“UN summit must expose polluters and laggards and reset political will ahead of COP28”
15 September 2023
UK PM Rishi Sunak’s no-show at the climate meet is ‘frankly embarrassing’, says campaigner while Biden’s presence raises questions about optics over substance given US’ poor climate targets
RECORDING OF THE BRIEFING
NEW Oil Change International report: ‘Planet Wreckers’
14 September 2023: The fact that several world leaders will not attend the UNSG’s Climate Ambition Summit on 20 September in New York, USA, is a telling sign of political apathy to the everyday reality of millions of people impacted by the climate crisis, said civil society representatives at a press briefing today.
The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has set a bar for entry to the summit – inviting leaders to speak only if they have ambitious new commitments on climate action.
Lauren MacDonald, Campaigner with the group #StopRosebank said: “We know – and the UK government knows – there can be no new drilling if we want a habitable world and yet they are issuing new licenses and considering approving the massive Rosebank oil field, which would create more carbon dioxide emissions than 28 of the poorest countries produce in a year combined.”
That the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is not going to the UN summit was ‘frankly embarrassing’, she said and highlights the hypocrisy of his government.
The press briefing organised by Climate Action Network comes ahead of weekend-long global mobilisations, starting tomorrow, demanding an end to fossil fuels under the campaign – Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels.
Over 650 actions in over 60 countries and endorsed by 3800 organisations have signed up for the weekend push.
The briefing today set out the landscape ahead of the UN Summit taking into account outcomes from recent political meetings such as the Africa Climate Summit and the G20 Summit.
Mohamed Adow, Director, Power Shift Africa said while the Africa Climate Summit, which was held in early September, was historic in being the first climate summit focused on the continent it failed to deliver anything transformational and instead pushed for carbon markets which are nothing but ‘polluter permits’ advocated by rich companies and governments to perpetuate their own ongoing carbon pollution at the cost of African countries.
Outcomes from recent high-level events have shown a serious political misalignment which does not bode well for an ambitious deal at COP28 – on finalising and filling the Loss and Damage Fund, a Just Transition Work Programme and a commitment on an equitable phase out from fossil fuels accompanied by clear targets and delivery of finance to scale up renewables. The UNSG’s Summit must be a moment to expose the laggards before COP28 and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has shown he has no qualms in doing this, he added.
Brandon Wu, Director of Policy and Campaigns, ActionAid USA said in the context of the unrelenting climate disasters hitting every part of the world, “the next few months will be crucial for communities in developing countries: a pledging conference for the Green Climate Fund and the conclusion of crucial negotiations on the new Loss & Damage Fund, both in October, will help determine how much money is available for developing countries in the coming years for the kind of climate action on which literally millions of lives will depend.
“Unfortunately, rich countries have consistently failed to meet the moment. The scale of finance to support climate action in developing countries is dwarfed by the scale of the disasters they are facing every day. This is not just an abdication of responsibility, it is a literal death sentence for many, and it has to change immediately.”
Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager, Climate Change at the Centre for Science and Environment, said the recent Global Stocktake Report, an assessment of overall climate action by the UN which will serve as an input at the UNFCCC COP28 summit, shows how wildly off track the world is in meeting the challenge to tackle the climate crisis. The G20 Summit was a tepid political reaction to the reality of climate devastation and the debt crisis which are unfolding in parallel.
While having consensus on a statement was welcome, she said, consensus on a low-ambition declaration that did not balance a renewable energy goal with a matching intent to phase out fossil fuels in an equitable manner was a missed opportunity.
“The signals from the G20 declaration show positive momentum on building up renewable energy and recognition of the need for low cost financing for the energy transition in developing countries. But the lack of a fossil fuel phase out commitment dampens the effect of this progress, and shows that fossil-producing countries still exert undue influence. Oil and gas account for 54% of global GHG emissions, and their producers must be held accountable.”
Citing the recent Oil Change International report, ‘Planet Wreckers’ which shows that just 20 countries are responsible for nearly 90% of carbon dioxide pollution threatened by new oil and gas extraction projects between 2023 and 2050, MacDonald called out the leaders of five largest polluter nations – the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada and Norway – and said their decision to continue fossil fuel expansion willfully puts lives in danger.
#### ENDS ####
CONTACT
Dharini Parthasarathy, Global Communications Lead, Climate Action Network International at dparthasarathy@climatenetwork.org / whatsapp +918826017830 and please copy media@climatenetwork.org
ABOUT CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK
Climate Action Network is a global network of over 1900 civil society organisations in over 130 countries together on a mission to fight the climate crisis. Visit: https://climatenetwork.org/