Demands for the Cancun climate talks29 November 2010
Climate change isn't simply an environmental challenge; it's about poverty eradication, development, people's sovereignty and environmental and social justice.
Tackling greenhouse gas emissions to prevent dangerous climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity.
This year at the UN climate talks in Cancun, Friends of the Earth wants to see action from governments around the world to take steps in the right direction to secure a fair and just global climate agreement.
The road to Cancun
At the Bali climate talks in 2007 all countries agreed to a 2 year process under 2 separate negotiating tracks:
- The Kyoto track
- The Convention track
Negotiations under these tracks were due to be finalized in Copenhagen in December 2009.
The Copenhagen talks, however, produced only the controversial, non-binding Copenhagen Accord, championed by the United States. The Accord:
- Is a weak and ineffectual agreement and mustn't form the basis of any decisions in the Cancun talks.
- Fails to impose legally binding emissions reduction commitments on developed countries.
- Won't provide adequate funding for developing nations to develop cleanly.
The Kyoto track
Friends of the Earth demands that setting adequate targets under the Kyoto track is the overriding priority in the international climate talks.
The latest climate science shows these reductions must be at least 40% - without offsetting - for any acceptable chance of avoiding catastrophic climate impacts.
The Convention track
Negotiations under the Convention track are guided by the Bali Action Plan, which seeks to "enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention through long-term cooperative action, now, up to and beyond 2010".
Friends of the Earth has prioritised its campaigning under this track on 4 cross-cutting issues:
- Climate finance.
- Offsetting
- Forests
- Human rights
Climate finance
A new financial mechanism must be established under the authority of the UNFCCC to support and enable developing countries in tackling climate change.
Offsetting
Offsetting is profoundly unjust, fundamentally flawed and cannot be reformed. Therefore Friends of the Earth believes it should be scrapped.
Forests
To prevent dangerous climate change, conserve biodiversity and safeguard the sustainable use of forests, any agreement on forests must be designed to stop deforestation and degradation, not simply reduce and defer emissions.
Human rights
The effects of and responses to climate change are having a negative impact on the human rights of people across the world.
To protect individuals and communities vulnerable to climate change now and in the future, human rights protections must be integrated into all aspects of climate agreements.
Our demands to governments
All countries must agree:
- Emissions cuts of at least 40% by 2020 on 1990 levels - without offsetting - for all developed countries under the Kyoto Protocol.
- Emissions cuts from the US equivalent to the efforts of other developed countries.
- A new financial mechanism under the authority of the UNFCCC to fund developing-country adaptation and mitigation from developed-country public sources.
All countries must reject:
- The use of forests in carbon trading.
- Existing carbon offset schemes including the establishment of new carbon offsetting and trading mechanisms.
- Any role for the World Bank in controlling climate finance.
Further information
For a full round-up of Friends of the Earth's demands for the Cancun climate talks, see:
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