Rich countries put on a poor show in Poznan
16 December 2008
The United Nations (UN) climate change conference drew to a close in Poznan last weekend, and - as you'll be able to see by the last video (embedded above) from the Oxfam team at the conference - we're disappointed with the outcome.
The talks should have been a milestone on the road to tackling climate change. But instead we've seen a disappointing lack of ambition, and from some countries, delaying and stalling tactics. All of which adds-up to a disregard for the impact climate change is already having on some poor communities.
Even though there's already a wide acknowledgement of the urgency of the situation, there was little agreement to keep global warming below 2ºC (the point at which the effects of climate change would become 'dangerous'), and targets were not set for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
But despite the gloom there were a few rays of hope.
Some developing countries pulled the results out the bag, and put forward important proposals and action plans. Mexico, for example, announced plans to halve its emissions by 2050. Tuvalu and other small island nations demanded urgent action to keep warming below 1.5ºC.
There was some progress on 'adaptation' (which basically means helping poor communities adapt to the effects of climate change), but the amount of cash that will be provided still falls well short of what's needed.
The clock is now ticking until the next UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, where a decision on how to replace the Kyoto Protocol - the existing international treaty for the reduction of greenhouse gases - will be finalised.
All of the world's nations must pull together to get it right next year. There will be no going back if they don't. The treaty that's set to be negotiated in twelve months time will set legally binding targets for emissions reduction. If these targets don't go far enough, our leaders will be jeopardising the future of millions of the world's poorest people.
As Oxfam's Senior Executive Barry Coates put it after the close of the meetings, "These negotiations are not about politics - they are about people's lives. Delays will kill."
A good deal is still possible in Copenhagen. We can still stop catastrophic climate change, and it's effects on the world's poorest people. But what's needed is the will to make it happen.
Steps forward have been taken this year (such as the ground-breaking UK Climate Bill), but giant leaps forward are needed. And to make this happen we must continue to raise our voices, ever louder until the cry for action becomes so loud that it cannot be ignored.
After the festive break, we'll be pushing on into the New Year with it clear in our minds that together we must demand change. On that, we'd love to hear how you're planning to help fight climate change - and its effects on poor people - next year. So please feel free to leave us your comments below.
Comments:
Trees and Plants suck up CO2 as they grow, but then release it as they die and rot. However, we can prevent 50% of the CO2 being released when they die by turning the plants into biochar, which is fine grained carbon which can be buried in the ground where it remains safe for thousands of years. Pre Columbian Amazonian Indians have kept CO2 safe for over 2,500 years, which is a length of time that we must talk about when safely storing CO2. Biochar also cuts down on the need for fertilizers, reduces methane and nitrous oxides from the ground, filters out pollutants, and retains water. Quickly degrading rainforest soils caused by slash and burn farming can be kept fertile by the use of biochar.
What we have to do, with this plan, is to put a charge on all goods and services equal to the amount of money it will take to make enough biochar to neutralise the CO2 emissions of the goods. This money would have to go to a central fund to pay for neutralisation of the CO2 produced. As Third World prices will be charged for the work the cost need not be too great, and yet would increase substantially to the $1.00 a day that many have to live on. Provided that the trees and plants are harvested sustainably and the biochar is buried in the areas of participating countries where the soil is the poorest, the quality improvement of the soil will increase the amount of food produced, and thus increase the wealth of the poorest.
Andy Kadir-Buxton | February 3, 2009 6:17 PM
It's clear that OECD governments are going to do massive domestic economic stimulus, spending tens or hundreds of billions of pounds, to get their countries through the recession.
Where is the push by Oxfam and similar agencies to get these governments to 'square the circle', and spend a massive part of this stimulus on developing solar / wind / tidal / renewable energy sources?
porter | December 19, 2008 9:07 AM
It's sad that humanity is not responding decisively to curb catastrophic effects of climate change. The irony is that those who've contributed most to the problem are not the most affected, yet they are the better placed to take the most significant steps. on the other hand, those who've contributed least are suffering already and will suffer most, and yet have little capacity to adapt to and to effect a major impact on climate change.
Lokiru Matendo | December 18, 2008 10:09 AM