Photo:Anja Engelke/CARE
Madrid, 28 November 2019 - Amidst wildfires, prolonged droughts, cyclones and rising social injustice, CARE calls on all governments and stakeholders at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP25, to ramp up their national climate plans (NDCs) by 2020 and to increase resilience, particularly for women and girls suffering from the climate crisis. COP25 is following last year’s adoption of the Paris Agreement Rulebook at COP24, and the September UN Climate Action Summit which was largely a missed opportunity by many governments to ramp up climate action. The conference in Madrid must start to fill the gap in ambitious commitments and advance on specific areas of concern at this pivotal time in global climate policy and action.
On Climate ambition:
"At the UN climate conference, governments, particularly from rich and powerful countries, must stop ignoring the climate emergency and commit to delivering more ambitious national climate plans in 2020. Our house is burning and this fire must be extinguished. Leaders thwarting action will be remembered in history for their destruction and must not be allowed to obstruct the conference, and climate action overall. We know the solutions we need, and together, the rest of the world has the power to make them happen."
Inge Vianen, Global Leader of CARE’s Climate Change and Resilience Platform
On loss and damage and finance:
"From Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas, the burden of the climate crisis falls disproportionately on the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and girls. At COP25, rich countries must shift the scales of justice towards those most impacted by the climate emergency and chart the way towards generating an additional USD 50 billion by 2022 to address loss and damage."
Sven Harmeling, CARE’s Global Policy Lead on Climate Change and Resilience
On Gender:
"There is no longer any question: climate justice, social justice and gender justice are inseparable realities that will indelibly shape our world, and the future of our species. If women are not adequately represented at the table and their solutions are not promoted, climate action will fail. With the adoption of an ambitious UNFCCC Gender Action Framework with a comprehensive 5-year Gender Action Plan at its core, COP25 can set a landmark for gender-just climate action."