Political will holds the key
NEWSLETTER, June 2024—Interparliamentary Exchange convenes lawmakers; CCI outlines 7 areas of action for G7; Bonn talks raise stakes for COP29; CCL Canada volunteers call for follow-through in Ottawa.
Another hellish summer has begun in the Northern Hemisphere with reports of more than a thousand people dying from heat during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, where temperatures spiked at 51.8°Celsius (125°Fahrenheit). Despite evidence that the catastrophic impact of climate change is already upon us, nations of the world are not making nearly enough progress on preserving a livable planet. The Global Stocktake released by the United Nations last September found that while progress has been made as a result of the Paris Agreement, current pledges put the world on track to warm 2.5°C by 2100, dangerously higher than the 1.5°C warming that the Paris Agreement aims to avoid exceeding. One of the biggest obstacles to effective climate action is lack of political will. As nations work together to develop collaborative ways to rapidly bring down heat-trapping emissions, it makes sense for legislators across the globe to meet and develop best practices for achieving climate goals. Citizens engaging lawmakers can break down barriers to effective climate action. Lawmakers sharing views and experiences can make climate cooperation into a driver of sustainable development for the people they represent.
Interparliamentary Exchange: Putting climate value front and center with lawmakers
In early June, Citizens’ Climate International initiated the Interparliamentary Exchange, a forum for lawmakers and others to share their experiences and learn from each other about how to infuse climate value into the policies and programs they’re working to enact in their countries. The Exchange took place in Washington, D.C., as part of Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s annual conference and lobby day. The idea grew from last year’s CCL conference, when CCI welcomed a Parliamentary Delegation from Ghana, with two lawmakers formally recognized as representing the entire Parliament. The visiting MPs were inspired by the approach Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers take to engage members of Congress.
“Based on that, we set about trying to expand this engagement to have not just one parliamentary delegation, but at least two, so that we could have an interparliamentary exchange,” said CCI Executive Director Joe Robertson.
Legislators from Nigeria and Ghana talked about the costs and impacts of climate change in their countries and the need for a just transition to renewable energy. In Nigeria, for example, desertification is pushing cattle herders south, leading to clashes with farmers. “[The desert is] still coming, and it’s led to a lot of problems where herdsmen can’t find water and can’t find vegetation for their animals anymore,” said the Hon. Terseer Ugbor, a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives.
CCI issued a summary statement about the Exchange calling for climate value to be considered in finance, investment, public policy, and trade priorities.
Next year, CCI plans to build on the 2024 Interparliamentary Exchange by organizing a conference to welcome lawmakers, other officials, and stakeholders from at least 10 countries. “Ideally, this becomes an annual Climate Value Exchange Conference,” said CCI’s Joe Robertson.
Learn more about the participants in the Parliamentary Exchange and what they had to say in our blog post.
CCI outlines 7 areas of action for G7 leadership
The Group of Seven — also known as the G7 — met in Italy last month, a summit that provides an opportunity to show leadership in solving the world’s most pressing problems. To address the global threat of climate breakdown, Citizens’ Climate International is calling for leadership in seven areas:
Expand Climate Value (in finance, trade & everyday experience)
Align pricing and regulatory measures
Link data systems to support everyday benefits
Get early warning capacity to everyone
Protect and restore nature and biodiversity
Make food systems sustainable and secure
Spread participatory civics
The cascade effects of climate breakdown need attention. Pollution, desertification, water scarcity, and local armed conflict, are leading to land grabs, ethnic cleansing, mass displacement, and political destabilization in affected countries. Upstream action that reduces these risks is urgently needed; finance should be structured to align with that goal everywhere possible. Our 7 recommendations all provide ways of intervening to slow, reverse, and ultimately to prevent cascade effects linked to climate breakdown.
Bonn talks set agenda for COP29
Climate negotiators gathered in Bonn last month to make progress on an agreement that will be finalized at COP29 in Baku later this year. As negotiations unfold, Citizens’ Climate International sees an opportunity for the kind of society-wide transformation that’s needed to meet the world’s climate challenges. Specifically, CCI is calling for climate value to be the leading consideration for policy decisions made at the local, national and international level.
To wrap our heads around the concept of climate value, we must look at where value is lost due to climate risks, impacts, and costs. This CCI briefing note to climate negotiators delves into the meaning of climate value and how it can be established as a mainstream metric.
Prior to the Bonn meeting, CCI’s Earth Diplomacy Leadership workshops came away with critical action insights for international cooperation to accelerate climate value in decision making processes. Attention should be given to these five areas:
No person, business or country is immune from the impact of climate change. We are all afloat in lifeboat Earth, and it matters not which end of the boat is leaking; we must together plug the hole and bale water.
Fossil fuel industries receive enormous subsidies and enjoy windfall profits. This wealth must be redirected to climate-smart investments.
Nations that make the shift more quickly to climate-smart, inclusive sustainable development will be stronger, more prosperous, more trusted, and more secure.
Funding for Loss and Damage should benefit the most vulnerable people and not generate additional debt for beleaguered nations.
Transparency about progress toward climate goals is essential to promote the trust and collaboration needed in the global fight against climate change.
CCL Canada pushes Parliament to meet climate goals
Canadians from coast to coast gathered in Ottawa early last month for CCL Canada’s conference and lobby day, “Dream No Small Dreams.” With federal elections coming up next year and Canada’s carbon pricing program coming under attack, it will be important to show support for policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and participants in the conference and lobby day held at least 25 meetings with members of Parliament expressing support for carbon rebates and a price that is scheduled to increase to $170 per ton by 2030.
The conference featured a keynote address from Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Speaking about the role CCL Canada played in getting the carbon fee and rebate program enacted, she said, “You guys were amazing, because it was really important to show that this was something that had broad public support… We needed people to actually speak up and say this is what we want, and this is good for people.”
Another presentation at the conference focused on the health risks associated with fossil fuel consumption, which has motivated a campaign in Canada — Fossil Fuel Ads Make Us Sick — to ban advertising, sponsorship, and promotion of fossil fuel companies, products, and services to protect public health. Legislation has been introduced in Parliament — C 372 — that would impose such a ban.
Another memorable moment was the building of a giant dreamcatcher on Parliament Hill in collaboration with Indigenous Artist Will Morin. The dreamcatcher event drew members of Parliament from the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party, the Conservative Party of Canada and Bloc Québécois.
Recordings from the conference can be found on CCL Canada’s website.
Updates
In an interview with Business Review in Romania, Citizens’ Climate Europe Chair James Collis (above) said, “Carbon pricing is the cornerstone of the EU Green Deal, because it is the single most effective policy to reduce emissions and it enhances all other environmental legislation.”
In Tanzania, CCI volunteer Charles Mwambene published an op-ed related to the G7 summit calling for a price on carbon to speed up the phaseout of fossil fuels: “The G7 countries can chart a course for other nations to follow in the arduous journey to bring climate change under control. A price on carbon is the most dependable vehicle for getting us to that destination.”
CCL Canada’s Mary Blake Rose was interviewed on a French radio station in Canada. She talked about the work of Citizens Climate Lobby Canada, climate income, and disinformation regarding carbon pricing.
Good news
The Australian government is spearheading major sustainable finance reforms to transition to a net-zero economy. These initiatives include mandatory climate-related financial disclosures, the development of a sustainable finance taxonomy, and investment product labels. The Albanese Government aims to mobilize private capital, modernize financial markets, and ensure transparency and confidence for investors and companies. A PDF of the plan can be downloaded here.
In Canada, a new anti-greenwashing rule set to go into effect has prompted a website representing the oil sands industry to scrub its website. The new rule requires companies to show proof of their claims about activities that benefit the environment. You can retweet CCL Canada’s response here.
Youth activists in Hawaii achieved a landmark victory with an unprecedented climate settlement that will force the state’s Department of Transportation to move more aggressively towards a zero-emission transportation system. This ruling mandates significant policy changes aimed at reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment for future generations.
At the G7 Summit last month, a new initiative was launched to improve food security and make agriculture more resilient to climate change with a focus on the African continent.
Coming up
Get-To-Know-Us: Join us to learn how you can help drive evidence-based and socially just climate action on one of three calls that resume in September. In 2024, the agenda was revamped to include an introduction to the EnROADS policy simulator and a primer on redirecting financial flows. Register here.
We need to build Climate Value to better serve the vital non-financial interests of people, communities, nations, and nature.
