A farmer from Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra, India cried in full public view uncontrollably on November 24, 2019.  He said crying helplessly “I had to employ laborers and pay them to pick up onions from the field in the midst of rain.  Sharing his ordeal, he said how will I meet my own family’s need if I get the ridiculous price of 8 Rupees per kilo after all the investment of time, energy and money?  I invested all that I had in the crop and now I am left with nothing”.

After facing three consecutive droughts in Maharashtra, the farmers were ready to harvest a reasonably good winter crop. But an unexpected rain dashed all their hopes.

India, particularly Central India, is facing the havoc of an unexpected cycle of drought and flood at unexpected times and degrees.  Small and subsistence farmers at the bottom of the pyramid of the social system are the most heavily affected by this.

Climate change is proving to be a huge factor adding misery to the farmers, on top of the systems and structures in Indian society that are oppressive to them, and the apathy of officials to change policies to improve their situation.

The farmer who cried is not alone.  He is one of thousands of farmers who strive to produce the crops that feed’s the country’s population and who are in severe stress due to climate change.  According to the data released by NCHRC, 11,379 farmers committed suicide in India in 2016. That is 31 suicides every day. 948 every month.  Over 15,000 farmers committed suicide in Maharashtra from 2013 to 2018 according to RTI and a further 392 in just the first two months of 2019.  Do the lives of these farmers, who are the backbone of agriculture, not matter?

Every year we meet for the COP to discuss and deliberate in detail the cause and effect, the methods and systems to stop climate change. But between each COP thousands of lives are lost due to climate change.

More and more reports and more and more evidence prove that climate change is causing loss of life on our planet.  If we conquer the whole world with our knowledge, wealth, and technology but if we do not have food, how can we survive? Agriculture and food production is the basic pillar of society and if it is destroyed how we would take forward human life?

Once the male farmers commit suicide, their wives are forced to fend for themselves– including paying any debt and having full responsibility for the family passed on to her.

For all the global citizens and farmers around the world, climate change is real and a critical catastrophe. 

Let’s work on ways to quickly, justly, and effectively fix this.  Spain’s taking on the hosting of COP can be an inspiration to solve the climate crisis as it sprung up as a quick solution and an alternative to Chile.  This proves if we want to do something to protect our planet we can do so.

So let’s not wait for COP after COP, but stop all climate deaths here and now and save the agriculture sector and the farmers and lives affected by climate change.

Blog written by Dr Joycia Thorat, Co-chair of Advisory Group on Advocacy, ACT Alliance and Project Officer & policy desk in charge, Church’s  Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), India

December 5, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY

TEXT: ACT Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation, and the World Council of Churches, who between them represent over 500 million Christians around the world, will be holding a stunt on Friday 6 December from 9h30-10h00 at the entrance to COP just past the location where you scan your badge to enter the venue, between buildings 2 and 4.

A giant clock will sound the alarm, along with people sharing stories representing the urgent need for climate action around the world, through an action involving singing, stories, and the call that it’s time for action.

Who: Delegates from the ACT Alliance, Lutheran World Federation, and World Council of Churches

Where: Just past the badge scan at the entrance, between buildings 2 and 4.

When: Friday, December 6, 2019 at 09h30.

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MEDIA CONTACTS
Simon Chambers +1-416-435-0972, simon.chambers@actalliance.org
Director of Communications, ACT Alliance

Arni Svanur Danielsson +41 78 929 9686 , arni.danielsson@lutheranworld.org

Head of Communication, Lutheran World Federation

Marcelo Schneider +55 51 99 998 55 15, Marcelo.Schneider@wcc-coe.org
Communications Officer, World Council of Churches

December 5, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY

TEXT: ACT Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation, and the World Council of Churches, who between them represent over 500 million Christians around the world, will be holding a stunt on Friday 6 December from 9h30-10h00 at the entrance to COP just past the location where you scan your badge to enter the venue, between buildings 2 and 4.

A giant clock will sound the alarm, along with people sharing stories representing the urgent need for climate action around the world, through an action involving singing, stories, and the call that it’s time for action.

Who: Delegates from the ACT Alliance, Lutheran World Federation, and World Council of Churches

Where: Just past the badge scan at the entrance, between buildings 2 and 4.

When: Friday, December 6, 2019 at 09h30.

#####

MEDIA CONTACTS
Simon Chambers +1-416-435-0972, simon.chambers@actalliance.org
Director of Communications, ACT Alliance

Arni Svanur Danielsson +41 78 929 9686 , arni.danielsson@lutheranworld.org

Head of Communication, Lutheran World Federation

Marcelo Schneider +55 51 99 998 55 15, Marcelo.Schneider@wcc-coe.org
Communications Officer, World Council of Churches

The extreme hurricanes in the Caribbean and North America, as well as the severe droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the prolonged in parts of South-East Asia and Europe make it clear: the world is experiencing a climate breakdown.

These unprecedented and extreme climatic events are threatening to wipe off decades in gains made towards poverty eradication, sustainable development and global health in developing countries. Developing countries are and will continue to be affected the most by climate change despite having contributed to it the least; unless developed countries take action to reduce their emissions and provide support for developing countries to embark on climate-compatible, sustainable development.

Despite increased awareness of and exposure to extreme climatic weather events, this notion has yet to fully translate into accelerated efforts to tackle, adapt and address loss and damage caused by climate change.  

At COP25, the UNFCCC’s flagship mechanism to address loss and damage is being reviewed. The Review of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss & Damage (WIM) is a clear opportunity for all countries to assess whether this mechanism is fit for purpose, can fulfil the evolving needs of developing countries, and is also an opportunity to determine whether its efforts are consistent with achieving the recommendations of the 1.5°C IPCC report.  

COP25 is also an opportunity to address the WIM’s existing implementation gaps. Especially the most evident and potentially most problematic: the stalled operationalisation of the mechanism’s third function on support and action, which includes finance. 

Finance to address loss and damage has been the elephant in the room for far too long!  

It’s clear that the numbers of communities and people affected by intense climatic events is growing. As such, vulnerable communities all over the world are in dire need of financial support to; 

· Address the fast onset impacts of losses and damages that are already taking place, e.g. typhoons, landslides, wildfires 

· Manage the risks of short onset impacts, e.g. sea-level rise, glacial melt, forest degradation.  

It is imperative to ensure that the most vulnerable can access a long-term sustainable development pathway post-extreme and slow-onset climatic impacts. This means that developed countries need to strengthen their capacity to support developing countries by providing financial grants and capacity building. These efforts are urgent and must include an evaluation of existing opportunities to mobilise finance through innovative sources in order to address loss and damage.  

To ensure that a renewed commitment to address loss and damage finance takes place, and translates into systemic changes, an Open Expert Working Group on support and action under the WIM’s Executive Committee should be established.  

Doing so would allow country and non-country experts to enter into strategic dialogue on loss and damage, to determine what developing countries’ needs are, including financial needs, and assess how best to work with local communities to strengthen their capacity to adapt and become more resilient. 

Ultimately, the outcome of this Review must be that all developed countries drastically reduce their emissions and as a matter of urgency prioritise public finance grants for developing countries to address loss and damage. 

Waiting is no longer an option. 

Blog written by Leia Achampong, ACT Alliance EU Policy officer

I hope that world leaders packed the keys to unlock the much-needed climate action in Madrid – the answer is really a no-brainer.

The number of sad, and frightening climate stories is booming. The effects of climate change are being felt through heatwaves in India, cyclones in southern Africa, and wildfires in the United States and Australia. The good news is that we can fight climate change, and we can transition to a green, low carbon and resilient future. However, climate action is costly, and one of the key to actions that needs to be taken is, therefore, the provision of adequate climate finance.

A no-brainer

The most recent reports on climate finance indicate that only about 19% is allocated for adaptation- to enable vulnerable communities to adapt to the unavoidable effects of a changing climate. It is unfortunately not a surprise as this has been the trend since the beginning of the debates around providing climate support to developing countries. It is worrying, however, that this trend hasn’t stopped, despite UN agreements that says that climate finance should be balanced between mitigation and adaptation.

A recent report, from the Global Commission on Adaptation, which includes the director for the World Bank Kristalina Georgieva, the businessman Bill Gates, and the former UN general secretary Ban Ki-moon, re-emphasizes this call, and stresses that there is a need for increased focus on adaptation if we are to avoid a rapidly intensifying climate crisis. If we don’t act, more than 100 million more people will be pushed below the poverty line by 2030, according to the report. If we do act, it will not only save lives, it will also generate $7.1 trillion in total net benefits.

Did I hear anyone say “no-brainer”?

The call for adaptation finance is truly key if we want to cope with the threatening effects of climate change. However, we must also acknowledge that adaptation isn’t always enough and that even with an increased focus on adaptation, there will be situations where countries and communities face loss and damage when climate disasters strike.

Underprioritized

The Paris Agreement refers to “loss and damage” as a stand-alone category of climate action. These actions refer to both slow-onset disasters such as sea-level rise, and rapid-onset disasters such as cyclones and hurricanes. However, despite the urgency for action related to these situations, especially for affected people and communities, financial support has not yet been accepted as a formal point in the UN climate talks.

The need for finance related to loss and damage is rapidly increasing. Estimates indicate that more than 400 billion USD annually will be needed by 2030. This is a huge amount, considering that the agreed target is 100 billion USD annually (from 2020), for action related to mitigation and adaptation.

Clearly there is a need for a discussion to address how to mobilize these funds and to explore possibilities for innovative financing mechanisms. The sooner this debate can get started, the better. I hope world leaders will look ahead during this climate summit. We need the key, to unlock not only existing finance flows, but also new, and forthcoming flows, to enable a transition which is not only green but also resilient.

I have expectations for the climate summit. I hope world leaders will deliver.

Blog written by Hakon Grindheim, Political Adviser at Norwegian Church Aid / Kirkens Nødhjelp

December 2, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY

TEXT: ACT Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation, and the World Council of Churches, who between them represent over 500 million Christians around the world, will be holding a stunt from 13h00-13h30 at the entrance to COP just past the location where you scan your badge to enter the venue, between buildings 2 and 4.  People of faith from around the world—including youth, and Anglican Archbishop Julio Ernesto Murray Thompson of Panama–  will be offering prayers and stories of people affected by climate change now, with music, prayers, and moments of silence.  We will be praying for ambitious action at this COP, and that the most vulnerable people’s reality is front and centre as states negotiate.

Who:  People of faith from around the world, Archbishop Julio Ernesto Murray Thompson

Where: Just past the badge scan at the entrance, between buildings 2 and 4.

When: Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at 13h00.

#####

MEDIA CONTACT
Simon Chambers +1-416-435-0972, simon.chambers@actalliance.org
Director of Communications, ACT Alliance

Albin Hillert +46 73 070 11 08, albin.hillert@gmail.com
Communications Officer, Lutheran World Federation

Marcelo Schneider +55 51 99 998 55 15, Marcelo.Schneider@wcc-coe.org
Communications Officer, World Council of Churches

UN climate talks have a bad track record.

Over and over again, governments meet to find practical solutions on how to tackle one the most urgent and dramatic global challenges we face as humanity: climate change. The majority of participants if not all, are in agreement about the need for action. However, when delegates book their flights, you can be sure they add an extra day, as they know that the meeting will run overtime over hard talks and negotiations. What changes do we need to make this summit in Madrid, COP25, a success?

To begin with, when I say “success” I mean a summit that delivers on goals. The same goals that are enshrined in the Paris agreement. If we were to listen to scientists, and we definitely should, success means that in Madrid governments should commit to increase their ambitions rather than behave like business as usual. The recent “Gap report” from UNEP, raises the stakes.  It makes it clear that all parties need to reconsider their current approach to climate change, revise their national plans, and support international rules and agreements which can facilitate and promote more climate action.

At COP 25 the finding of the report should inform a number of critical decisions. First, the planned review of the current work with “climate change-induced loss and damage”, must deliver a commitment to continue the work, with a more ambitious agenda, which includes support to people affected by climate change. Talks about loss and damage are difficult!  Developed and developing countries are far apart in their positions. However, communities in need of support cannot be left behind. The Paris agreement is quite clear about it: loss and damage must be addressed and acted upon.

Secondly, the Madrid summit is expected to deliver rules for international cooperation, including ways on how to trade with carbon. This is a risky element of the Paris agreement and it has so far not been further developed. If the objective to reduce global emissions is truly at the center of our work as the international community, any type of rules must be strict and must ensure that there are no loopholes, double counting or cheating. Delivering weak rules will be a giant failure as it may enable a continued fossil fuel-based development.

Finally, and this may not be directly linked to the summit itself, the parties to the treaty need to step up their national ambition. The Paris agreement is built with a bottom-up approach, where each country needs to make its own climate plan (the so-called National Determined Contributions). In 2020 the parties should submit their new plans, and COP25 is a great opportunity to share news about their forthcoming, and more ambitious, intentions. At the same time developed should declare that they will scale up their climate finance, to support developing with the implementation of their plans, and to deliver on the commitment to annually mobilize 100 bn USD from 2020 and onwards.

COP25 will of course cover many other topics but if parties deliver on these three points, they will at least be moving in the right direction.

I hope COP25 will be a success!

Blog by Mattias Söderberg, Senior Advocacy Advisor at DanChurchAid

During the U.N. Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+25 Review, ACT Alliance as a faith-based, global coalition of over 150 churches and agencies together with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Women organized a side event on November 28 entitled “Champions for Climate Change – Women Fighting for Climate Action”. Four women activists from four different countries in Asia presented how their work has contributed to fighting for climate and gender justice.

In his opening remarks ACT’s Regional Representative Asia Pacific Anoop Sukumaran said that climate justice and gender justice are inseparable. “Social exclusion and discrimination are often exacerbated by implications of climate change. All of us have to combat climate change and fight for gender justice”, he stated. Mrs. Åsa Hedén, Head of Development Cooperation-Regional Asia and Pacific of the Embassy of Sweden, reminded that engagements on climate change should not be looked at as an obligation, but as a chance to leave a resilient future to our children. She welcomed speakers and participants saying “Let’s seize this opportunity, we still have it”.

Supporting communities to mitigate the impacts of climate change

Khodeja Sultana, Country Director of Diakonia Sweden (a member of the ACT Alliance) in Bangladesh, described the challenges of working in a country where one third of the population is at risk of displacement due to climate change. “The effects of climate change are not gender blind. They are more hostile against women. In our patriarchal society, women and men perform stereotyped activities, have different roles and responsibilities and different access to resources”, she explained. She continued that at the same time however, breaking gender stereotypes and the walls of gender inequality at all levels was a must – gender equality being a right of its own.

Interconnection between climate justice and gender justice

Ruth Manorama, a dalit activist from India representing the Asia Dalit Rights Forum (ADRF) highlighted how social discrimination and exclusion is exacerbated in climate crisis. She illustrated how caste is an expression of oppression and hierarchy which needs to be challenged. Her work with Dalit communities in combatting caste discrimination and the implications of climate change on exclusion was expounded upon. “Gender, caste and racial discrimination are two sides of the same coin”, the activist stated. And she recorded: “Somebody fighting for gender justice cannot leave climate justice to others. It’s so interconnected”.

Obstacles and opportunities on the way to green economy

Nanticha “Lynn” Ocharoenchai, founder of the climate strike in Thailand, and Sonika Manandhar, a young entrepreneur and creator of Green Energy Mobility from Nepal, represented the new generation of women mobilising people for climate demonstrations on social media and working on new solutions for mobility.

“The problem is trust”, said Sonika Manandhar. Women active in green micro-economy in her country could only get credits at very high interest rates. Therefore, green livelihood also has to come with financing.

Nanticha “Lynn” Ocharoenchai is actually trying to bridge the gap between environmentalists and non-environmentalists. She stated that in general, people would react more if their emotional side was touched and if it was easy for them to be good. She had a positive outlook to the future stating that “having realistic expectations doesn’t stop me from idealistic ideas”.

Targets of the Beijing +25 Conference

The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+25 Review at the end of November brought together Ministers and senior officials, civil society and other key stakeholders from across the Asia-Pacific region. The targets were to identify key strategic areas and actions required to overcome barriers to gender equality and the empowerment of women, provide a platform to highlight innovative solutions and exchange good practices and lessons learned on strategies for change and increase the engagement of stakeholders of different ages. The ACT Alliance speakers gave a voice to those parts of the population highly affected by climate change. They also showed that gender justice cannot be achieved without climate justice nor without the inclusion of all members of society.

On Monday, December 2nd, governments will gather for a new round of UN climate talks at the 25^th Conference of the Parties (COP25) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The meeting which was moved from Santiago de Chile to Madrid has a heavy agenda and is expected to deliver on decisions that are important for international cooperation on tackling climate change.

“When parties meet in Madrid, they should not forget the people, families, and communities who have suffered due to cyclones such as Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, heatwaves across India, droughts in the horn of Africa, and other disasters throughout the year,” says Birgitte Qvist-Sørensen, ACT Alliance Moderator.

“It is the very future of these people that governments will talk about, and their concerns must be at the centre of the talks in Madrid,” continues Qvist-Sørensen.

One of the most important issues to be addressed at COP25 is loss and damage. This refers to situations where people are no longer able to adapt to climate impacts, and as a result, are at risk of losing their property, livelihoods, or even their lives.

“COP25 must not be another business-as-usual session. It must come up with credible solutions to the lack of finance available to support people and communities affected by climate-induced loss and damage,” says Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT’s General Secretary.

The debate on climate change has for a long time focused on how to mitigate global warming, and how to adapt to its impacts. “Although these areas are crucial, we should not forget the urgent need to address situations where disasters are already striking. Loss and damage is a pillar of the climate debate, the summit in Madrid should make that clear,” says Qvist-Sørensen.

COP25 is also expected to review the work program on gender and climate change, another priority for ACT Alliance. As women in many countries are the ones who are most affected by climate change, all development and climate-related efforts must be guided by principles of gender equality and human rights. “Nobody must be left behind when we take action on climate change,” says Qvist-Sørensen.

The third topic of interest for ACT is around international cooperation on market-based initiatives as a means to combat climate change. Unfortunately, experience from existing market-based initiatives under the Kyoto Protocol has shown that such initiatives can in fact be problematic. “If the rules on this issue are weak, the international community could seriously undermine global commitments to reduce global emissions,” says Bueno de Faria.

ACT’s delegation will follow the talks AT COP25 closely and will call for strict rules and high ambition. 

For further questions, please contact:

Mattias Söderberg, head of delegation, ACT Alliance – +45 – 29700609

Leia Achampong, climate change advisor, ACT Alliance EU – leia.achampong@actalliance.eu

As ACT Alliance members around the world continue to respond to extreme weather events, it is increasingly clear that climate change threatens to wipe out significant gains that countries have made towards sustainable development and poverty alleviation. 

“Unchecked climate change is running rampant, and certain developing countries and climate-vulnerable communities are being hit the hardest,” says Isaiah Toroitich, ACT’s Head of Advocacy and Development Policy.

While many communities have tried to adapt to climate change, the reality is that sometimes adaptation efforts are not enough to prevent communities from severe climate impacts, and there will be situations where losses and damages will occur.

In a recent report titled Climate Finance for Addressing Loss and Damage: How to Mobilize Support for Developing Countries to Tackle Loss and Damage ACT Alliance, Bread for the World, the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation acknowledge the injustices posed by climate change on the climate-vulnerable.

The report notes that existing financial support mechanisms and climate actions are not enough to prevent loss and damage and examines various criteria that could be applied to develop an architecture to finance loss and damage in an ethical, just, and effective way.

“Poor and vulnerable countries should not have to pay for the climate-induced loss and damages that they face. Loss and damage finance must be put at the top of the agenda of the climate summit in Madrid,” says Mattias Söderberg, co-chair of ACT Alliance’s Climate Change Working Group.

“It’s incumbent on developed countries to play their part in radically confronting the climate crisis and to make support available to the most vulnerable people. Failing to do so, will demonstrate a lack of solidarity with front-line communities and the life-threatening realities that they face as climate change intensifies,” says Toroitich.

CSO equity review report

As ACT Alliance prepares for COP25, issues around loss and damage remain a key priority. ACT has joined nearly 100 civil society organizations to endorse the 2019 CSO Equity Review Report Can Climate Change-Fuelled Loss and Damage Ever Be Fair? The report highlights the inequalities faced by developing countries as a result of climate change and identifies the responsibility that wealthy countries must take for its devastating impacts.

“The people who have contributed the least to climate change in terms of emissions, are facing severe losses and damages, while developed countries who have a disproportionate historical responsibility for contributing to global warming, are hesitating to scale up their climate ambition. This is unfair,” says Söderberg.

The report provides evidence-based contributions on why tackling loss and damage in an equitable manner is a ‘must issue’ and notes that the level of effort needed by all countries to adequately tackle climate change is inconsistent with what is being delivered by developed countries.

“Although equity is at the core of the climate debate, it is not evident in the international community’s response to tackling loss and damage. It is unfair that vulnerable communities who have limited responsibility for contributing to global warming, are finding themselves even further in debt because they have to rebuild their homes after climate-related disasters,” concluded Söderberg.

World leaders must not fail to deliver on climate finance for loss and damage. If adequate resources are not mobilized, the worsening climate and debt crises will make it extremely difficult for developing countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.