In a week coinciding with massive loss of life in the Asia Pacific region as a result of extreme weather, Friends of the Earth International decried attempts by developed countries to undermine their obligations under the UN climate convention.
Friends of the Earth International urged developed countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and provide public finance for developing countries in line with science and climate justice at UN climate talks in Bangkok, Thailand.
Karen Orenstein of Friends of the Earth US said: “The US administration should not bully its way into gutting the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. If the world’s richest country wants to claim itself as a leader, it needs to lead a race to the top and not a race to the bottom. US Senate legislation introduced this week, with incredibly weak targets and 2 billion tons of offsets, does not give us reason to believe that President Obama intends to deliver on his message of change.”
Linda Ijmker of Friends of the Earth Netherlands said: “The recent climate finance proposal from the EU Commission pushes the bulk of costs for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries back
to the developing countries themselves, and to theoretical financial flows from the carbon market.”
“We urge all European member states to correct this inadequate financing proposal and to truly meet the obligations under the international climate convention to provide financing for the adaptation, technology
sharing and mitigation needs of the developing countries, in addition to reducing their own emissions.”
Stephanie Long of Friends of the Earth International said: “Developed countries have been accumulating a climate debt for the past 200 years, based on their fossil fuel-intensive development. This climate debt must be repaid if we are to have any chance of avoiding dangerous climate change. This means that those that are historically responsible for climate change must reduce their emissions to give more resources to developing countries so they can develop sustainable economies.”
“The proposals from the EU Commission and US administration are completely inadequate, with almost complete reliance on the private sector to provide funds to fight climate change. The wealthy industrialised countries must start providing funds to clean up the mess they have caused,” she added.
According to sources close to developing countries delegations, the patience of developing countries is wearing thin at the UN negotiations on climate change.
