BANGKOK – The latest offer of the European Union to cut its region’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent is “too low an ambition” and “will help kill the planet,” climate justice activists claimed Sunday.
In a protest action outside the venue of climate talks here, advocates from various parts of Asia expressed dismay over the EU’s proposal and demanded that “real solutions” to the climate crisis begin with deep, drastic and domestic emissions cuts by rich industrial countries, especially European countries and the United States.
The protest, led by Jubilee South – Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JS-APMDD), coincided with the workshop on quantified economy-wide emission reduction targets by developed country parties at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
Lidy Nacpil, JS-APMDD coordinator, said EU’s emissions cut proposal is contrary to its claism to being a champion of ambitious emissions cuts.
“The 20 percent emissions cut offer by the EU means ‘no cuts’ and ‘business as usual’ for countries that are historically responsible for the over-accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This proposed low ambition emissions cut will help kill the planet,” Nacpil stressed.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury from EquityBD Bangladesh said, “No deep cuts now means mass carbon genocide to least developed countries, especially possible extinction of small island countries.”
Manjette Lopez, vice president of the Freedom from Debt Coalition in the Philippines, said the goal needed is to limit the temperature rise to well below 1.5 degrees Celsius and bring it down to one (1) degree Celsius as fast as possible.
“The United States, the European Union and other Annex I countries have already accepted their responsibility to the climate crisis. The next logical and imperative thing to do is to fulfill their existing legally binding commitments and undertake drastic emissions cuts without offsets. No more skirting the issue. No more excuses. They need to act now,” said Lopez.
Others speakers of the rally Stephanie Fried from ULU Foundation, USA; Asad Rehman, Freinds of the Earth, UK; Sharmila Karki from Jagoron Nepal, Sayeed Balooch from FisherFolk Association, Pakistan; Michele Maynard from Pan African Climate Justice Allience, South Africa and Willy D Costa from INSAF, India.
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