artistic interventions like storytelling, poetry, music, dance and drama. Insights will be collected and considered as part of the collective ethical statement to be delivered to world leaders at COP30. This is a rare opportunity to help shape international climate negotiations from the ground up—with your voice and your values.

Use the resources below to learn more about the GES process and organize a dialogue in your community.