Aid worker’s blog: Copenhagen climate change summit

Aid worker’s blog: Copenhagen climate change summit

Kate Laburn-Peart is Head of Policy and Research at World Vision UK. She writes from the climate change conference in Copenhagen

Day 5: "The future of my country rests in your hands"

Tuvalu is a small Polynesian island state in the Pacific Ocean. There are four reef islands, and five atolls. 

A member of the Commonwealth, all of its islands are no more than 4m above sea level, and most people live below 2m above sea level. At only ten or so square miles, it is the fourth smallest country in the world.

But it has been making a big impact on the climate change negotiations. Six days ago, their delegation asked for the negotiations to be suspended to gain time to resolve differences that had arisen between the Alliance of Small Island States and the Least Developed Countries on the one hand, and some of the wealthier nations.

Emotional speech 

On Saturday, after informal discussions had been held to resolve the differences, the plenary session resumed, and the Tuvalu representative was one of the first to speak.

He noted that some media had accused Tuvalu of trying to embarrass the Danish government by suspending the talks. In an emotional speech, he assured the chairman that this was not the case, and he was very concerned not to offend the host nation.

He had received calls of support from all over the world and requests for media interviews, but had refused to do them.

“I am a humble and insignificant employee of the government of Tuvalu,” he said, “and I make a strong plea that we consider this matter properly… I woke up this morning crying.”

He was tearful again as he pleaded, movingly, “The future of my country rests in your hands.”

Applause

The response to his speech was a round of applause, led from the back of the hall where I sat with colleagues from World Vision. It is here where NGOs and others who are allowed to observe the negotiations have to sit. 

It was a long and sustained applause, but what he really needs is a deep cut in global emissions, or his beautiful country is doomed.

Day 4: Things to watch for...

At the Copenhagen climate change talks, three broad groups are emerging.

Firstly, there are the traditional developed nations (or, in climate change speak, the ‘Annex 1’ nations).

They have historical responsibility for almost all of the greenhouse gas emissions, but most still seem to be using the talks to further their own self-interests, rather than the broader interests of humanity.

They have the moral responsibility to make the greatest contribution to solving the problems that are being faced here.

They have reaped the rewards of industrialisation, sometimes through colonisation and exploitation of raw materials from less developed countries.

Developing nations

Secondly, there is a group comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China (referred to as the BASIC group). They are the wealthiest of the developing nations, and are set to be the source of some 60% of greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2030 as they continue on their development trajectory. They need to play their part in the negotiations.

The remaining group is made up of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the Least Developed Countries, and the Africa Group. They are the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

They are also the countries where World Vision works with communities to tackle poverty. We are already seeing the effects of climate change in our programmes, and climate change will undermine much of the good work being done and affect the health and well-being of millions of people.

Historically, these nations have been responsible for a negligible amount of greenhouse gas emissions, yet they are already being affected. In fact some of the small islands may soon cease to exist; others are approaching tipping points from which they may never recover.

Key points

Thursday was Human Rights Day, and in a presentation made by members from AOSIS, we were reminded of what they face: where will their populations be relocated to as sea levels rise and flood their islands? What will be their rights in their ‘host’ countries? What will happen to their sovereign rights? What rights does a displaced nation hold?

This week, the world’s leaders will be judged on the agreement they make – the pathway they choose and how committed they are to solving the climate change problem. They face a number of decisions, but here are the key points to watch:

• We need to put a limit on how much more global temperatures can increase. This limit should be 1.5 degrees if the most vulnerable are going to have a chance to survive and enjoy reasonable health.
• There needs to be funding in the order of some $150 billion per annum by 2020, if we are going to be able to address the immediate impacts of climate change, particularly on the most vulnerable, including women, children and disabled people.

The nature of any agreement reached here must be legally binding (not ‘politically binding’) so that it will be enforceable. We must be able to hold governments to account if they break their promises.

Day 3: Poverty and climate change in Ethiopia

Assefa Tofu joined World Vision Ethiopia about five years ago. He has a background in agriculture and natural resource research and development, and was a bit surprised when he joined the organisation to find that we did not work on environmental issues as a cross cutting issue.

I chatted to Assefa yesterday afternoon: he is convinced that environmental issues in general, and climate change in particular, are one of the root causes of the poverty that he sees in his country.

For him, the two issues cannot be separated, and he fears that the good work that World Vision does in its development projects could be undermined if we do not actively address climate change in our projects from assessment up to evaluation.

Reforestation

He manages World Vision’s first climate change mitigation project, a community-managed reforestation project in Humbo, in south-west Ethiopia. It has been hailed as a highly successful example of a development reforestation project that benefits the environment through natural resource management and increased biodiversity.

It also contributes to poverty alleviation in the community by creating a new community-based income stream through the generation of carbon offset credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – a system that is part of the Kyoto Protocol, and that is reserved for developing countries.

Moreover, the community can reap additional benefits from sales of timber, honey and eco tourism.

The project uses a technique called Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration to restore indigenous, bio-diverse forest species. It has enabled the rural communities to own their own forests and forest products and see significant forest restoration over a relatively short period.

The project is an example of how community participation, scientific knowledge and practical application can come together to benefit poor communities.

Government

Assefa is also part of the official Ethiopian government delegation here at the Copenhagen climate change talks. He has been included as a technical expert to work with the Ethiopian government.

This has been a remarkable experience for him, as he has had to make regular shifts from dealing with on-the-ground effects of climate change in Humbo, to working with his government team on the position they should take for the country, and then to the international negotiation table itself.

Over the past year, Assefa has also shared his Humbo knowledge and experience in workshops with World Vision staff in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Malawi. He has addressed different embassies, East African academics and UNDP audiences, and on three occasions he has met with groups of Ethiopian pastors to discuss climate change and our stewardship of the earth.

I find the climate change talks an incredibly complex and complicated process that is difficult and exhausting to follow.

Through his engagement with the process over a longer period of time, and with his experience and witness of climate change on the ground, Assefa seems to be thriving and making a real contribution, both for his country’s delegation and also for the World Vision team.

Day 2: Building southern capacity

It has apparently been said by some that African countries would be coming to Copenhagen to “grandstand their ignorance”.

They have been proved wrong: many are showing that their knowledge has grown and that they have been given mandates to deliver and negotiate in Copenhagen.

I attended a ‘side event’ at the Climate Change negotiations on Tuesday that was arranged by the Climate Action Network (CAN, of which World Vision is a member).

On the panel was a group of their southern partners: representatives of NGOs from developing countries who had come to Copenhagen after being involved in their own countries on climate change issues. Their capacity to do so had been built and supported by CAN.

It was inspiring to listen to their stories.

A panellist from Mali had networked with other women’s organisations in her country to negotiate with and influence the head of the Malian delegation to the climate change talks.

They had made their mark and impressed their government in the work they were doing to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on women. They had begun to run their own capacity building programmes in their country, and as well as regionally.

Held to account

In some global summits, the press has enjoyed highlighting the shopping expeditions of some delegates. A Ugandan panellist stressed how NGOs were now more able to hold their governments to account for the business of the negotiations.

They meet with the country delegations, discuss constructively and engage positively with them over the technical points of negotiations. To do this, information sharing by CAN members had been critical.

This has been one of the main objectives of World Vision’s engagement with the Copenhagen climate change talks. We aim to support the poorest and most vulnerable developing countries, particularly the Least Developed Countries and the Alliance of Small Island States – groupings of countries that together represent around 80 of the poorest and most vulnerable countries globally.

On the ground

We also aim to build the capacity of members of World Vision’s own delegation on issues of climate change and how it will impact our ministry.

Our team includes World Vision staff from Ethiopia and Latin America who are engaged on the ground with projects that will help communities to adapt to the worst effects of climate change, including those on child health. It is the poorest and most vulnerable people who will suffer most; these, and children, are our foremost concern.

Day 1: So it begins...

As you will know by now, the United Nations climate change negotiations have at last begun in Copenhagen.

World Vision is represented by a comparatively small delegation, and it’s easy to feel somewhat overwhelmed by the scale of this event. The venue is huge, and there are estimated to be 30,000 delegates – the population of a small town!

While some of the negotiations go on behind closed doors, there are many side events and public exhibits which provide a lot of interest, and meetings with non-governmental organisations who work together to monitor the process and lobby on issues that concern us.

As a Christian humanitarian, development and advocacy organisation, the focus of our work is on the poorest and most vulnerable communities and nations.

Poverty

Despite recent claims by some (quoting leaked emails), the overwhelming consensus of climate scientists is that the world’s climate is changing and that these changes have grave implications for the planet, for humanity and particularly for the poor.

Children living in poverty are already impacted by climate change and they will continue to suffer the most.

The poor are least able to protect themselves from the effects of climate change. They are least able to recover from climatic disasters. They tend to live in the most vulnerable areas, such as low-lying land prone to flooding, or marginal agricultural land prone to drought.

They are the most vulnerable to the spread of tropical diseases. They are more likely to have to leave their homes in search of water or to escape flooding.

They are the most vulnerable to the effects of the conflicts likely to arise from international tensions over water, energy and displaced people.

Global emergency

Climate change is not an issue for those who happen to be interested in ‘the environment’. It is a cross-cutting global emergency that is already being felt and which will impact every area of World Vision’s work in coming years, including health, food security, water security, and disaster response.

Climate change constitutes one of the greatest threats ever faced by the poor. How World Vision responds will determine our effectiveness in achieving our mission for decades to come.

And how those leaders and negotiators here in Copenhagen respond will determine the kind of world that our children and grandchildren (and those beyond them) will inherit.