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Leaders,
do not end up in the dustbin of
history! | | |
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As the world continues to
struggle through a pandemic, with many countries sliding
into debt distress exacerbating global inequalities,
climate impacts continue to escalate. Political
leadership at this critical historical juncture will
determine the path we take over the next decade in
efforts to rebuild and rejuvenate our societies and
avert the worst of the climate crisis.
Forty
world leaders will come together tomorrow for the US-hosted Leaders’ Summit on Climate.
The summit sets the scene for the next crucial months in
determining how substantial finance can enable drastic
emission cuts, phase out fossil fuels and address the
current needs of already impacted communities. History
will be a strong judge of how our political leaders use
this time to uphold their promise to pursue all efforts
to limit warming to 1.5C and deliver on climate
justice.
Over the next few months - in line with
the CAN strategy - climate finance and ambition are
priority areas to pressure major emitters such as the G7
group and other rich countries. We should be holding
them to account on acting to limit warming to 1.5°C and
ensuring that they fulfil their obligations on the
provision of support for developing countries. They can
start by acknowledging, addressing and redressing Loss
and Damage, which is already being experienced in many
countries and communities, especially in the global
south and also allocating half of all public finance to
adaptation efforts.
As CAN, we also use this
opportunity to stand alongside all those demanding that
President Biden and leaders of other rich nations
suspend WTO patents on life-saving COVID19 vaccines.
They must uphold vaccine equity and prioritise health
and other frontline workers in the global south. Climate
solidarity is entwined with our global solidarity to end
this pandemic and save all lives.
Tasneem
Essop
Executive Director, CAN
International | |
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Blog:
Demanding Sound Responsibility in the
Banking Sector
By: Santiago Lorenzo, Head of
Sustainable Finance (CAN); CAN Representative to the
UNEP FI PRB Civil Society Advisory Body
(CSAB)
For many decades different actors,
including civil society organizations, have been
demanding that private sector companies take
responsibility for their operations. Responsibility
starts with respecting the law, but it is not limited to
it. Despite these calls, we continue to see ample
evidence of how businesses fail to act responsibly in
pursuit of profit. Such impunity needs to come to an
end. Businesses operate with the social license endowed
by citizens and communities and as such are also
directly accountable to society. Globalization has
transformed our world into ‘Spaceship Earth’ with the
result that actions by businesses reverberates through
every corner of our planet. Continue reading
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| 153 Organizations
and Academics Call on World Bank to End Finance
for Fossil Fuels In a letter, 153 organizations and
academics across six continents called on the
World Bank Group President David Malpass and WBG
leadership to immediately adopt a
whole-of-institution commitment to end all types
of support for fossil fuels, including gas. The
letter comes as the WBG prepares to publish its
new Climate Change Action Plan. Know more
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| Center for
International Environmental Law
(CIEL): Funding Our
Future: Five Pillars for Rights-Based Climate
Finance explores how climate finance can advance
the principal goals of the UNFCCC and the Paris
Agreement and protect human rights. Adequate
climate finance must flow from those developed
countries most responsible for the climate crisis
to those developing countries least responsible
for it, yet most adversely affected by it. Know more
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| CAN
EECCA: Supporting Georgian activists
in their struggle against harmful
hydropower. For
more than 170 days peaceful protests were going on
near the construction site of the Namakhvani Hydro
Power Plants (HPP) in Georgia. The local
population is worried for their safety, their land
and for the biodiversity potential of the
territory. Know more
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| Australia: Australian
bushfire survivor Jann Gilbert, who witnessed
climate change loss and damage first hand, sends a
strong message to Prime Minister Scott Morisson
and the Leaders Climate Summit to act now - cut
emissions, abandon fossil fuels to keep warming
under #1o5C (Download|Youtube|Twitter|Instagram)
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| Georgia: Locals near
#Rioni river in Georgia suffered severe floods
They called on officials to stop the construction
of Namakhvani hydropower plant to avoid
exacerbating climate impacts. Instead of
listening, the govt cracked down on protestors
last week (Download|Youtube|Twitter|Instagram)
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Earth Day Marks Entry Into
Force of Escazú Agreement, a New Environmental Law
Treaty for Latin America and the
Caribbean
Today, the world celebrates
Earth Day, a commemoration that began in 1970 to
mark the anniversary of the birth of the modern
environmental movement. Since then, Earth Day has
become a global event where the international
community at large focuses the spotlight and
global momentum on tackling the most pressing
environmental challenges of our time. Continue reading
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101 Nobel laureates call for
global fossil fuel non-proliferation
treaty
(The Guardian)
In an open
letter to world leaders published on Wednesday
former presidents, scientists, novelists and
religious leaders are urging governments to commit
to a rapid and just transition away from fossil
fuels, and a “transformational plan” to ensure
everyone around the world has access to renewable
energy. Continue reading
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What Is Canada Doing on Climate
Change? 3 Victories and 3
Obstacles
(Global Citizen)
Global
Citizen spoke with Catherine Abreu, the Executive
Director of Climate Action Network Canada, to
better understand Canada’s opportunities and
challenges around climate action. We asked
Abreu about the three most impactful steps Canada
has taken to advance climate action over the past
few years, and the three most glaring gaps. Here’s what she had to say, as
told to Global Citizen.
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As climate change threatens
world peace, Japan must face up to
risk
(Nikkei Asia)
Climate Action
Network South Asia and others added to the grim
predictions last December. If global warming
progresses, the environmental group says, between
34 million and 63 million people in South Asia
could be forced to migrate internally or abroad by
2050 due to droughts and loss of coastal land.
These are just a few examples of the potential
disasters brought on by climate change. If the
predictions are correct, armed forces worldwide
will be called upon to deal with them, undermining
their ability to defend their nations. Continue reading
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Pacific NGOs urge Australia to
halve emissions by 2030
(RNZ)
More
than 10 groups including Greenpeace, Oxfam,
Climate Action Network, Conference of Churches and
the Edmund Rice Centre used a full-page newspaper
advertisement and open letter to urge Australian
Prime Minister Scott Morrison to at least match
the ambition of other large emitters such as the
US, UK, EU and Canada. Continue reading
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| This newsletter is
your platform as part of the
CAN family so use it as an opportunity to share content
about the amazing work you’re doing - these could be
articles, blogs, events, campaigns, publications,
projects, etc. We would love to get more stories from
you! | |
Renewables in Cities 2021 Global
Status Report
(REN21, April
2021)
Cities around the world are taking
action to accelerate the global uptake of
renewable energy. City governments increasingly
recognise the potential of renewables to help
create clean, liveable and equitable cities:
overall, more than 1 billion people lived in a
city with a renewable energy target and/or policy
in 2020.
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Seizing the Urban
Opportunity
(World Resources
Institute, March 2021)
he
Coalition for Urban Transitions releases a new
report ‘Seizing the Urban Opportunity’, which
provides insights from six emerging economies on
how national governments can recover from
COVID-19, tackle the climate crisis and secure
shared prosperity through cities. Launching as a
call to action for national governments ahead of
COP26 in Glasgow, it builds on the Coalition’s
flagship 2019 report: Climate Emergency, Urban
Opportunity.
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