CAN Joint SBI/SBSTA Closing Intervention, COP25, December 2019

People are rising, but are you responding?

Last Friday, 500,000 people were on the streets in Madrid sending a clear message to your ministers:  The climate strikers and the people around the world expect this COP to deliver a strong outcome responding to the climate emergency with the highest possible ambition. This entails urgently delivering finance to address loss and damage,  enhancing NDCs, and upholding environmental integrity, guided by Science. 

On article 6, the options that have remained on the table are highly risky. We must avoid any outcome that allows for double counting and carryover of Kyoto credits and urge you to reinsert human rights into the text. Many have high expectations to deliver “a deal” on article 6, we want to reassure you that if you insist on robust rules to avoid the undermining of integrity, we will stand with you. But if you allow this decision to jeopardize the Paris Agreement – then we will hold you accountable. 

We are extremely disappointed that Parties have not yet delivered on a renewed Lima Work Programme and Gender Action Plan but have instead tried to negotiate away previously agreed principles on rights and equality – seemingly using this critical driver of progress for gender-just climate action as a bargaining chip. We are also disappointed that Parties have failed to adopt a Response Measures work programme on just transition. We expect Parties to show leadership now on this issue to deliver a robust gender and just transition action plan. 

As we are witnessing people suffering and dying from climate impacts around the world, the outcome of this COP depends on you providing new and additional sources of finance to address loss and damage. It will be a grave injustice if you let a weak decision further endanger the lives of vulnerable people.  

We urge you to enhance your national mitigation ambition and close the emission gaps in line with the 1.5C limit through national transparent and inclusive review processes. Furthermore, adopting a  5-year common timeframe is equally important.  

Parties, yet again we remind you that the people are rising, you need to listen – to the demands of the young people,  the indigenous and frontline communities, and you to the science. You need to act now!

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