No justice in Lima outcome, say campaigners
The full agreement text: http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/lima_dec_2014/in-session/application/pdf/cpl14.pdf
UN climate conference fails people and planet |
|
LIMA, PERU - Today -
20th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)Image by H.E. Mr. Sam K. Kutesa After two weeks of negotiations governments agreed to a last minute text that did nothing to address pre-2020 climate action, sidelined the issue of dealing with the impacts of climate change, and hardly progressed the rules for a new agreement that is supposed to be signed in Paris next year.
In a statement signed by organisations from across the world, and led by social movements in the South, groups said, "What we have seen in Lima is another in a series of yearly decisions that weaken international climate rules, failing people and the planet." Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of Jubilee South Asia Pacific from the Philippines said that, "the concrete demand was to set out how we would increase emission reductions from now until 2020, and set long term climate targets to make sure we limit temperature increase to below 1.5°C."
"What has happened in Lima is that the world has said it wants to bury its head in the sand and not look at the weak and unjust 2020 climate targets again. Make no mistake, not revisiting our 2020 targets is to set us on track for 4C of warming and risk many more storms like that which hit our homes in the Philippines this week. Lima has failed the people of the world, Paris must not ignore the urgency of the crisis or its agreement will not be worth the paper it is written on." Nacpil concluded. Friends of the Earth EWNI's International Climate Campaigner from the UK, Asad Rehman said, "the planet and the poorest people in the world require more than empty political statements that contains lots of the right sounding words but very little in actual concrete commitments."
"The only thing these talks will achieve is to reduce the chances of a fair and effective agreement to tackle climate change in Paris next year." "With the world speeding towards catastrophic climate change, wealthy industrialised nations who have contributed most to our polluted atmosphere must take the lead in tackling this threat." Rehman said. Meena Raman, negotiation expert at the Malaysian based Third World Network said, "this outcome took a long drawn out fight and the end result is still so far from what people need. This bodes badly for what is possible out of Paris given the sheer lack of responsibility that the rich developed countries are prepared to take." Harjeet Singh, Lead on Resilience and Climate at ActionAid International said that, "This outcome provides nothing meaningful on finance, loss and damage, and pre-2020 action. Any country that has the interests of its people at heart should have rejected this proposal. We see weak and unjust climate targets from rich industrialised targets and the result of those will be unimaginable devastation from climate impacts. Adaptation to that climate change will be impossible and the people who are least responsible for causing that climate change must receive compensation for their loss and damage. That loss and damage was not given distinct political recognition in the text here in Lima suggests that the Paris deal will be quick to forget the rights and needs of the world's poor. Azeb Girmai, Focal Point on Climate from LDC-Watch in Ethiopia, said that, "Least Developed Countries (LDCs) fought for recognition of the loss and damage we are suffering from climate change but the powerful trod on our proposals and ignored our rights. Loss and damage is distinct from adaptation, with distinct issues that need attention - we cannot ignore it or pretend it is like adaptation. This outcome heralds further devastating climate storms and dark clouds for Paris." Martin Vilela of the Bolivian Platform on Climate Change said, "the COP20 outcome threatens us with a dead planet. It locks in inaction and its ineffective actions will not stave off the collapse of the global climate system, forcing millions to suffer without justice. The negotiations ignore the people and ignore the science, operating in an insane bubble. The so-called "Lima Call for Climate Action" will do nothing to meet the UN's stated objective on climate change." "Not increasing the level of action before 2020 means abandoning the goal agreed by all governments to not allow 2 ° C of global warming by the end of the century" said Maxime Combes from Attac France. "The passivity and the irresponsible actions of governments and transnational companies needs to be challenged, NGOs and social movements have to set up their own agenda and to initiate a comprehensive and long-term battle for climate justice," Christophe Aguiton, also of Attac France said. |
|
NOTES:
******************** Friends of the Earth press release Notes to editors:
****************UN CLIMATE TALKS: THE CLOCK TO PARIS IS TICKING Nations at the UN climate summit in Lima have failed to respond to the call of the public, scientists and investors said Christian Aid - but there is still time to change the course of history. Countries will now move on to the summit in Paris next year, where a global deal will be agreed, but leaders failed to give the process a boost, instead stumbling out of the gate. Christian Aid's Senior Climate Change Advisor, Mohamed Adow, said: "The countdown clock to Paris is now ticking. Countries had the chance to give themselves a head-start on the road to Paris but instead have missed the gun and now need to play catch up. "Despite not getting off on the right foot the good news is the transition to a low carbon world is already happening. This is a fight between those profiting from the dirty energy of the past and those with the prophetic vision of a clean and prosperous future. And it's a fight we will win. "On one side are the fossil fuel companies and the governments that protect them, on the other are the world's poor, civil society, switched-on investors, innovative businesses, concerned global citizens and leaders who actually lead. "We've seen this year hundreds of thousands marching on the streets of New York and other cities, we've seen investors like the Rockefeller oil dynasty ditching fossil fuels and scientists showing the science is clear. We're moving towards a world free of fossil fuels and those countries which refuse to embrace that will ultimately be left behind. "Political leaders at the UN talks need to be reminded that they can't negotiate with the climate. Human actions are changing it rapidly and governments need to come to their senses. Otherwise we're in danger of sleepwalking into a failed deal in Paris. Highlighting the lack of progress made in Lima, Mr Adow pointed out there were some positive elements left out of the Draft Paris Agreement which must make up a part of next year’s deal. He said: “The Paris deal needs to be more than just about carbon cuts. Both climate finance and support for poor countries to adapt must form part of the agreement. These need to be included in the Paris deal because those suffering cannot wait. For the people of the Philippines recovering from a third super typhoon in three years they can't afford us to drag our feet." Responding to the role of the UK at the summit Mr Adow praised the efforts of the Government's Secretary if State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey. He said: "As the first country to have benefitted economically from industrialisation the UK has a responsibility to take a leading role in tackling this problem. The UK deserves credit for trying to move the EU bloc in the right direction. As a whole we need more ambition to be shown from developed countries, after all the convention itself states clearly that richer countries are required to lead. “Whoever heads up the next UK government needs to seize the opportunity that 2015 presents and continue leading from the front, because a lowest common denominator approach will not protect the UK from serious climate impacts on society and the economy.” Ends Notes: 1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 50 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects. 2. Christian Aid’s core belief is that the world can and must be changed so that poverty is ended: this is what we stand for. Everything we do is about ending poverty and injustice: swiftly, effectively, sustainably. Our strategy document Partnership for Change (http://www.christianaid.org.uk/images/partnership-for-change-summary.pdf) explains how we set about this task. 3. Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development. Further details athttp://actalliance.org 4. Follow Christian Aid's newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid_newswire 5. For more information about the work of Christian Aid visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk
*****************************UN climate talks: Disastrous result for world’s poorest - on pathway to climate chaos (14 December, 2014): The words of Peruvian Environment Minister Pulgar Vidal, who urged nations meeting at the climate talks in Lima to “give hope to the world”, but governments have largely failed to lay the foundations for an ambitious climate deal in 2015. The lack of ambitious action by developed countries is a disgrace and sends the wrong signal to the millions of poor and vulnerable people around the world who are already bearing the brunt of climate change impacts, aid organisation CARE International says. Dr. Robert Glasser, CARE International Secretary General, says: “The Lima talks offered a vital opportunity to lay the foundations for global climate action and provide a safer future for our planet and its people. All the elements were there for this to be a successful meeting, but governments failed to step up. “Countries are stuck in silos and have shown little leadership, no give and take, nor any commitment to agree a global deal to tackle the greatest injustice of our time. Ahead of the UN climate summit in Paris in 2015, governments must work extra hard to overcome the opportunities missed in Lima and deal with the lack of trust between nations. They must redouble their efforts right away.” Robert Glasser continues: “A few hundred kilometres from these talks, communities in the Andes are already competing for water, struggling to feed their families and to maintain their incomes as crop yields decrease. So far, the world has only warmed by 0.8°C, but with this business as usual approach, we’re almost certainly on track for a 3°C temperature rise, with truly colossal impacts.” After two weeks, many of the critical sticking points remain unresolved. Countries cannot agree how to deal with historic and evolving responsibilities for tackling climate change, and developed nations have resisted the inclusion of loss and damage in the 2015 agreement. Outcomes include:
There is still a glimmer of hope. Around the world, people are getting active as momentum from the recent climate marches, and dire warnings from science, hit home. Robert Glasser concludes: “The weight of responsibility for action lies with every nation and their ability to rally parties around an ambitious global climate deal in Paris. It requires intense political leadership. Countries must now rise above narrow self interest and deliver an agreement for the greater, global good.” ********************8ActionAid Reaction to Lima UN Climate Talks UN climate talks in Lima have delivered nothing for people in developing countries who are most vulnerable to climate change. There is no finance to help them adapt to climate impacts, no reference to a mechanism to help them deal with loss and damage, no urgent emissions cuts to lessen those impacts, and no assurance that developed countries will live up to their obligations. For ActionAid and the communities we work with, the outcome of the Lima talks is disastrously weak, and offers little more than no outcome at all would have. Next year’s agreement in Paris must be orders of magnitude more ambitious, and governments must think first about the impacted people they are supposed to be serving. Harjeet Singh, International Manager for Climate Change and Resilience at ActionAid International, said: “We came to Lima hoping that these negotiations would finally deliver what’s needed to help poor people adapt to the effects of climate change. These hopes were in vain. As the Peruvian glaciers melt, and farmers around the world face dry rivers and warmer temperatures, the need for support could not be clearer. Yet the demand for adaptation and finance have been repeatedly ducked. It’s as if the world has forgotten that climate change is already causing unprecedented loss and damage. “Poorer countries need financial support to help their people survive a crisis they did not cause. Unless rich countries commit to providing money for the long term, the talks can't head in the right direction.” Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said: “Without ambitious climate action and money to help them survive the climate crisis, these talks have failed poor farmers, especially women farmers around the world. Bangladeshi farmers will be asking – why can’t they do more to stop climate change? Will I get help to deal with disasters? And who will stand by me when my livelihood is destroyed? They have been failed on all counts. “A new climate agreement in Paris must be different – to be successful it must protect the planet and all vulnerable people, especially women. It must include commitments on gender equality, and women must be at the center.” Brandon Wu, Senior Policy Analyst at ActionAid USA, said: “Make no mistake: Lima delivered a pathetically weak outcome, because developed countries like the US are failing to meet their obligations. A tiny bit of progress does not make up for decades of inaction on both emissions cuts and providing finance for poor countries. “With adequate financial support, developing countries can adapt to climate change impacts and make their own contribution to reducing emissions. But they are being bullied into taking on their own commitments without any assurance that finance will flow – and then they are being blamed for blocking progress when they justifiably object. Unless these negotiations shift onto a much more just and equitable course, the new global climate deal to be agreed in Paris next year will fail to serve the poorest, and may even kick them while they are down.”
************ Climate News Network: http://www.climatenewsnetwork.net/climate-talks-take-rocky-road-paris/?utm_source=Climate+News+Network&utm_campaign=ded161f6a6-Lima_talks12_14_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_be2a364987-ded161f6a6-22086437 Climate talks take a rocky road to Paris
********** Oxfam Rough seas ahead for climate talks, Paris deal still on the horizon
|
