Friends of the Earth International came to Poznan hoping for
progress. We had hoped industrialized countries would commit to steep
emission reductions - without offset loopholes - and would announce
their willingness to support developing country mitigation and
adaptation actions.
However, we remain thoroughly disappointed with the outcomes of the talks thus far.
The
distinct lack of achievement here in Poznan falls squarely on the
shoulders of the rich industrialized Annex I countries who after 16
years, and despite the rhetoric we have heard about urgency, are still
failing to take the climate crisis seriously and realize their
obligations under the Convention.
Most Annex 1 countries have
spent the majority of this precious negotiating time crafting
get-out-clauses and offsetting schemes at the expense of genuine
reductions.
These delaying tactics do not set an encouraging
tone for the intense year of negotiations to come. Here in Poznan, we
have seen, yet again, the same obstructionist, business-as-usual
approach of developed countries.
Looking forward, we must not ignore the science and the reality of what needs to be done.
For
any reasonable chance of avoiding dangerous climate change, Annex-1
countries must by February 2009 commit to at least 40% emission
reductions by 2020. But even this level of reduction may not be enough
for many vulnerable nations, so why are we discussing anything less?
To
achieve necessary emissions reductions globally, finance and clean
technology must be urgently delivered to allow developing countries to
make a just-transition towards low-carbon development.
Further, negotiations under REDD:
- are failing to ensure the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities are genuinely protected,
- are failing to distinguish monoculture tree plantations from natural forests,
- are failing to recognize the biodiversity benefit of forests,
- and are risking the privatisation of forests through market-based schemes.
We are not approaching a cliff; we are hanging dangerously over
the edge. We must see a radical shift in the focus of this process.
Anything less with be a failure for all people and the planet.
