Caritas is calling for justice for the poor in developing countries who are most impacted by the adverse effects of climate change despite having done least to create it.
Caritas launched the “Grow Climate Justice Campaign” at the end of 2008 during a UN conference on climate change in Poznan, Poland. Industrialised countries are responsible for 70 percent of carbon dioxide emitted since the start of the industrial era.
Developing countries have the least capacity to cope and are most vulnerable to changes in weather patterns, catastrophic storms and other effects of climate change.
The Grow Climate Justice Campaign brings together hundreds of thousands of Catholics to call on their governments to negotiate a socially just post-2012 climate agreement.
Supporters are asked to sign an online petition and send postcards to their governments.
The campaign is spearheaded by Caritas and CIDSE, an alliance of Catholic development organisations. Campaign objectives:
- All countries should recognize and protect the right to sustainable development of people in developing countries, and prioritise the most vulnerable,
- Industrialised countries should provide sufficient, secure additional and accessible financial and technological support for adaptation and mitigation efforts by developing countries,
- Industrialised countries should commit to at least 30–40 percent reduction in emissions by 2020 (based on 1990 levels).