A People's Climate Manifesto for the World Leaders at COP27
Mitigation
The time is now for governments to finally deliver
visionary climate mitigation policies to limit global temperature
increase to 1.5°C.
Wealthy industrialised countries with the greatest historical responsibility for global greenhouse gas emissions must act fastest and aim for real zero greenhouse gas by 2035 at the latest. We need real action and real solutions: decarbonisation pledges must not rely on misleading carbon accounting tricks, distant promises of net zero, false solutions such as natural gas and offsets or unproven carbon capture and storage technologies.
Ambitious mitigation action to protect people and the planet relies on bringing an end to the era of fossil fuels. This means no new fossil fuel projects, an immediate phase out of fossil fuel subsidies and the end of unjust and climate criminal international agreements such as the Energy Charter Treaty. Instead, governments must increase investment in renewable energy and promote climate-friendly technologies, in line with increasing access to affordable, clean and sufficient energy for all. Locally-produced renewable energy can contribute massively to energy independence and reduce energy prices - the transition to renewable energy is a win-win for the planet, economy and society.
Governments must also act to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises together, by integrating nature in climate targets. This can be achieved by investing in just and community-led nature conservation and a switch to more equitable and sustainable agriculture, supply chain and food systems policies everywhere. Protecting nature will not only help us fight climate breakdown, it will also improve food security, increase community resilience and safeguard human rights.
All too often action to secure and protect our natural environment is classified as a cost - but in reality, decisive action on climate is not a 'cost': it is an investment, not just in our future, but in our survival. Such investment represents the greatest cost-saving of human history. It's time to put the 'eco' into the economy.
We already have the solutions. What we need now is the political will to implement this transformation to protect people and our shared planet.
Loss & Damage
We already live in a world of climate apartheid, one of astonishing injustice where those who contribute the least to our heating planet, its poorest and most vulnerable inhabitants, are being affected first and worst.
The world's wealthy are still able to avoid the consequences of their addiction to fossil fuels. As it accelerates, the climate crisis will make these injustices worse, undoing basic human rights and development, most particularly in the world's most historically exploited countries.
It is a moral imperative that the wealthy nations with the greatest historical responsibility for global heating provide accessible financial and technological support for mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. Industrialised countries must at the very least deliver on the promised target of US$100 billion per year in international climate mitigation and adaptation finance, and at COP27 must set a higher post-2025 goal. Governments should seek to leverage new and creative funding sources, such as through progressive taxes and levies, to make polluters pay fairly and meet their climate finance obligations.
COP27 must also deliver on concrete plans for compensation for the loss and damage suffered due to our heating climate. This funding must be new and additional to existing climate finance targets, and designed for long term sustainability to meet the needs of communities harmed by the impacts of a climate crisis they did not cause. Simple measures, such as a $10 fee on flying for loss and damage, can fairly and equitably raise a significant part of the funds needed.
Climate Justice
Artwork done as part of Climate Justice Africa Caravan, Abuja, Nigeria, November 2, 2022
The climate crisis is a crisis of justice. Global heating is deepening already existing vulnerabilities and inequalities within and across generations, communities and countries worldwide.
Climate action must place human rights and justice at the centre, or it will fail to avert climate breakdown and ensure a liveable planet for current and future generations. Climate justice and effective climate action can only be achieved if frontline communities have a true leadership role in decision making. Next year's COP28 can learn from the failures of access and inclusion at previous conferences and be the first COP to meaningfully champion participation and provide a seat at the table for frontline communities and grassroots climate activists.
Global climate action must have justice as its central guiding principle. This is key to unlocking credible global cooperation and rebuilding trust as we fight for a liveable climate. Governments must ensure that all climate action actively promotes human rights, and benefits both people and the planet. COP27 is an opportunity to make concrete plans to put justice at the heart of climate policy, including commitments to establish a new legal framework for the protection of climate refugees.
Policymakers at COP27 and beyond must recognise that inclusive, participatory action is key to solving the climate crisis: climate solutions must respond to the needs of, and emerge from the leadership of local communities, Indigenous peoples, marginalised groups, young people, and grassroots initiatives. Inclusive global climate action must be built on increasing climate literacy by mainstreaming climate education at all levels and disseminating accessible and high quality information in all languages.
The fight to protect our planet will only succeed if we lift up people in our movement. As you, the world's political leaders, gather in the conference halls of COP27, do not ignore the voices from the frontlines of the climate crisis -- we can only protect people and planet by working together.
Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany with a message to COP27
(www.peoplescop.org. Photos: J. Hannu, Climate Justice Loss and Damage Fund, Koala Collective)
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 43 - November 6, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmld2022/Articles/D520432.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca