KEEPING UP WITH THE PARIS AGREEMENT Climate [In]action since December 12, 2015 From November 30 to December 12, 2015, over 190 countries sent their representatives to negotiate the future of our planet under French skies. Delegates, civil society, and corporations spent the two weeks inside and outside the halls of COP21 in a series of discussions surrounding our future, and this resulted in the creation of what is known to all of us today as the Paris Agreement. It was hailed by the French Presidency, the governments of many nations, and much of mainstream media to be the one deal to rule them all, the pledges from nations that would save us from runaway climate change. Fortunately for anyone who was slightly concerned, justice groups and like-minded people around the world saw the devil in the details – the Agreement that made climate change a headline, though seeded in somewhat good intention and with a few decent outcomes, was mostly just lip service. The text showed a lack of ambition and responsibility in terms of climate finance and technology transfer and it possessed absolutely no mention of the need to stop the wheels of the fossil fuel industry from turning. Above all, the main goal of the Agreement is to keep global temperature rise to “well below 2 degrees Celsius” of warming, but it is very clear that emissions reductions pledges made by countries are not enough and are sending us towards a world with well above 3 degrees Celsius of warming. However, no matter how catastrophic the deal might appear, what it does give us is a means by which we can hold governments accountable to their promises. On the 22nd of April, this Earth Day, the Paris Agreement will be opened for signing to the 196 Parties at the UN headquarters in New York, and will remain open till the 21st of April 2017. All it takes for the Agreement to come into force is for 55 parties accounting for at least 55% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions to ratify and accept it, and with the US and China publicly declaring their imminent presence at the signing ceremony, that’s 38% of the world’s emissions on board already! Press has been building around this moment and at least 130 countries have expressed their intent to show up to the Big Apple for the high-level event and to prove that they are still very much interested in the Agreement.
Backsliding Hall of Fame ft. Corporate Capture Plot twist! In the four months between now and when the Paris Agreement was gavelled through, countries have done some serious backsliding on their promises. The cherry on top is that the corporations that are so very present at the table during the climate talks and whose extractive industries are the reason we are in this mess in the first place are continuing to exert their influence to halt real climate action. Actions speak louder than words, so let’s explore what a handful of countries and their corporate buddies around the world have been doing after saying they would save the world...
1) The United States banned Atlantic drilling but gave permission for more offshore drilling in the Arctic and Gulf of Mexico. This plan gives access to 72% of untapped oil and natural gas resources in the Outer Continental Crust, locking us into oil extractions for many years. 2) While many scientists believe coal plants should be retired, Japan and South Korea decided to open numerous coal-fired power plants in the next decade 3) The EU announced delays to climate change commitments until next decade, despite provisions in the agreement for a 2018 review. 4) BP plans to start deep-sea exploration drilling in the Great Australian Bight, while other oil companies including Chevron, Santos, Murphy Oil and Bight Petroleum are queueing up behind them. 5) The Green Climate Fund accredited HSBC and Credit Agricole, despite their being heavy funders of the coal industry. 6) In response to a complaint by the U.S., The World Trade Organization ruled against India’s plan to catalyze domestic solar panel production with an ambitious initiative to install 100 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2022. 7) The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which will give corporations the ability to sue governments who attempt to limit pollution, is well on its way to passage. 8) Corporations responsible for huge contributions to climate change continue to sponsor events which are advertised as “green”. Shell sponsored the European Union’s energy meeting last week. Shell is simultaneously under-investigation by Italian prosecutors for a suspicious oil deal with Nigeria. and many more...
IN R EA L IT Y , WHA T WO ULD BE USEFUL? Here’s what actually needs to be done instead of the hullabaloo of false promises and climate paradoxes being put forward in the world today, in no particular order. Actually, it would be even better if they could all happen at the same time: 1) We need large-scale immediate reductions in our emissions. What is essential is that 80% of the dirty fossil fuels stay in the ground and no new extraction processes should be approved. If we want any slim chance of staying under 2 degrees of warming, anti-extraction is the way to go!
2) Some countries have historically polluted much more of the atmosphere (hint: the rich and powerful ones did it), but those who have done the least are feeling the effects of climate change the most. These polluting nations hence hold a responsibility for the trouble we’re in today and hence owe support to poorer nations for the transformation they very much need. The transfer of more than the measly $100 billion a year that was (kind of) promised through the Green Climate Fund, along with the transfer of clean technologies to developing countries needs to happen ASAP.
3) The people who are being impacted by climate change deserve justice - we need rapid preparation for the adaptation that needs to happen now and that will need to happen very soon if we continue down this dark road. Compensation needs to be provided to those affected, as well with a just transition for the workers of fossil fuel industries to climate
4) False solutions to climate change such as carbon capture and storage and emissions trading need to be rejected and then replaced with solutions like community-owned renewable energy production and sustainable agricultural practices.
Design by: Jenna Farineau & Aneesa Khan