Bolivian civil society COP18 statement
With the knowledge that we face a global climate emergency - and as the 18th Conference
of the Parties of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change meets
in Doha, Qatar - Bolivian civil society organisations notes:
· Our
deep concern at the absence of a binding global agreement that will
stabilise the temperature - and give hope for the continuation of
conditions for life and human dignity on the planet.
· The
lack of progress achieved in the negotiations over the last few years.
The talks are currently at a standstill and are going backwards. They will
clearly lead to an increase of over 4 º centigrade by the end of the
century with devastating consequences that we have already seen with an
increase of just 0.87º.
· The
negotiations are very exclusionary and do not have sufficient civil
society participation. No country is willing to give up their positions
for the common good of the planet. These talks are dominated by the
interests of states, business, institutions and even individuals. The
prevailing view is that development is linked to “sustained economic
growth” where it is more important to save the diplomatic process than
the climate.
· Virtually
ignoring irrefutable scientific evidence, the negotiations have not
secured commitments or clear targets to drastically reduce emissions
that the planet requires. They have not even managed to establish clear
commitments to transfer sufficient financial and technological resources
– without conditionality - to countries in the south and the poorest
peoples who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
· While
developed countries are given increased flexibility, “developing”
countries are forced to accept false solutions that do not resolve the
structural causes of climate change and are based on the logic of carbon
markets.
· The
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is on the verge of becoming a
historic failure that doesn’t justify the funds and carbon footprint it
uses up each year to reach outcomes that are obviously ineffective.
Based on this analysis of the current situation Bolivian civil society declares:
We
call on Parties to the Convention to assume their historic
responsibility to life. They must recognise the urgency of the climate
crisis requires a global commitment and target to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions (GHG) by 50% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. There should be a
maximum 1ºC increase in the temperature and a concentration of GHG at
300ppm.
We
strongly condemn the cynicism and failure of Annex 1 countries -
Canada, Japan, Russia, New Zealand and in particular the United States –
who have stated they will not commit themselves to a second Kyoto
Protocol commitment period.
Together
developed countries must make deep changes to their economies,
consumption patterns and the unsustainable use of resources and energy
by their extractive industries - all of which are based on free trade
and economic growth.
The
principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) must be
fully respected based on the recognition of the historical debt,
justice, equality and respect for human rights. However, this should not
be used as an excuse by emerging economies and developing countries.
They should take up the challenge to transition to other development
paths. They should take on differentiated emissions reductions
commitments that are dependent on the transfer of reliable, adequate and
unconditional finance and technology.
Efforts
to reduce poverty should not repeat the mistakes of development models -
such as the unsustainable use of resources and energy - that have
caused the current climate crisis. The logic of competing over a section
of the carbon budget risks pushing us over the edge and making climate
change irreversible.
We
are deeply concerned by the lack of political will shown by the
international community to implement measures to regulate multinationals
and states that are planning large investments in fossil fuel energies.
We now know the planet can only consume 1/3 of proven fossil fuel
reserves. This energy should be used for a transition to a global
environmentally sustainable energy matrix that respects human rights and
justice.
We
reject false solutions such as carbon markets, REDD, the Clean
Development Mechanism, carbon capture and storage, and biofuels. These
false solutions have shown that instead of resolving the climate crisis
they exacerbate it. They lead to more inequalities, violations of
collective and indigenous people’s rights, and impact on food security
and sovereignty.
Our
analysis should be reflected in the second commitment period of the
Kyoto Protocol, the Long-term group of Cooperative Action and in the
future agreement negotiated under the Durban Platform.
It
is also clear there must be work towards a renewal of the Convention by
bringing together the great progress made to date. However, the talks
should change their focus so that they attack the structural causes of
the climate crisis. There should be more efficient and inclusionary
mechanisms for civil society participation and that can respond to
warnings from climate science.
We
affirm our commitment to continue fighting for a more just world - a
world not dominated by profit and where wealth is accumulated in the
hands of a few. We will continue developing alternatives that make power
structures more democratic and other visions of “development” that
re-establish harmony with Mother Earth.
We
believe the way to deal with the climate crisis is through deep changes
in development paradigms and practices to delink wellbeing from
economic growth. Therefore we call on governments to attack climate
change’s structural causes to make deep transformations: to how
economies are organised, the global energy matrix and to break the power
of business.
As
civil society we support the proposals for climate justice put forward
in the Cochabamba People’s Agreement as the basis to move towards a more
just world based on respect for life.
La Paz, 19 November 2012
AMTIDES
CEADESC
CENDA
Centro de Mujeres Candelaria
CIDOB
CIPCA
CONAMAQ
Fundación Jubileo
Fundación Solón
LIDEMA
Pastoral Social CARITAS Bolivia
Plataforma Boliviana Frente al Cambio Climático
Red de Comunicaciones Apachita
Reacción Climática
Universidad Franz Tamayo
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