Rich countries put planet on course for irreversible climate change

BONN, GERMANY, October 19, 2015 –  Friends of the Earth International warned today that rich countries – those most responsible for climate change – are putting us on course for irreversible and more devastating climate change, instead of taking the urgently needed radical action to reduce their carbon emissions.

The warning was issued as governments from around the world start a week-long gathering at the UN climate talks in Bonn to negotiate, for the first time, the text of a new global climate treaty to be agreed in Paris in December.

“Emission cut pledges made by rich countries so far are less than half of what we need to avoid runaway climate change. The draft Paris agreement on the negotiating table this week shows that many seem ready to accept irreversible and devastating consequences for people and the planet,” said Susann Scherbarth, climate justice and energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe.

“This draft would even dismantle several key principles of the UN climate convention, such as equity. This is simply unacceptable. Richer countries must do their fair share. The new treaty must protect poorer countries and people, not let richer countries off the hook,” she added.

“Politicians are on track to fail us at their summit in Paris. Many politicians, under pressure from transnational corporate polluters profiting from fossil fuels and dirty energy, are promoting coal, fracking and nuclear at the UN and nationally. Instead, they should commit to drastic emission cuts and a transformation of our energy system,” said Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International’s climate justice coordinator.

Hundreds of thousands of people are paying with their lives for our governments’ continued inaction. But the real leaders, the people, are taking action, and showing the way with real solutions, such as community controlled renewable energy.

Thousands of people from all over the world, including Friends of the Earth supporters, plan to go to Paris to make their voices heard during the United Nations climate summit [2] and to mobilize further in 2016 and beyond.

“Our governments must stop dirty energy and urgently follow the real leaders – the people, not the polluters. More and more people are supporting the real solutions, resisting fossil fuel extraction and leading us towards climate-safe societies,” said Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International’s climate justice coordinator.

Climate justice organisations, social movements, faith groups, trade unions, environmental and development organisations released a new report today: ‘Fair Shares: A Civil Society Equity Review of INDCs’. [1]

The report is based on the information governments have submitted to the UN about their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), which outline by how much they pledge to cut their emissions.

The report shows that many developing countries are pledging to do more than their ‘fair share’ to cut emissions while rich countries are dangerously failing to pull their weight.

The report argues that while ‘equity’ is a core principle in the UN process to find a global deal, countries have so far been allowed to determine their own targets on a purely national basis without reference to the scale of the global effort needed.

In the report, the fair share that each country should have in tackling climate change is measured based on their level of responsibility in causing the crisis as well as their capacity to tackle climate change at this moment in time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION IN BONN

Susann Scherbarth, climate justice and energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe: susann.scherbarth [at] foeeurope.org or +32 486 34 18 37

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International’s climate justice coordinator: dipti [at] foei.org or +258 840 35 65 99

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] The summary of the new ‘Fair Shares: A Civil Society Equity Review of INDCs’ report is online. The full report will be available in November.

Report  findings:

• The ambition of all major developed countries falls well short of their fair shares, which include not only domestic action but also international finance. Those with the starkest gap include Russia (contributing nothing towards its fair share), Japan (contributing about a tenth of its fair share), the United States, contributing about a fifth of its fair share) and the EU, contributing just over a fifth of its fair share).
• The majority of developing countries assessed have made mitigation pledges that exceed their fair share. This includes Kenya, the Marshall Islands, China and Indonesia. India’s INDC is broadly in line with its fair share while Brazil’s is slightly more than two thirds of its fair share.
• Most developed countries have fair shares that are already too large to meet by cutting its emissions alone. The remainder of their fair shares must be met by providing support for an equivalent reduction of emissions in developing countries. This accounts for almost half of the cuts needed globally, indicating the need for a vast expansion of international finance, technology and support.
• Although climate finance is critical for developed countries to deliver their fair shares, there is a striking lack of commitments. Scaled-up international finance is required so developing countries can go beyond their own fair shares and deliver the total emissions cuts needed globally.  A significant increase in public climate finance is also needed to meet adaptation needs and to cover loss and damage in developing countries, particularly for the most vulnerable.

[2] Friends of the Earth International asked its supporters to join its activities in December in Paris and in 2016, and to sign up to the energy revolution campaign online.