As Extreme Weather Batters People On 3 Continents, CARE Says It ‘Will Not Rest’ Until World Leaders Deliver Climate Action For The Poorest
CARE Secretary-General calls on UN climate summit to tackle growing scandal of global ‘climate disruption’
18 September 2014 - Ahead of the UN Climate Summit in New York, CARE’s Secretary General Dr Robert Glasser says humanitarian organisation CARE ‘will not rest’ until governments take urgent action to tackle climate change and limit its effects on people living In poverty.
Pointing to a catalogue of extreme weather events in recent weeks, including devastating flooding and landslides in India and Nepal, extreme flooding in Pakistan and the Balkans, severe drought in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sri Lanka and tropical storms and typhoons in Vietnam and the Philippines, Dr Glasser said:
“Every day we’re seeing how global climate disruption, including severe storms, floods and drought, is turning lives upside down in some of the world’s poorest places. CARE will not rest until the people we work with in India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Philippines and many other countries have a clear signal from leaders that the world is serious about winning the war on climate change. It is scandalous and unjust that the poorest are already bearing the brunt of climate change impacts, despite having done the least to cause the problem. CARE calls on leaders meeting in New York to slam the brakes on climate change by cutting emissions and helping people living in poverty to adapt.”
Dr Glasser will lead CARE’s delegation to New York and attend the climate summit at the invitation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. CARE staff will also join People’s Climate Marches and events taking place in Paris, New York, London, Canberra, Zurich and Vienna.
Robert Glasser adds: “The UN summit must be an historic turning point, and leaders meeting in New York have a unique opportunity to reverse the trend of growing climate disruption. With the right commitments, particularly from developed countries, governments can catalyse a new phase of ambition ahead of major decisions in 2015, including a new global climate change agreement, a new plan for sustainable development and a framework to address global disaster risks.”
As the impacts of climate change worsen, pressure is mounting on governments to begin the transition towards a greener future. The huge turnout expected for the Peoples Climate Marches in New York and around the world will help to demonstrate that hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens will not go unheard.
In an open letter to Heads of States and Government in advance of the summit, CARE calls for:
- New and concrete action to reduce emissions, tackle climate impacts, and scale up renewable energy ahead of 2020.
- A commitment to limit global warming to 1.5C. Governments must also agree to work towards an emission-free, ‘zero fossil fuel’ future.
- Climate action in support of poor and marginalised people based on gender-equitable, participatory and rights-based approaches.
- New financial support for the Green Climate Fund. Developed countries must provide USD 15 billion in the next three years.
- An ambitious climate agreement at the UN climate summit in Paris in 2015.
Robert Glasser says: “Leaders must all take bold action to confront the most fundamental challenge of our time by pursuing a sustainable and equitable future for all. Failure to do so will subject all of us, but especially people living in poverty, to irreparable harm. Let’s build on the positive momentum for change to set our global society on a new and sustainable course. We owe it to current and future generations to act now.”
Notes to Editors
CARE’s Secretary General, Dr Robert Glasser, will attend the UN climate summit in New York on 23 September and the People’s Climate March taking place in New York on 21 September. To arrange an interview with Dr Glasser, or CARE’s Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator, Sven Harmeling, contact Jo Barrett, CARE’s Climate Change Media and Communications Coordinator in London on +44 (0)7940 703911 or [email protected].
CARE has responded to a catalogue of extreme weather events and related emergencies in recent weeks including those listed above. For further details about CARE’s response and numbers of people affected, please contact Jo Barrett.
For further information about CARE’s work on climate change, see: www.careclimatechange.org. For further information about CARE’s work, see: www.care-international.org.
About CARE: CARE is a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. In 87 countries around the world, CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to help lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty.