By Smith Nwokocha

Global Day of Action! ✊🟢🌍

It was a transforming experience for women and young people in NOWA Market environs in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on the 9th December,2023 as over 150 Women, and Youths were sensitized on the culture of bagging their waste during a day Climate Actors all over the world came together to charge a call for Polluters and more for the Global North to ensure the fast and fair Phase out of Fossil Fuels around the globe especially in vulnerable communities affected by the impact of Climate Change.

This action was taken by voice of The Vulnerable in Port Harcourt Nigeria, championed by Smith Nwokocha, but over 300 actions were taken in 53 countries across the Globe, including Dubai that hosted COP28, where a Coalition of Civil Society Organizations en-joined to call the end of Fossil Fuels.

Fight4ClimateJustice

systemchange

Climate Action Network-International
Climate Action Network Africa – CAN Africa
Africans Rising

African Climate Reality Project

Climate Reality Project

Thousands to join demonstrations and events worldwide to demand climate justice. More than 300 actions planned in 53 countries.
On December 9, thousands of people on (every continent) will march and join events to demand climate justice. From the UAE to Uganda, 300+ cities are rising.
6 December 2023 – On December 9, the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice, movements from all over the world will mobilise in almost 300 cities and towns in 52 countries to demand climate justice from all governments but especially those of the world’s wealthiest countries – the Global North – who are most responsible for the climate crisis.
The Global Day of Action for Climate Justice calls on world leaders gathering at COP28 to commit to a fast and fair phaseout of fossil fuels and a just, clean energy transition. The campaign demands Northern governments to deliver climate justice to the people and communities least responsible for the climate crisis but who suffer its worst impacts.
Lidy Nacpil, Coordinator of the Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development, on behalf of the COP28 Coalition says:
“The COP 28 Coalition call for climate justice requires the rapid, equitable and just phaseout of all fossil fuels, including exploration, extraction, transportation, production and consumption, and a direct, rapid, equitable and just transition to 100% renewable energy systems to supplant fossil fuel energy, address energy poverty in the Global South, and ensure energy sovereignty.

Governments must stop greenwashing, the promotion of false solutions and dangerous distractions such as CCUS – carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) that are unreliable and unproven and only serve to extend the life of fossil fuel projects and allow continued greenhouse gas emissions. The world needs to reach real zero emissions by 2050 to keep temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is the goal of the Paris climate agreement adopted by all governments. CCUS, touted by the global oil and gas industry as important in achieving “net-zero” emissions by 2050, is largely a pipe dream. The IEA said about 45 million metric tons of carbon dioxide is currently captured globally by CCUS projects, although three-quarters of this is used for enhanced oil recovery, in other words the stored carbon is used to produce more fossil fuels that will release emissions when combusted. While the IEA said more than $3 billion was invested in CCUS projects in 2022, only 5% of the ventures have reached final investment decisions, representing only 10 million metric tons of carbon capture and 20 million of storage.

The delivery of climate justice requires governments of the Global North to fulfill their obligations to deliver adequate, new, additional, non-debt creating, conditionality-free, gender responsive, human rights based, public climate finance for developing countries or the Global South. We are not here to beg for aid or charity or crumbs from the tables of Global North countries. Climate Finance is part of reparations for the historical and continuing responsibility for harms from climate change, and part of their fair share of climate action. Climate Finance is vital for the success of the equitable and just energy and economic transition, for adaptation and building of resilience to climate impacts, and to cover loss and damage.

We denounce the refusal of governments of wealthy countries to fully meet their climate finance obligations. The articles in the Climate Convention and the Paris agreement are very clear about these obligations.

While the decisions on the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund was approved on the first day of the COP28, the pledges that are coming in are mere peanuts compared to the scale of need and corresponding obligations of the Global North. We need hundreds of billions and not just millions.

Global North governments and the international financial institutions they control are actively promoting the idea that private finance and the global and domestic capital markets will be the primary sources of funds for climate actions. The role of public finance is being reduced to that of mainly de-risking, incentivizing, and leveraging private finance. Ambitious, equitable and just climate actions will not succeed if we rely primarily on private investments and the capital markets.

We cannot accept the excuse that there is not enough public funds for Climate Finance as hundreds of billions of dollars of public funds are being spent on support for fossil fuels, false solutions and military weapons.

Nations are not meeting the Paris goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Current emissions pledges to limit climate change would still put the world on track to warm by nearly 3 degrees Celsius this century, according to the 2023 Emissions Gap report. The report states that net zero pledges are not credible. None of the G20 countries are reducing emissions consistent with their net zero pledges.

Climate Justice also involves addressing the huge barriers and constraints to climate action in the Global South such as the staggering debt problem. Many countries in the Global South are in a debt crisis, spending more resources for debt repayments than healthcare, education, water systems and other essential services and social protection programs, and urgent climate actions such as the energy transition. People and communities are being made to pay for debts they have not really benefited from, debts which have financed harmful projects such as fossil fuel energy. We call for the cancellation of unsustainable and illegitimate debt being collected from the Global South.

Climate Justice requires profound changes in extraction, production, financing, distribution and consumptions – away from capitalist and extractivist economic systems to post-carbon local, national and global systems that are inclusive, sustainable, democratic and uphold all human rights including the rights of working people, women, farmers and fishers, indigenous peoples, youth and children, and the differently abled. ”

The December 9 Global Day of Action for Climate Justice is part of the global fight to end fossil fuels. A key demand is the rapid, equitable and just phase out of fossil fuels and development of 100% renewable energy systems for people and communities.

Activists around the world are sending a message on December 9 to leaders at the COP and to national authorities that will have to take forward commitments made in Dubai, to make binding plans in all respected countries for a fast and fair phase out of fossil fuels.





Notes:
[1] Please find the global map

[2] Photo and video assets drive

[3] Social Media handles for the COP 28 COALITION
● TWITTER
● FACEBOOK
● INSTAGRAM
● WEBSITE

[4] Quote sheet

[5] Additional information on demands:

The COP28 Coalition aims to bring together individuals and organisations to amplify the power of collective actions in the lead up to and during COP28 to fight for climate justice and system change.

● The 2023 Production Gap Report finds that governments plan to produce around 110% more fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting warming to 1.5C, and 69% more than would be consistent with 2°C.

● The transition to clean energy is underway driven by rapid growth of renewable energy technologies and investments in clean energy. According to the World Energy Outlook 2023 of the International Energy Agency (IEA), major shifts underway today are set to result in clean technologies playing a significantly greater role by the end of this decade. IEA predicts that projected global demand for fossil fuel will peak this year – two years earlier than expected – and

renewables will provide half of the world’s electricity by 2030. The share of fossil fuels in global energy supply, which has been stuck for decades at around 80%, will decline to 73% by 2030, with global CO2 emissions peaking by 2025.

● The clean energy transition is not happening fast enough and in a just and equitable way. While the transition to clean energy is making headway, governments are not meeting targets in cutting emissions. Emissions remain too high to meet net zero pledges and prevent temperatures rising above 1.5C. Plans by governments to expand fossil fuels are expected to blow climate targets. Saudi Arabia, the US, Brazil, Canada and UAE have the biggest oil expansion plans; Qatar, Russia and Nigeria have the biggest gas expansion plans; while India, Russia, Indonesia and Australia have the biggest coal expansion plans. Recent crises have left countries continually struggling to balance energy security, equity and sustainability. Energy market volatilities have led to extreme price shocks, exacerbating energy poverty and stalling energy access. Low-income countries have been disproportionately affected, facing simultaneous challenges from fuel price inflation, food inflation and rising debt burden. Inclusiveness and equity considerations need to be addressed to accelerate energy transition in a way that balances and delivers on the need for an equitable energy system.



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