Action 2. Sign this Petition to be delivered at COP 26
Petition
As plans are made to hold the COP 26 talks in Glasgow in 2021, we are collecting signatures from all over the world for this petition which will be delivered to the COP Presidency. It will demand that the round of talks do not end in the same manner as in recent years with, at best, incremental progress and a lack of ambition adequate to the science. That is a luxury we can no longer afford given the recent lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, which made all the loopholes all the more apparent.
The current COVID-19 crisis has shown clearly that governments can act decisively in a crisis if they choose to do so. While less immediate for many, the climate crisis is not going away and without urgent action could cause catastrophic harms.
CLIMATE JUSTICE MEANS URGENT ACTION AT COP26
Despite decades of scientific evidence and the obvious worsening of climate impacts, current international pledges to cut emissions place us on track for more than 3°C of warming.
The Paris Agreement aims to limit warming to 1.5°C to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, which threaten human lives and livelihoods, the viability of ecosystems, and the very fabric of life upon which all living creatures depend.
Impoverished communities have historically generated a low carbon-footprint. Their contribution to the climate crisis is negligible yet they are amongst the most affected, making climate change a justice issue. Solutions to address climate change must be inclusive, participatory, human-rights-based, gender-sensitive and accountable to climate-vulnerable communities, and nature based where possible.
Many faith-based groups around the world are taking action to care for creation and to stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable people. We ask the COP Presidency and Parties to COP 26 of the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC) to ensure that these points are reflected in the outcomes of the talks:
- All governments need to take urgent action to limit warming to 1.5°C temperature target and put in place legislation, policies and measures to achieve this target.
- Governments must implement solutions that prioritise protecting people, planet and ecosystems over profit.
- Governments must put in place the policies and legislation to achieve global net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, with high emitting countries taking the lead in reducing their emissions immediately. This should include phasing out fossil fuels, investing in renewable energy for all, and conserving and restoring natural ecosystems.
- Governments should put carbon-neutral nature-based solutions at the heart of their climate action, especially to improve resilience of communities, including indigenous peoples, and countries to climate impacts, based on locally-led ecosystem preservation and restoration.
- Climate finance needs to be urgently and significantly scaled up for poor and vulnerable countries and communities on the frontline of the climate crisis.
The window of opportunity to keep warming below 1.5C is closing rapidly. Let all governments be reminded that inaction on climate change translates into innocent lives lost and irreversible destruction to natural ecosystems. We, and future generations, are counting on you to take action before it is too late.
