Climate activists urged world leaders to do their ‘fair share’

PARIS, France —Climate science paints a frightening picture—one that tells us that urgent and dramatic action is needed to have any chance at stopping irreversible climate change. Climate activists have been clamoring that rich and industrialized countries share the effort of addressing the issue “equitably and fairly” at the international climate change debate here in the French capital.

“Below 1.5, we might still be alive. Rich countries do your fair share.”

This was the chant of climate activists from poorer, small developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in a small act behind a red replica of the historic EiffelTower outside the halls of the on-going climate talks.

Carrying banners that say “Do Your Fair Share,” they asked negotiators to include clear reference to a global carbon budget as a basis for targets and effort-sharing, adding that exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius will entail unacceptable impacts to billions of people and risk crossing irreversible tipping points.

“If we are to survive, developed countries’ commitments must be backed by emission cuts and support for developing countries, based on their fair share of climate action,” said Denise Fontanilla from the Asia Peoples Movement on Debt and Development.

The group, together with other civil society organizations, were left out as observers of the negotiations since the Bonn meeting in October, Fontanilla said.

“This made it more difficult for negotiators to track the negotiations, especially as some rich nations try their usual approach of “dividing and conquering” smaller, developed nations,” Fontanilla said.

Fontanilla explained that all countries must accept responsibility for meeting at least their fair share of the global effort to tackle climate change. Some countries have much higher capacity to act than others, due to their higher income and wealth, level of development and access to technologies. Others have already emitted a great deal for a long time, and thrive from the infrastructure and institutions they have been able to set up because of this.

Meanwhile, Philippine delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) spokesman Dean Tony La Vina of the Ateneo School of Government said there has been optimism to adopt a 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit in the negotiations that is being pushed by more than 40 countries, including the Philippines through the advocacy group called Climate Vulnerable Forum.

Today, science said that the world is .85 percent warmer than the pre-Industrial levels, and many people and ecosystems are already experiencing devastating impacts like the Super Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippines in 2013.

(photo and text by Anna Valmero; editing by Imelda Abano)