Cancunhagen forces humankind to suicide!
(Cancun, Mexico, December 11, 2010) The final outcome of the Cancun climate talks basically reflects the same negative outcome of the Copenhagen Accord in December, 2009. Therefore, it threatens the life of the Kyoto Protocol, but even more importantly, it threatens the life of humankind, because if these outcome is implemented, by the end of the century the planet will see global temperature rising by an average of over 5°C , which would make the Earth too inhospitable for our civilization.
Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) denounces and rejects this outcome of the COP on Climate, which nevertheless will be presented to humankind by the big economic interests as the solution to the climate crisis. ATALC supports Bolivia´s statements that the result of the COP is inadequate and does not respond to the climate reality of the Earth, but favors the interests of big transnational corporations and disregards the dramatic situation of many developing countries.
In addition, we consider that the process of negotiations was neither open nor transparent, and was based on infamous practices known as the “green rooms” (bilateral negotiations between groups of countries), that rule out any possibility to have a discussion by all parties. In consequence, ATALC upholds the Peoples´ Agreement of Cochabamba and will continue promoting it since it includes the real solutions to climate change.
The texts presented at the end of the COP include the continuation of negotiations around a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, but they don´t make any reference as to when these negotiations shall be concluded, nor do they ensure a second period. In fact, they leave the door open to dismantle Kyoto, the only binding climate agreement that obliges rich countries to reduce their emissions.
On these reductions, the new texts continue being based on a system of voluntary offers, or “pledges” by each country, without making reference to an exact number that the parties will have to agree as a common target. Even though the texts do not include emission reduction targets, they do ensure flexibility mechanisms for rich countries, so that they can achieve their “pledges”. Carbon trading and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are among these mechanisms.
On long-term cooperative action, the new texts continue seeing forests as mere carbon reservoirs (sinks) and are geared towards emissions trading. Also, they don´t ensure the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. In terms of climate finance, a green fund was created, but the World Bank was invited to have a fundamental role in it. With reference to technology transfer, two new institutions to analyze the issue were created, but nothing was said in terms of where the funds for these institutions will come from.
Ricardo Navarro, member of CESTA-Friends of the Earth El Salvador, said: “Only in a Moon Palace does a legal instrument like the Kyoto Protocol end up benefiting rich countries, the ones responsible for climate change, even if they don´t reduce their emissions. What is being discussed at the Moon does not reflect what happens on Earth”, said Navarro.
Lucia Ortiz, from NAT-Friends of the Earth Brazil said: “We reject an agreement on forests that, instead of aiming to preserve them, is putting a price on them according to the amount of carbon they store, and opens the door to more emissions trading to favor the most powerful and polluting countries”.
Meanwhile, Grace Garcia, member of COECOCEIBA-Friends of the Earth Costa Rica, said: “only a gang of lunatics would think it is a good idea to invite the World Bank to receive climate funds, with their long-standing track-record of financing the world´s dirtiest projects and imposition of death-sentencing conditionalities on our peoples”.
Finally, Domingo Lechon, from Otros Mundos-Friends of the Earth Mexico, highlighted: “The texts presented in Cancun do not respond at all to the urgency raised by science and will bring an increase of 5°C to global temperature. Currently, with an increase that doesn´t even exceed 1 degree, the impacts of climate change are already extremely serious. Every year, 300.000 people die due to climate change and the social and natural disasters it causes”.
ATALC denounces that the outcome of Cancun isn´t anything else than the reproduction of the anti-democratic and completely inadequate Copenhagen Accord. “The outcome is a Cancunhagen that we reject”, concluded Ricardo Navarro.