COP21: climate activists react on the final draft of climate deal

PARIS, France – In the streets of Paris, outside the conference, protesters demanded action as the final draft of the Paris accord negotiated by governments from 195 countries was released Saturday noon.

Some demonstrators said they were satisfied with the outcome of the final draft as it is insufficient and weak, others felt differently.

The 21^st Conference of Parties (COP21) at the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) aimed at reaching a global climate deal in Paris that aims to avert the catastrophic consequences of climate change impacts.

We gathered here some mixed reactions and statements from various civil society groups:

“By including a long-term temperature goal of well below 2°C of warming with a reference to a 1.5°C goal, the latest draft text sends a strong signal that governments are committed to being in line with science. What we need now is for their actions, including emission reductions and finance, to add up to delivering on that goal. There are opportunities to do so built in the agreement – such as the facilitative dialogue in 2018 – that should be used to update current country pledges, and then further opportunities after 2020. Finance and emissions reductions pledges will need to be enhanced in a fair manner before 2020 to stand any chance of achieving the long-term goal.”

– WWF’s head of delegation Tasneem Essop

 

I admire the efforts of the Philippine delegation and civil society to push for an ambitious, fair and binding deal. It is laudable that our country was able to also champion 1.5 degrees centigrade cap and include human rights and ‘climate justice’ into the text. But how I wish to have a goal lower than 1.5. The agreement may become a spark of hope to save the planet signaling the age of a great power shift leaving fossil fuels and embracing renewable energy sources nature has been offering. How would the inclusion of the phrase ‘climate justice’ apply to thousands of lives lost and worth billions of dollars damaged after extreme weather conditions hit our communities? Be that as it may, historical responsibility, liability and compensation are not addressed, hence, vulnerable countries which experienced massive losses and damages may be on crossroads.”

–Rodney Galicha, manager of the Climate Project

 

“A big concern is that there’s no guarantee of assistance for those who will suffer from immediate climate impacts, especially the poor and the vulnerable. The agreement does contain elements that create the opportunity to make governments actions stronger and stronger over time, in terms of mitigation, adaptation and finance. This is critical.”

– Bill McKibben, Co-founder of 350.org

 

“This marks the end of the era of fossil fuels. There is no way to meet the targets laid out in this agreement without keeping coal, oil and gas in the ground. The text should send a clear signal to fossil fuel investors: divest now. Our job now is to hold countries to their word and accelerate the transition to 100% renewable energy. Over ten thousand of us took to the streets of Paris today to demonstrate our commitment to keep up the fight for climate justice, while many more demonstrated around the world. Our message is simple: a livable climate is a red line we’re prepared to defend.

– Chee Yoke Ling, Director of Third World Network

 

“At the moment the draft Paris agreement still puts us on track for 3 degree world. The reviews are too weak and too late. The political number mentioned for finance has no bearing on the scale of need. It’s empty. The iceberg has struck, the ship is going down and the band is still playing to warm applause.”

— Asad Rehman, Friends of the Earth International

 

“This coalition of ambition is designed to look at 1.5. But this is not an ambitious. It’s not the goals that deliver ambition. Real ambition must be delivered through binding commitments to mitigation and finance. Rich countries are refusing to do their fair share toward a 1.5oC goal. They have weakened the climate rules for themselves while getting everyone else into a new global agreement. These weaker rules precludes 1.5oC, and sets the world on a path for much higher levels.”

– Kate Dooley, Doctoral researcher University of Melbourne  

 

“The US is a cruel hypocrite. Obama spoke about embracing the US’s role of creating the problem and the need to take responsibility. This is all talk and no action. They created a clause that excludes compensation and liability for the losses and damages brought on by climate chaos. This is a deliberate plan to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.”

–Lidy Nacpil, Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development

 

 

“The price tag for climate damages this century will be in the trillions, with much of that damage in poor and vulnerable countries. The US is responsible for much of that toll, but they don’t care and they won’t pay. With arm twisting of developing countries, they have language now protecting the richest and heaping the devastating costs onto the poorest.”

–Doreen Stabinsky, Professor of Global Environmental Politics, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor

 

“Close to 100% reductions are needed by developed countries already by 2030 for a reasonable chance of 2°, let alone 1,5° world. Paris had the opportunity to deliver radical pre-2020 action and did none of this. Developed countries refusal to commit to either cuts or necessary finance means we are sleepwalking into climate chaos.”

–Niclas Hallstrom, What Next Forum

 

“While it may earn pats on the back for US negotiators from the big polluters pulling the strings, this agreement fails the people who need urgent action and may be a death sentence for many. To deliver solutions that work for people and our planet, we must insulate this process from the corrosive influence of big polluting industries.”

–Tamar Lawrence-Samuel, Corporate Accountability International

 

“Now comes the great task of this century. How do we meet this new goal? The measures outlined in Paris simply do not get us there. We have a 1.5 degree wall to climb, but the ladder isn’t long enough. The emissions targets on the table aren’t big enough, and the deal doesn’t do enough to change that. The new goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the second half of the century effectively means we need to phase out fossil fuels – the easiest to cut – by 2050.

– Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International

 

“With the Paris Agreement, all countries promise not to leave the poor behind. Developed countries leave Paris with an even higher moral obligation to scale up support for the most vulnerable people and to cut their emissions more rapidly.”

– Sven Harmeling, Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator of CARE International

 

“Governments across the world have now come together in the global fight against climate change but must play catch up. We will be holding them to account with the millions of people who marched in cities all around the world so that dangerous warming is averted and the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities get the support that they need.”

– OXFAM Executive Director Helen Szoke