COPENHAGEN (December 4, 2009) – Just three days before climate change treaty negotiations start in Copenhagen, advocates from the poverty-fighting group CARE are imploring delegates not to forget the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world.
‘Over the past months the world’s governments have been arguing about who is going to pay whom for responding to climate change in the future. At the same time millions of the world’s poorest people are being affected by a rough climate right now. Official delegations in the negotiations have so far behaved as if these people don’t matter,’ said Poul Erik Lauridsen, who will lead CARE’s delegation in Copenhagen. Lauridsen stressed that thus far he has not seen enough political will to achieve the three things that matter most for the people who are most vulnerable to climate change but have contributed least to the problem. They are counting on: greatly reduced emissions; solid commitments for enough money to solve the problem; and adaptation investments that target the most vulnerable people.
Poor women, in particular, have much to gain – or lose. Women are often tasked with climate-sensitive work such as collecting water, gathering fuel wood and taking care of small livestock. And as the primary providers of agricultural labour and family nutrition, women must be at the centre of the world’s response to climate change. They are powerful agents of adaptation.
The cost of adaptation is a moving target that depends on how much world leaders commit to emission reductions. Modest cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, for instance, would greatly increase the need for large investments in adaptation. A recent World Bank report estimates that the cost of adaptation in developing countries is around $75 to $100 billion per year between 2010 and 2050. However, according to CARE, this figure does not incorporate the true costs of climate damage, including economic intangibles such as death, misery and the degradation and loss of ecosystems.
‘We have to fight for new money for adaptation in the developing countries,’ Lauridsen said. ‘It is unacceptable if money from existing development aid budgets is relabelled as climate finance. We cannot watch budgets for hospitals and schools cover the need for climate change adaptation.’
Will developing countries walk out again?
Stakes are high at COP 15, particularly for low lying islands states that will be negotiating for their survival.
African countries demonstrated clearly in the recent Barcelona climate talks that they were ready to walk out from negotiations when developed countries failed to live up to past promises. ‘Our contacts in the delegations in developing countries tell us that they are willing to the same again unless their fair and non-negotiable demands are addressed in the climate negotiations,’ Lauridsen said.
In an effort give vulnerable populations a louder voice in Copenhagen, CARE International is supporting attendance by 10 advocates from countries in the global South. The hope is that they can help as sure that the rights and interests of poor people are integrated into the final agreement.
‘This is a global agreement between governments. We need to make sure that it is not only governments that benefit,’ Lauridsen said. ‘A real deal sealed in Copenhagen needs to pass several tests. One of the most important is that it be fair for the people that have contributed least to our climate crisis - particularly women and other especially vulnerable groups in the developing world,’ said Poul Erik Lauridsen.
For media inquiries please contact: Media officer, CARE Danmark, Marie Sisse Brown
/ +45 5372 7240 / [email protected]
CARE is a leading aid organisation with more than 60 years’ experience fighting global poverty and delivering emergency assistance. In 70 countries, CARE works with the poorest communities to improve basic health and education, enhance rural livelihoods and food security, increase access to clean water and sanitation, and expand economic opportunity. Our long-term development assistance and emergency relief initiatives are currently benefiting about 55 million people around the world. In response to the growing crisis, CARE is helping the most world’s most vulnerable communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.