Warm words and half-measures won't be enough, say campaigners

CARE

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Friends of the Earth press release

Climate summit: warm words and half-measures won’t avert a planetary emergency, warns Friends of the Earth

Global Climate March Suva-2864

Image by 350 .org

Friends of the Earth CEO Craig Bennett, who is attending the Paris talks said:

“With the world on the brink of a planetary emergency on a scale never seen before, we need tough and urgent action to tackle climate change before it’s too late.

“But current efforts by our global leaders fall woefully short of what’s required and what the public demands. We need far more than the warm words and half measures currently on offer.

“The world must rapidly end its reliance on dirty gas, coal and oil - with rich developed nations, who are mostly responsible for the challenge we face, taking the lead.

“Unfortunately the UK government has abandoned any pretence of leadership on this crucial issue: consistently undermining investment in a low carbon future, while championing fossil fuels.

“The solutions to climate change exist – all we lack is the political will to act. And we need to act now, not tomorrow”

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Notes:

1. Friends of the Earth is calling on world leaders to make a number of commitments at the Paris summit, including:

• A goal of keeping global temperatures below 1.5 degrees warming.
• Immediately ratcheting up the total scale of action to put the world on track to under 1.5 degrees warming, with a fair share of action from both richer and poorer countries.
• Boost Green Climate Fund commitments and work to deliver a clear roadmap in order to provide certainty for developing countries. This needs a global goal of $70 billion in 2016 and $85 billion in 2018, and equal funding for mitigation and adaptation.
• Introduce a Loss and Damage mechanism to support and compensate developing countries hit by the impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided.
• End all state subsidy for fossil fuels, and commit to a global phase out of all fossil fuels by 2050, with richer countries decarbonising much sooner.
• Agree a programme of support for a global initiative to deliver clean, affordable de-centralised energy to all.

Friends of the Earth is also calling on the UK Government to:

• Make a more ambitious national pledge to cut carbon – the UK’s fair share of action to keep below 1.5 degrees of warming would be at least 80% domestic emissions cut by 2030 plus increased commitment to the Green Climate Fund (see below).
• Increase commitments to fund the Green Climate Fund between now and 2020 – with increased spending starting this year, not back-loaded to 2020, and funding in the form of grants not loans.
• Set out a revised UK carbon plan with policies to achieve UK Climate Change Act commitments and any new stretch commitment that better reflects our country’s fair share of action including:
  • Set a date for the phase out of UK coal-power by 2023 at the latest
  • Announce a ban on exploration for new fossil fuels – including fracking and unconventional gas extraction
  • End all public funding for fossil fuels
  • Public support for renewable energy until it becomes cost competitive and continue to incentivise installation including through solar feed in tariffs
  • Make energy efficiency a major infrastructure investment priority, and insulate 4 million homes to efficiency standard C by 2020.

2. Over half (53%) the British public feel that not enough is being done by global leaders to tackle climate change | ActionAid/YouGov poll (25 November 2015):

3. Friends of the Earth together with other civil society organisations has undertaken a review of the INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) which shows that Russia is doing zero per cent of its fair share, Japan only a 10 per cent of its fair share, and the USA 20 per cent of its fair share of global effort | www.civilsocietyreview.org

4. Friends of the Earth has produced a number of briefings (PDFs) ahead of the Paris Summit including:

Climate finance

Paris climate talks and the UK

Introduction to Paris and climate justice

Loss and damage

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ActionAid:

Global solidarity and cooperation key to global threat of climate change

Saturday 28 November (Paris) - Climate change is a global issue like conflicts and the financial meltdown and like them it requires global solidarity and cooperation, says international agency ActionAid ahead of climate talks in Paris.

That is why rich, developed nations that have caused climate change must support a deal that helps developing countries adapt to the impacts and deal with the loss and damage caused.

As world leaders head to Paris for the Conference of the Parties (COP21), ActionAid is joining local communities across the world to demand more ambition from world leaders, including a commitment on a Global Goal on Adaptation and a stronger institution to address loss and damage.

ActionAid has calculated that finance for climate change adaptation in developing countries needs to increase to at least US$50 billion per year by 2020.

Adriano Campolina, Chief Executive of ActionAid, said:

“Just like conflicts and the financial meltdown, climate change is a global issue that calls for global solidarity and cooperation.

“Climate change is happening now, and countries such as Bangladesh and Senegal are on the front line. People are losing their homes and land, their crops and water, and women are particularly vulnerable to these impacts.

“Climate change is driving increasing levels of hunger, poverty, disease and migration. But without financial support from rich countries, poorer countries will be unable to cope with these impacts.

“The rich developed nations that are most responsible for the climate crisis, must live up to their responsibility to support developing countries. Rich countries must keep to their 2009 Copenhagen pledge to provide US$100 billion, so that developing countries can adapt to climate impacts and choose greener development pathways.

“World leaders must agree a credible plan to provide enough money. Otherwise the new climate agreement will be leaving the world’s most vulnerable people to fend for themselves.”

ActionAid is already working with communities to help them deal with a changed climate, as well as responding to climate-related disasters. ActionAid is also campaigning for change at the global level, because international action is needed to make a difference.

Climate adaptation efforts are a priority focus for many developing countries. They have contributed the least to cause climate change, but they are more vulnerable and lack the necessary financial resources to cope with climate impact.

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Notes 

ActionAid will have spokespeople available in Paris for the duration of the talks and can speak on a range of issues concerned with climate change and justice, including its impacts on migration, deepening inequality, women’s rights, food security, biofuels and agriculture.  ActionAid can also speak on climate finance, the need for rich countries to help the poor adapt to climate change.  Spokespeople are available to give interviews in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Punjabi, Bangla and Urdu.

1.            ActionAid is leading the way in helping people protect their lives and livelihoods, from building flood-proof villages, to providing salt resistant seeds and teaching children how to survive in a disaster. The impacts of climate change are felt most keenly in developing countries and especially by women. Women are more likely to be adversely affected by climate change than men, according to the UN. When floods hit, homes and crops are destroyed. Women have to walk long distances to find clean water, fuel and food for their families. The essential things women need to help them adapt – land and money – are often not available to them.

2.            ActionAid’s recent report Mind the Adaptation Gap, reveals the cost of helping poor people adapt to climate change amounts to around 0.1 per cent of a rich nation’s GDP.  The 0.1 per cent cost of adaptation is relatively small compared with the seven per cent of GDP major economies spent on bailing out the banks after the 2008 financial crisis, or the two per cent of GDP that NATO members commit to spending annually on defence.

3.            However, rich nations’ current contributions to helping poor countries adapt to the climate crisis fall far below the amount of money needed.  Rich countries must increase the total amount of grant-based finance provided for adaptation in developing countries from the $3-5 billion in 2013, to at least $50 billion per year by 2020, and at least $150 billion per year by 2025.

4.            Climate finance must be additional to Official Development Assistance (ODA), and must not affect the amounts countries spend on ODA. Adaptation to climate change enables and increases development, but it does not substitute for existing development plans, which are crucial for safeguarding people’s rights and social justice.

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Oxfam:

UK needs to lead in Paris to achieve ambitious climate change agreement 

David Cameron needs to be prepared to expend political capital at the climate talks in Paris to secure a deal that will save the world’s poorest people from climate change chaos. 

Tens of thousands of people are preparing to march in London today to demand action on climate change. The London People’s Climate March is one of dozens taking place around the world ahead of the crucial talks in Paris. 

The UK government has a good track record when it comes to its own actions on climate finance – it has already committed to double its contribution to climate finance over the next five years, and devote 50 per cent of those funds to adaptation measures. 

But the UK’s contribution alone won’t be enough to help many people in developing countries cope with climate change. 

If global pledges to emissions cuts aren’t improved, developing countries will face adaptation costs of almost $800 billion (£525bn) every year by 2050. 

Sally Copley, Oxfam’s Head of UK Campaigns said: “Floods, drought and rising seas levels caused by climate change are already a reality for many of the world’s poorest people. 

“With its own commitment to adaptation finance, the UK government’s job is only half done.  For the next two weeks its representatives in Paris need to give everything they've got to make the agreement work for those hit first and hardest by climate change. 

“That means getting a global deal that will ensure other rich countries also provide their fair share.” 

The UK needs to champion a global agreement in Paris for an adaptation finance goal that will see half of the world’s climate finance go to adaptation instead of less than a quarter as happens currently. 

The UK’s recent announcement that it will phase out its use of coal-fired power stations by 2025 is a step in the right direction to reduce harmful emissions. 

Scientists have estimated that industrialised countries must cut their greenhouse gas emissions to less than 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050 in order to keep global warming below 2 degrees (relative to pre-industrial levels). But the national emissions pledges put forward by over 150 countries ahead of Paris add up to around 3 degrees of warming. 

The UK government needs to press for the Paris deal to include a strong mechanism to review and increase the overall ambition of national targets. 

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CARE

Global leadership must seize the critical opportunity for a climate safer world

 Next Monday, Heads of States and representatives from almost 200 countries will gather in Paris to negotiate a new universal climate deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change. The COP21 UN climate talks are a critical turning point. This is the moment when governments can decide whether to commit themselves to a fossil fuel free, safer and more prosperous future, or to continue ‘business as usual’ with increasingly dangerous climate change impacts.

Ahead of the COP21 climate talks, Wolfgang Jamann, Secretary General and CEO of CARE International said:

“Putting a stop to climate change is not beyond us and we have all the resources needed to change the course of history. Our message is clear and simple: we cannot fight poverty, or the manifold humanitarian crises, unless we take urgent action to tackle climate change.”

Speaking at the French capital, Philippe Lévêque, Executive Director of CARE France said:

“There couldn't be a more important time to work for climate justice and the peace it will help bring. Civil society groups are showing more determination than ever to meet the challenges facing the world with hope, not fear.”

CARE International expects an ambitious and just climate agreement from Paris talks

As world leaders arrive in Paris, Sven Harmeling, Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator of CARE International, outlines what CARE expects from governments at this critical meeting:

“CARE also backs the call of 106 climate vulnerable developing countries and hundreds of civil society organisations to keep warming below 1.5°C. The 1.5°C goal should be part of the COP21 climate deal, as it is the only viable option to guarantee safety – 2°C is simply too much.”

“Many countries still disagree on key issues, such as how to pay for the worst impacts that are hitting the poor and vulnerable the hardest. We also know that the frequency and severity of climate disaster will keep on rising. The Paris Agreement must establish a process for scaling up public finance for preventing and responding to climate shocks, beyond the levels expected as part of the USD 100 billion promised for 2020.” 

“CARE wants to see gender equality and human rights as guiding principles of the new agreement. At CARE we work with many women, who are leading climate change adaptation actions in their communities. For example, they are using and sharing new farming techniques to make sure they can provide nutritious food for their families in a changing climate. The Paris Agreement must ensure that climate actions guided by these principles and protect the livelihoods, food and nutrition security, and the rights of food producers in developing countries.”

Governments in Paris have a hefty task ahead of them, but CARE expects leaders to seize the critical opportunity to set the world on a safer and more equal pathway.

More information on CARE International’s vision for a climate-safe and poverty-free world can be found in the new report Sealing a Fair and Just Climate Deal for the World’s Poorest People.