Poor communities vulnerable to extreme weather put their faith in world leaders to deliver climate justice.
Caritas is urging governments to make progress on funding for adaption and a fair legally binding deal at a UN conference on climate change in Cancun, Mexico.
Caritas fears finalising such a deal this year is unlikely, but Cancun must produce a concrete roadmap to reaching a fair post Kyoto Accord by the end of 2011.
Poor communities vulnerable to extreme weather put their faith in world leaders to deliver climate justice at a summit in Copenhagen one year ago. The outcome was the Copenhagen Accord. It failed to provide the financial commitments to help the most needy adapt to climate change or the cuts in greenhouse gas emission to secure a future for the next generation.
Since then, 12 months have been squandered in more talks with little advances made. The poor cannot wait any longer.
Caritas Mexico will lead the Caritas delegation at Cancun. 30 representatives from Caritas organisations in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and Latin America will be present.
“The Earth was put under our stewardship. To care of the Earth does not only benefit us, the current generation, but also future generations. It is an act of love and solidarity with future human beings,” said Bishop Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, President of Caritas Mexico and Head of the Caritas Delegation to Cancun.
Caritas calls on rich countries to meet their financial obligations to developing countries. US$30 billion pledged to jump-start adaption to climate change programmes
must be delivered. It must target the poorest communities who do not have the capacity to respond to severe weather conditions they’re already experiencing.
Developed countries must also deliver on their promise of US$100 billion in annual long-term financing by 2020. These funds must be transparent, address national and local priorities and be additional to Overseas Development Aid (ODA).
A fair and legally binding global agreement that builds on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change due to end in 2012 is crucial. The agreement must keep global temperature below 1,5°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
Developed countries must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40% by 2020 based on 1990 levels. Developing countries must be supported in limiting the growth of their green house gas emissions.
Follow Caritas at Cancun
Read an in-depth policy statement.
For more information, please contact Anne-Sophie Legge on +39 06 69879757/+39 335 82 34 233 or [email protected]