High ambition needed in Bonn, says CARE International
UN climate talks in Bonn kick off home stretch to Paris climate deal
(Bonn, 29 May) Governments in Bonn need to get down to the nuts and bolts of preparing a fair and ambitious global climate deal if the world is to truly get a successful result just six months from now at the UN COP21 climate talks in Paris this December.
It is time for governments to truly converge on highly ambitious targets instead of standing cemented to old positions and resigning themselves to minimized expectations. The meeting in Bonn will be our first yardstick to judge whether the rhetoric of leaders calling for climate action will be turned into real political commitments by Paris for more emission reductions and additional financial support to poor countries, aid agency CARE International says.
Sven Harmeling, CARE’s Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator leading CARE’s delegation in Bonn: “While there has been some progress in the right direction, the emissions reduction pledges put on the table so far will still keep humanity on a highly dangerous course, further exposing hundreds of millions of people to severe threats from climate disruption, food insecurity and increasing inequality. The poorest and most marginalized, such as many smallholder farmers, women and children, will face grave injustice. While they are agents of solutions, they have to struggle even harder for living a life in dignity and fulfilling their human rights.”
In light of this, CARE also warns that the increasingly expressed view of Paris simply becoming the starting point for more climate action rather than a strong, binding commitment for change must not lead the most powerful countries to arrange themselves in a low-ambition deal which postpones real action farther into the future. This is not what the world wants to see.
Sven Harmeling said furthermore: “In Bonn, all countries should highlight that in order to call Paris a success the deal needs to tie down commitments and procedures to gradually bring the world on a pathway to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Paying only lip service to this goal will not be acceptable. This must entail additional emission reduction efforts before 2020, in particular by developed countries, and a signal to completely phase-out fossil fuel emissions and shift to 100% renewable energies before 2050. This should also come from the leaders of the G7 countries meeting at the end of the week in Germany.”
On climate finance Sven Harmeling adds: “More climate finance can make a real difference for poor people’s lives and helping them scale-up the many practical solutions they are innovating. Developed countries and other comparably capable nations should give a clear signal in Bonn: The Paris agreement will include mechanisms which generate more and better predictable public finance for adaptation to climate impacts! They must also assure that, as a matter of justice, they will support vulnerable countries in addressing the increasing loss and damage they are already facing as a consequence of rich countries’ failure to cut emissions early on.”
There are very few critical steps remaining before Paris to prepare a fair climate deal with the ambition required. Governments have the opportunity in Bonn to show they are ready to turn their words into actions, to account for the slow thinking of the past, and to stand united, alongside poor, vulnerable and developing countries.