Leaders of 30 nations have issued a call to de-carbonise the world economy, which they meant for 100% renewable energy by 2050 and zero emissions by mid-century to keep the world on track for below 1.5 degrees of warming.
The joint declaration was made late yesterday night, linking the hands of the world’s vulnerable countries across continents.
Though not all the heads of state and governments, many of them raised the issue at the Leaders Event on the opening day that the target of limiting temperature rise should be revised down to 1.5 degrees Celsius from 2 degrees.
The broad coalition of middle income, least developed, including Bangladesh, and small island developing states worldwide opened the prospect of high ambition agreements at the COP21 with issuing the strongest call.
“Individually, we are already survivors; collectively, we are a force towards a fairer, more climate-proactive world,” said Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III, leader of the group.
The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), a body representing countries highly vulnerable to climate change, adopted the Manila-Paris Declaration and a three-year Road Map of Activities aimed at enhancing cooperation among and protection for the world’s vulnerable countries.
“We refuse to be the sacrifice of the international community in Paris. Anything that takes our survival off the table here is a red line. All parties have an obligation to act and not doing so is a crime,” said Forest and Environment Minister Anwar Hossain Manju of Bangladesh.
“This Declaration is just the beginning of our efforts to step up our voice and collaboration,” he added.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica Manuel Gonzalez said emission cuts harming economic growth was a myth.
“A commitment to reduce emissions is most likely a commitment to strengthen economic growth. This has been Costa Rica’s experience,” he said, adding that keeping warming to a minimum – to below 1.5 degrees – would not simply deliver safety and prosperity, it will also deliver justice.
The Forum’s dedicated track of Ministers of Finance, the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group, also reported on updates from the efforts of its Working Group since foundation last month in Lima, Peru.
“We are convinced that the V20 has its role to play in helping to unlock the full potential of climate finance as we look to a new international partnership for moving our effort forward,” V20 Chair and Secretary of Finance Cesar V Purisima announced.
He urged all to work in this context to take steps to enable the vulnerable economies to benefit from $20 billion in new and additional finance by 2020, drawing from international, regional and domestic sources, and leveraging maximum degrees of private finance.
“We are here to cooperate. We are here to share experiences. Even if we contribute the least and suffer the most, we do not sit idle. Ethiopia, for example, communicated in its INDC that it will reduce emissions by 64 percent by 2030,” said Ethiopia State Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kare Chawicha.
Ethiopia was confirmed as the incoming chair of the CVF for the period 2016-2017.
The third-ever High-Level meeting of the CVF held in Paris yesterday was the culmination of nearly two years of expert, diplomatic and senior official consultations including five regional meetings that culminated on November 9-11, 2015 with a global preparatory meeting in Manila.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
