PACJA updates African Civil Society Call for Urgent Ambitious Action on Climate Change In Warsaw

November, 13^th 2013

From VIOLET MENGO in Warsaw, Poland

THE civil society representatives from across the African continent have urged Governments to take ambitious action against climate change.

The CSOs made this statement at a press conference held yesterday, at the on-going UNFCCC Climate Change Negotiation at the COP19/CMP19 which runs from November 11 – 22 in here in Poland.

The African civil society joins the rest of the global community meeting in Warsaw to find the most practicable way to address the growing impacts of climate change.

Mithika Mwenda, Secretary General of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) reminded leaders and governments’ representatives that climate change impacts are multiplying at unprecedented rate.

“As we speak, tens of thousands of Pilipino have perished in typhoons, while hundreds of thousands have been rendered homeless. How come this unfortunate incident is coinciding with COP19 conference?

Is nature heralding a chilling message to us? We demand that developed countries fulfill and implement their commitments under the UN climate convention, in order to fairly share a necessary ‘emissions budget’, and avoid catastrophic climate change,” Mr Mwenda said.

He said Africa along with other poor countries are at the most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change globally.

“We watch with horror what has happened in the Philippines, and know that similar impacts of climate change are ravaging Africa  with attendant loss of lives and properties and means of livelihood been eroded daily on the continent,” he said.

Mr Mwenda said will not the rich countries ignore these clear facts from Mother Nature, nor the yelling from world’s poor?

He said time has come for developed countries to cut deep their emissions that are causing climate change and that signals of such action should be seen from COP19.

PACJA believes these negotiations are about the emissions budget, whether governments admit it or not, they either negotiate to share that budget fairly, or they plan to exceed it.

“Africans expect our governments to stand firm on setting an emissions budget, as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCCC). Mr Mwenda said.

And from Habtemariam Abate Ethiopian Civil Society Network on Climate Change said developed countries must share the budget fairly, based on historical responsibility and capacities.

Mr Abate said there are strong and clear proposals on how to deliver energy to those who do not have, whilst avoiding the trappings of dirty fossil fuels and therefore allowing us to live within the emissions budget.

He said proposals include a globally funded feed in tariff – we expect such a measure to be adopted here in Warsaw.

“The best agreement on Earth won’t make a difference without implementation in the real world. That’s why one of the clear outcomes in Warsaw must be the drastic scaling up of climate finance and technology transfer.

Only if these commitments are met by Annex I parties can African governments really believe that the rich world plans to act in good faith on any future agreement.”  Mr Abate said.

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, PACJA, released several briefs outlining their analysis, shared with other civil society observers several issues, including equity, markets and loss and damage.

Ends…