CAN Intervention: COP/CMA/CMP Closing Plenary, COP26

COP26 was supposed to be a ‘crisis COP’, a lifeline for the millions of people living in a permanent state of crisis– losing their lives, livelihoods and homes as a result of climate impacts caused by rich polluting countries and corporations. 

We came to this COP with the hope that world leaders will respond to the needs of vulnerable peoples and communities.  The science is clear.  We are now in the era of Climate Impacts. Loss and Damage caused by climate change is happening already. Climate change is destroying lives and communities now, but yet you political leaders failed to respond to their plight. We came to Glasgow with a litmus test for you.  Provide finance on loss and damage – and you failed! We are disappointed by the betrayal of the rich nations and you, the COP Presidency, for being complicit in blocking the proposal by the G77 + China on the creation of the Glasgow Loss and Damage Finance Facility. We are also disappointed with developing countries for not standing strong in the face of this pressure and acting in the interests of their citizens.  

Incremental progress is not good enough. What we need is concrete commitments to fight the climate emergency. This includes a rapid and equitable phase-out – not phase down – all fossil fuels through a just energy transition and revisions of national climate targets in line with the 1.5 temperature goal.  

We the CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK, a civil society network fighting the climate crisis for many decades, call this COP one of the most exclusionary COPs ever and a betrayal of the people. We appreciate the commitment of the Secretariat to review and enhance the observer engagement in this process.

We will continue fighting for climate justice. We will do this at home and at the African COP27. That COP, held in a climate-vulnerable region, will have to be one that delivers for the vulnerable. 

Peoples’ Power, Climate Justice