Climate change conference
NGO outlines demands
GLOBAL leaders in climate change advocacy are in Egypt for the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).
A number of civil society organisations (CSOs), as well as government agencies and delegates, are expected to head talks on fossil fuels, achieving the Paris Agreement target of limiting global heating to 1.5C as well as safeguarding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to halt new development of coal, oil and gas.
Among the CSOs is 350.org. The organisation outlined a number of demands for the conference, including: no public finance for new fossil fuel development, increasing the post-2025 climate finance goal, establishing a loss and damage finance facility and achieving clarity on implementation of the Paris Agreement goals.
According to 350.org Pacific director Joseph Sikulu, humankind was at a fork in the road.
“The choices we make now, in this decade, will decide our future,” he said.
“In the Pacific, we are experiencing impacts associated with a myriad of extreme and slow onset events which affect our people, economies, and natural resources. We are calling for those who have contributed most to the climate crisis to take responsibility for the damage to our islands.
“Addressing loss and damage must be framed within a human rights-approach, built on principles of climate justice, and addressing rich nations’ ‘fair share’ of payments based on historical emissions rather than a simple moral obligation. We challenge those present at COP27 to make the bold decisions necessary to protect our futures.”
Fiji’s Attorney-General and Minister responsible for Climate Change Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum also took to Twitter to welcome negotiations regarding loss and damage. “After three decades of negotiations, loss and damage is finally on the agenda at COP27 – now L&D financing must move from a mirage to a reality,” he tweeted.
“We in the Pacific have fought too hard for too long to accept anything else.”
COP27 is being held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6 to 18.