Nearly 200 organisations sign open letter demanding urgent action on mitigation ambition and climate finance ahead of COP27
Letter to the Heads of Delegation
Deliver Urgent Mitigation Ambition and Climate Finance
Background: To ensure successful outcomes in Sharm el-Sheikh, the incoming COP 27 Presidency is convening an informal Heads of Delegation meeting from 13-15 October 2022 in Egypt focusing on Mitigation and Finance.
We as, Climate Action Network and allies, ask for political leadership in this climate emergency to deliver urgent mitigation ambition and climate finance. This means a rapid and equitable phase out of all fossil fuels, drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the end of this decade to stay below 1.5C, and implementing policies and shifting finance towards a just and sustainable transition for a climate-safe future.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – –
To the Attention of Heads of Delegations negotiating on behalf of their governments and constituted groups,
Time is up. The IPCC 6th Assessment Reports have shown that the window of opportunity to stay within the temperature target of 1.5°C is rapidly closing with disastrous effects.
At the recent UNGA, the Secretary General identified the root cause of the climate crisis as our addiction to fossil fuels. This must stop immediately. The windfall profits of fossil fuel companies, who are profiting off the people, must be redirected to address loss and damage and to alleviate the suffering of people facing compounding food and energy crises. The protection of biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems like wetlands and tropical forests are crucial for reducing CO2 emissions and storing carbon towards a 1.5°C pathway in line with phasing out fossil fuels.
We remind you, at COP26 the Glasgow Climate Pact expressed alarm and utmost concern that human activities have caused around 1.2°C of global warming to date and stressed the urgency of enhancing ambition and action. The most recent WMO report – United in Science – shows yet again an alarming ambition and implementation gap between Parties’ pledges and what is needed to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement and to secure a climate safe future for all.
We see climate tipping points being crossed every year and human suffering is mounting. Without urgency of action today, children growing up today will inherit a world where droughts, floods, crop failures and other extreme weather events will become commonplace. In response to the ambition gap and the sense of urgency, COP26 decided to establish a ‘work programme to urgently scale up mitigation ambition and implementation’ (MWP) in this critical decade, and requested its delivery by COP27 complementing the Global Stocktake. The MWP is an opportunity to give countries tools and enhance cooperation to support the implementation and increase ambition of their National Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The tasks on mitigation are:
- Define and deliver an ambitious, equitable Mitigation Work Programme by COP27 with the objective to urgently enhance the ambition and implementation of Parties’ efforts to deliver global aggregate emissions reductions, in order to be in line with limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
- The MWP is complementary to the GST, and must be based on equity and fair shares and the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC).
- The MWP should create a check-in and accountability process of Parties’ sectoral pledges and commitments. We stress that voluntary sectoral pledges and commitments must be linked to NDCs and Long Term Strategies (LTS) and provide a readily available opportunity to enhance ambition.
- The MWP must follow up on the Glasgow Pact provisions on energy by developing a timeline for the phaseout of all fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas, as well as fossil fuel subsidies with developed countries taking the lead.
- The MWP must reflect the need that to achieve the Paris goals, all countries will need to cease new oil, gas, and coal exploration and development immediately and set targets for significant reductions in global fossil fuel production and export by 2030, with wealthy countries moving first and fastest to phase out extraction while supporting just transition in developing countries.
- The MWP must ensure that countries’ NDC implementation promotes an equitable and just transition that respects human rights, children’s rights and results in access to clean, reliable and affordable energy for their populations. It must be supported through international cooperation and governance measures.
- Ministerial roundtables should be informed by the technical work of the MWP, allowing a political check-in on strengthening and revisiting NDCs and implementation.
- The role of Non–Party Stakeholders (NPS) towards raising 2030 ambition and implementation should be enhanced, by strengthening the link between their contributions and efforts by Parties, and by enabling the contributions of NPSs to the Work Programme through reporting frameworks.
- Deliver a COP27 decision which reminds Parties successive NDCs should represent a progression, should reflect its highest possible ambition, can be updated at any time, and that Parties should verify that current NDCs are in line with the IPCC’s latest scientific recommendations.
- COP27 must reaffirm the need to provide adequate, scaled-up finance that is equitable and in line with climate justice. We remind you that finance is an enabling condition of ambitious climate action. Current climate finance does not respond to the urgency of needs and the level of ambition required. According to the most recent Needs Determination Report from the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF), analysis of just 78 countries’ NDCs, they will require at least USD 5.8 trillion cumulatively to reach their individual commitments for adaptation and mitigation by 2030. However, the financial requirements as assessed by SCF report are significantly lower in particular for clean energy than the analysis by IPCC (Working Group 3, 2022) for the same timeframe to meet a 1.5°C trajectory by 2030.
The forthcoming Heads of Delegation meeting on Mitigation and Finance in Cairo this October, is a moment to show political leadership in this climate emergency. Governments must cooperate and act in solidarity for the people suffering from climate and interconnected crises to ensure that COP27 urgently raises ambition and provides scaled up finance for implementation in line with equity and fair shares to ensure a climate safe world for all.
Yours Sincerely,
International Organisations
- 350.org
- Amnesty International
- CARE International
- Climate Action Network International
- Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
- Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)
- Fast For the Climate
- Global Witness
- Greenpeace
- Health Care Without Harm
- International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute
- Plant Based Treaty
- Stand.Earth
- The Climate Reality Project
- War on Want
- Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) International
- WWF International
National Organisations and Regional Networks
- 350 Aotearoa
- 350.org Japan
- AbibiNsroma Foundation
- Action 24
- Adarsha Samajik Progoti Sangstha (ASPS)
- Africa Climate and Health Alliance
- Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
- African Coalition on Green Growth
- Afrolinks International Frontiers Ltd
- Aid Organization
- Al-Maghazi municipality
- An Organization for Socio-Economic Development (AOSED)
- Arjon Foundation
- Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development
- Association for Climate Action Network Eastern Africa (ACANEA)
- Association Isaaf Jerada Solidarité et développement
- Association NAKHLA
- Bank Information Center
- Below2C
- Canadian Interfaith Fast For the Climate
- Caritas Uganda
- Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
- Center for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD)
- Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment & Management
- Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal
- Centro de Desarrollo Humano (CDH)
- Christian Aid UK
- Church of Norway International Council
- CIDSE
- CIMA ONG Ambiental
- Citizens Alliance for Saving the Atmosphere and the Earth (CASA)
- Climate Action for Lifelong Learners (CALL)
- Climate Action Network Africa
- Climate Action Network Arab World
- Climate Action Network Australia
- Climate Action Network Canada
- Climate Action Network EECCA
- Climate Action Network Europe
- Climate Action Network France
- Climate Action Network Japan
- Climate Action Network Japan
- Climate Action Network Latin America
- Climate Action Network South Africa
- Climate Action Network South Asia
- Climate Action Network Southeast Asia
- Climate Action Network Tanzania
- Climate Action Network Uganda
- Climate Action Network UK
- Climate Action Network West Africa
- Climate Action Network Zimbabwe
- Climate Action Parry Sound
- Climate Emergency Institute
- Climate Observatory
- ClimateFast
- CNCD-11.11.11
- Community Action for Healing Poverty Organization
- Community Initiatives for Development in Pakistan (CIDP)
- Community Restoration Initiative Project
- Connected Advocacy for Empowerment and Youth Development Initiative
- Coordination Office of the Austrian Bishop’s Conference for International Development and Mission (KOO)
- Destination Zero
- Diaries of the Ocean
- Dibeen For Environmental Development
- Djibouti Nature Organisation
- Eco Action Families
- EcoEquity
- EcoHimal Nepal
- Egyptian Green Party
- Electric Boating Association of Canada
- Emmaus International
- Environment and Conservation Organisations of NZ (ECO)
- Environmental Alert
- Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe Trust
- Environmental Defence Canada
- Environmental for life
- Environmental Management Trust
- Eurodad
- Evangelical Lutheran church in Tanzania
- Extinction Rebellion Nigeria
- Fastenaktion / Swiss Lenten Fund
- Federation of Community Forestry Users, Nepal (FECOFUN)
- Fiji Youth SRHR Alliance
- Finnish Development NGOs (Fingo)
- Foresight Association for Environmental Right and Climate Justice
- Forest & Bird
- Fossil Free South Africa
- Framtiden i våre hender
- Fridays for Future U.S.
- Fridays for Future Windhoek
- Friends of the Earth Germany/ BUND
- Friends of the Earth Ireland
- Gallifrey Foundation/SHE Changes Climate
- GenderCC- Southern Africa
- Global Initiative For Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP)
- Grand(m)others Act to Save the Planet (GASP)
- Green Mind Lebanon
- GreenFaith
- GreenHacks
- Hawaii Institute for Human Rights
- Heinrich Böll Stiftung Washington, DC
- Human Environmental Association for Development
- Improve your society organization (IYSO)
- Indian Youth Water Network
- Indigenous Environmental Network
- Initiatives for New Ecological Community Concerns (INECC)
- Institute for circular economy
- International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD)
- IRADO
- Joint Effort to Save the Environment (JESE)
- Kenya Environmental action network (KEAN)
- Klimadelegation e.V.
- League of Women Voters of Colorado
- League of Women Voters of idaho
- League of Women Voters of the United States
- Legambiente
- Methane Action
- Mount Kenya University
- National Integrated Development Association (NIDA-Pakistan)
- Natural Capitalism Solutions
- New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance, Inc.
- New Zealand Climate Action Network
- No Room For Racism Ōtautahi
- North American Climate, Conservation and Environment (NACCE)
- Northern Beaches Climate Action Network
- Norwegian Forum for Development and Environment
- Our Fish
- Pacific Islands Climate Action Network
- Parents for Future Tirol
- Parents for Future UK
- Parliament of the World’s Religions Climate Action Task Force
- Participatory Research & Action Network (PRAAN)
- Peace Movement Aotearoa
- pivot point
- Power Shift Africa
- Practical Action
- Protect Our Winters NZ
- Pueblo Action Alliance
- Push Sverige/Sweden
- R.E.D. Pro Consultants Greece
- Regenerate Africa
- Réseau Association Khnifiss
- Réseau Étudiant pour une Société Écologique et Solidaire (RESES)
- Royal Scientific Society (RSS)
- Ruya Foundation for Training and Development
- Save the Children International
- Scientific Society for Energy Studies and Research
- Seas At Risk
- Social Economic Development Society (SEDS)
- Social Innovators Design Group
- Sociedad Amigos del Viento
- Spire
- Stamp Out Poverty
- Stand.earth
- Sustain CreatiK
- Talanoa Institute
- Tamdeen Youth Foundation
- Tensift Regional Centre for Development Marrakesh
- The Climate Center
- The Global Sunrise Project
- The Greens Movement of Georgia / Friends of the Earth Georgia
- Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G)
- Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development
- Vanuatu Climate Action Network (VCAN)
- Voice of South Bangladesh.
- WildEarth Guardians
- WILPF UK
- Women’s Voice
- Womxn from the Mountain
- Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines
- Youth Salmon Protectors
- ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável
- Zimbabwe Climate Change Coalition
- جمعية الخير
- شبكة خليج الداخلةللمناخ والتنمية المستدامة