The Climate Justice 1.5°C Allies
27 OCTOBER 2021
As the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) readies itself for participation in the upcoming global Climate Change conference, COP 26, it issued a pre-Conference Declaration this week giving notice that the Region faces a climate emergency and demanding action.
The CARICOM Declaration on Climate Change, approved at a meeting of CARICOM Ministers with responsibility for Climate Change, made an urgent call for unswerving global solidarity to deliver ambition, timely action, and support for a just transition during this decade, with the aim of limiting global warming to well below 1.5°C.
The Declaration demanded climate justice and the assurance that the Region’s survival will not be compromised. It called on leaders at COP26 to close the emissions gap, scale up finance particularly for the most vulnerable, and agree to rules to guide parties to progressively increase and demonstrate highest ambition.
→ READ THE FULL DECLARATION ON CARICOM'S WEBSITE
26 OCTOBER 2021
More than 300 civil society organisations sent an open letter to COP26 President Elect Alok Sharma and other world leaders demanding that COP26 urgently commit to deliver finance on Loss and Damage.
AN OPEN LETTER TO WORLD LEADERS
We, the undersigned, from over 300 organisations from across the world, spanning a broad range of institutions and movements, from humanitarian and development organisations to youth groups, Indigenous Peoples organisations, trade unions and climate justice groups, call on you today to ensure that COP26 delivers finance for loss and damage.
→ READ THE FULL LETTER AND MORE ON CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK INTERNATIONAL'S WEBSITE
17 October 2021
CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY CLIMATE CHANGE CENTRE (CCCCC)
The Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) takes place during what the region describes as a historic time with multiple crises and a rapidly closing window of opportunity for an effective global response.
→ READ MORE ON CCCCC'S WEBSITE
With only a few days left before the start of COP26, the International Development Empowerment and Representation Agency (iDERA) has released a very useful and comprehensive briefing note that presents the main positions and expectations of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in forthcoming negotiations. On 14 October, iDERA and the University of York’s Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI) hosted a webinar during which this note was presented and discussed.
In the invitation to the webinar, the organisers wrote that “there have been many ‘pre-COP’ events, but this one will be different and meaningful. It will not be experts lecturing; nor will it entail the rehashing of national positions; rather it will offer the opportunity for Representatives, Officials, scholars and experts to jointly explore new thinking and approaches that hopefully will contribute to positive outcomes for SIDS, and by extension, the rest of the world”.
This was actually the case, as the discussion chaired by iDERA’s Edwin Laurent produced very concrete and relevant ideas. We are pleased to share and recommend the briefing note, as it is indeed different and meaningful, at a time when too many of the ‘pre-COP’ events and position papers appear satisfied with very general statements and recommendations that are not directly linked to what will be on the negotiating table in Glasgow.
→ DOWNLOAD IDERA'S BRIEFING NOTE, "SURVIVAL OF SMALL ISLANDS: WILL COP26 DELIVER?" (PDF DOCUMENT)
12 October 2021
Blog by Gladys Habu, youth climate advocate from the Solomon Islands
I have been advocating for climate action for over half my life and I still do not believe we are doing enough. Instead, what I am seeing is political division.
Our islands are sinking. Our people are being displaced. Our children are going hungry. Our communities are becoming unhealthy and dying.
→ READ & WATCH MORE ON THE COMMONWEALTH'S WEBSITE
13 October 2021
CASA - Climate Ambition Support Alliance
Two leading spokeswomen from the High Ambition Coalition of countries, which is advocating for ambitious outcomes from the UNFCCC talks, have today set out their expectations of what COP26 should deliver for the world.
Andrea Meza Murillo, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica, and Tina Stege, Climate Envoy of the Republic of Marshall Islands, today held a joint conference where they underscored that:
The highest-emitting countries must strongly enhance their national climate plans, the Nationally Determined Contributions in advance of COP26;
Finance for climate action must be approached in a holistic, whole-of-economy fashion, in every country;
Respect and preservation of human rights through climate-related actions should be a paramount principle.
12 October 2021
Ayesha Constable, co-founder of GirlsCARE and guest-blogger for CANARI's “Caribbean Voices for Climate Justice” seriesCaribbean Voices for Climate Justice” series
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for accurate and accessible information to inform public decision-making, similar to what is needed for individual climate action. Similarly, the policy measures taken by government are in line with what is required legislatively to bar actions that drive climate change. In addition, the disparity in access to vaccines by rich and poor countries is analogous to the access to climate finance and technology. If the vaccine scenario serves as a blueprint for the climate experience, then we ought to be very concerned. It is safe to say that measured bilateral support or negotiations will not secure the resources required to build Caribbean country’s resilience to climate change. At some point, the esoteric response to the climate crisis, like that of COVID-19, from a standpoint of diplomacy and consensus, must give way to fairness, equity and justice.
4 OCTOBER, 2021
"Aurora Herrera reports on the formidable climate challenges facing the Caribbean, the progress some small islands states in the region have made against climate goals, and people's hopes and expectations for COP26.
The Caribbean population has been experiencing the effects of increasing global temperatures for decades. Government and civil society experts have been asking for the resources to adapt to and mitigate the effects of a changing climate, but global funding mechanisms have not been effective.
Now the latest International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has underscored the gravity of the situation, many Caribbean countries hope that the plight of the most vulnerable states will be at the forefront of the upcoming climate negotiations in Glasgow."
→ READ MORE ON COMMONWEALTHFOUNDATION.ORG
The Glasgow Climate Dialogues, four online sessions held between 6-9 September 2021 and designed to engage with, learn from and platform key Global South stakeholders on climate change ahead of COP26, resulted in a communiqué that summarises the outputs of these Dialogues, and is intended to provide valuable inputs to COP26 negotiations.
This constructive, convincing & articulate document provides an uplifting window into the needs of the Global South at the upcoming COP 26. It includes input from Caribbean allies such as the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) and CARICOM.
Each session, co-hosted by the Scottish Government and Scottish civil society, focused on a specific theme: Access, Participation and Voice; Adaptation and Resilience; Loss and Damage; and Just Transition.
→ READ THE GLASGOW CLIMATE DIALOGUES COMMUNIQUÉ HERE
Via Caribbean Natural Resources Institute - CANARI
Dr. Adelle Thomas, Ph.D., Caribbean Science Lead, Climate Analytics & Senior Fellow, University of The Bahamas
Climate justice highlights that the causes and impacts of climate change are neither distributed nor experienced equally and that there are structural, systemic and historical factors that have led to these inequities. Although climate justice has been a key advocacy issue for many years, the term has only recently become recognised in mainstream climate change discussions.
→ READ FURTHER ON CANARI WEBSITE
In September 2019, the world watched as Hurricane Dorian stormed through the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco as a Category 5 hurricane. During it’s 3-day journey through these islands, this storm erased any evidence of life in some neighbourhoods and communities, leaving behind a trail of trauma, heartbreak, sorrow, disbelief, and death. 'I Survived Dorian', a University of The Bahamas project, aims to provide a platform for the Survivors of Dorian to share their experiences of Dorian and their views on how disaster preparedness and response can be improved.
"Hurricane Dorian cannot be considered a one-off incident for The Bahamas. This hurricane is just the latest example of the impact of climate change on the environment and how we experience natural hazards in The Bahamas.
To redefine the next century of Climate Action and Disaster Preparedness, the Voices of the Survivors of Dorian need to be amplified to tell a more complete story — stories of movement and migration, hardship, struggle, recovery, and hope. The Bahamas is more than beautiful geology, wildlife, and scenic views. It’s a homeland—a place of history, library of cultural knowledge, a den of life and memories—to many."
Port of Spain, July 2, 2021
Caribbean civil society has begun to position itself to build a unified, coherent and amplified voice to enhance the effectiveness and impact of calls for climate justice for the most vulnerable, at a “Virtual Roundtable on a Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance” on June 11, 2021 that was convened by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and Panos Caribbean.
The roundtable brought together key experts, champions and thought leaders working on various aspects of climate justice – economic, environmental and social justice – from civil society organisations, academia, think tanks and other grassroots networks, to discuss a regional alliance to catalyse action, learning and influence policy and practice. This alliance would link up small and disconnected efforts by CSOs and other non-state actors on climate justice and support vulnerable and marginalised groups to advocate for pro-poor, inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and climate resilient approaches to COVID-19 economic recovery as part of a just transition in the Caribbean.
In celebration of Earth Day 2020, the global science and policy institute Climate Analytics has released a video documentary that features the efforts of civil society organisations and individuals in the fight against climate change.
In August 2019, in order to help keep a focus on the climate crisis and the need for urgent action at global, regional, national and community levels, Climate Analytics and the Institute for Small Islands convened a meeting to discuss the "Implications of Global Warming for a Small Island State like Trinidad and Tobago".
The video presents highlights from that encounter. “We are at the frontline against climate change”, says Caroline Mair-Toby, Founder and Director of the Institute for Small Islands in introducing the video, and “as small islands, the world over, it is important that we tell our own stories”. This new documentary does precisely this, telling the story of ground-breaking climate action in Trinidad and Tobago and showing the connectedness between the various efforts.
In the video, Rueanna Haynes, Senior Legal Advisor at Climate Analytics, reminds us that “under the Paris Agreement, countries have undertaken pledges to take action against climate change … [but] the 10-year time frame before us is our last chance to be able to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels”. In this documentary, civil society and other actors in Trinidad and Tobago stress that urgency, and demonstrate that everyone has a role to play in the fight against climate change.
History will most likely – and hopefully – remember this 20 September 2019 as the day when the fight for climate justice finally took centre stage, when thanks to courageous and visionary young people it was no longer possible to ignore the fact that climate change is an existential threat that must be taken very seriously.
On this occasion, and while hundreds of thousands of people – mainly students, but joined by their parents, by trade unionists, media workers, people from all walks of life – marched through the streets of places as far apart as Sydney, Nairobi, Delhi or London, Saint Lucian poet, dramatist and activist Kendel Hippolyte once again issued his call for artists throughout the world to add their voice to the cry for climate justice.
Earth Day, 22 April 2019. As part of the #1point5toStayAlive Campaign that supports Caribbean and other vulnerable countries in the fight against climate change, Panos Caribbean has produced a new theme song, with lyrics by Saint Lucian poet and dramatist Kendel Hippolyte and music by musician and humanitarian Taj Weekes, who coordinated the production on behalf of Panos Caribbean.
This video is part of a series of videos produced by Panos Caribbean, in the context of COP24, to highlight the human and social justice dimensions of climate change. It focuses on the relationship between gender and climate change, and looks in particular at the impacts of climate change on women and men, at the role of women in responding to these impacts, and at the contribution of women to the global fight for climate justice.
It features 4 Caribbean heroines in the global fight against climate change: Ambassador Dessima M. Williams, former Chair of AOSIS 2009-2011; UnaMay Gordon, Director of the Climate Change Division for the Government of Jamaica; Judith Wedderburn, Gender & Development Practitioner; and Dizzanne Billy, climate activist with the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN).
UnaMay Gordon, Director of the Climate Change Division for the Government of Jamaica, tells us how policies must consider gender when they are crafted.
This video is part of a series produced by Panos Caribbean and its 1.5 to Stay Alive initiative, in the context of COP24, 2 to 14 December 2018.
UnaMay Gordon, Director of the Climate Change Division for the Government of Jamaica, tells us about the necessity to look at the issues of climate and gender together.
This video is part of a series produced by Panos Caribbean and its 1.5 to Stay Alive initiative, in the context of COP24, 2 to 14 December 2018.
UnaMay Gordon, Director of the Climate Change Division for the Government of Jamaica, tells us how you can't make policies without the involvement of the people that will be affected by them.
This video is part of a series produced by Panos Caribbean and its 1.5 to Stay Alive initiative, in the context of COP24, 2 to 14 December 2018.
Dizzanne Billy, a young climate activist with the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), tells us how women are strong and show resilience in the face of the difficult conditions imposed on them by climate change.
This video is part of a series produced by Panos Caribbean and its 1.5 to Stay Alive initiative, in the context of COP24, 2 to 14 December 2018.
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