MEDIA CONTACT:

Sandra Bulling, Communications Officer
CARE International - Geneva
email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Durban Phone - 0714126574

Tamara Plush, Communications Coordinator
Poverty, Environment and Climate Change Network - Vietnam
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Durban Phone - 0799059801

- November 23 - CARE calls on leaders to stop gambling with the fate of the planet and its most vulnerable people

- December 1 - Durban: 'It’s time to seal the leak'

- December 4 - Web Update: CARE scores 3rd in climate change film competition

- December 4 - UN Forest Protection Scheme Heading in Wrong Direction

- December 6 - Four days left for Parties to fulfill their duty

- Dec. 11 - Durban climate talks fail poor and vulnerable people (below)

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Durban climate talks fail poor and vulnerable people

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“Four days left for Parties to fulfill their duty”

Midway through the second week of climate negotiations, CARE laments lack of progress

Durban, December 6, 2011. As ministers arrive for the official stage of the climate change conference in Durban, South Africa, CARE expresses deep concern over that fact that the past eight negotiation days have been overshadowed by a clear lack of urgency and ambition. “CARE hoped that by week two of the climate change negotiations, Parties would have made more progress toward a second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol and demonstrated more ambition in emissions reductions. But what we are seeing is a lack of political will by some major emitters to reach an outcome in Durban that is fair and ambitious and that saves the lives and livelihoods of millions of poor and vulnerable people who are affected by climate change today,” says Tonya Rawe, CARE’s Senior Policy Advocate during CARE’s press briefing in Durban today. “Some parties are already talking about delaying decisions on a legally binding agreement until 2020. This is a disaster as it can create an entire decade of zero progress.”

Midway through the second week of negotiations, Parties have made progress on some issues and even concluded discussions that show a few positive signs on adaptation.  However, adaptation in itself is no solution to climate change. Without bold decisions on emissions reductions, the need for adaptation will only grow as climate change will be on a runaway track. “This means more lives will be lost and more livelihoods destroyed,” says Rawe. “The longer we wait to mitigate, the more adaptation will be required.”

“Ultimately, Parties must deliver on the entire suite of issues. A climate change agreement is not a menu to pick and choose from.  In Durban, Parties must agree on a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol and a path toward a legally binding agreement.  Yet, adaptation is an urgent issue and must not be held hostage to their lack of political will in other areas.  A conclusion on adaptation is not something to be used in horse trading,” says Rawe.  “Parties were set a task in the Cancun Agreements to operationalize the Adaptation Framework.  They must not shirk that duty.”

Also mandated in the Cancun Agreements was the task of producing guidelines on reporting for the safeguards in REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). These safeguards ensure that forests are well governed, that social and economic rights of indigenous peoples and local communities are met, and that the environment and biodiversity are protected. “The emerging arrangements to ensure transparency on how safeguards are implemented are flimsy, leaving many loopholes”, says Raja Jarrah, CARE’s advisor on REDD+. “Unless there is a stronger requirement for governments to report how they involve people more fully in policy implementation, REDD+ will protect the carbon in trees at the expense of the women and men who live from and manage the forests.”

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MEDIA CONFERENCE:

DURBAN OUTCOME: WHAT IS IN IT FOR AFRICA?

Durban, South Africa. The international aid organization CARE hosted an exclusive media briefing, webcast live, to assess what a potential outcome including on adaptation and REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) at COP 17 could deliver for poor people in Africa.

A panel of CARE experts together with the Kenyan Parlimentarian discussed the overall status of the negotiations on adaptation and REDD and outline the risks for poor and vulnerable communities in Africa.

Watch at: http://unfccc4.meta-fusion.com/kongresse/cop17/templ/play.php?id_kongresssession=4431&;theme=unfccc

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“UN Forest Protection Scheme Heading in Wrong Direction”

CARE, Greenpeace and WWF warn that negotiations around REDD are going backwards in Durban

Durban, December 4, 2011. As the climate change conference in Durban, South Africa, completes its first week, CARE International, Greenpeace and WWF alert that negotiations around Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) are not progressing well. “The outcome on REDD safeguards is a step backwards from what was agreed in Cancun last year, which itself was far short of what could have been agreed in Copenhagen. The provisions for safeguards in forest conservation are being shredded,” said Raja Jarrah, CARE’s Senior Advisor on REDD.” This is bad news for millions of indigenous people and local communities whose livelihoods depend on forests.”

A year ago, the Cancun Agreements mandated negotiators to work on guidelines for governments on how to report on the implementation of safeguards in REDD. These safeguards are the provisions to ensure that forests are well governed, that social and economic rights of indigenous people and local communities are protected, and that the environment and biodiversity are not harmed. However, according to CARE the negotiators have produced a very weak outcome.

“Parties basically decided that they should provide summary information at some time yet to be determined, and that they should work over the next year to decide on whether more guidance than that is necessary. This is like a class at school being set a homework assignment, and instead of doing it, they propose a date for deciding on whether they should do it” said Jarrah. Safeguards are crucial in REDD because the concept of paying for the carbon stored in forests has the potential to do harm as well as good. It could lead to millions of women and men losing their access to forests that they need for their livelihood; to land grabbing by unscrupulous project developers; and to the benefits of conserving forests being hijacked by powerful interests.

Durban also marked a significant step backwards on the technical issue of reference levels, one of the most critical environmental safeguards for REDD. The meeting marked a retreat from what seemed to be an emerging consensus around a system that would reward high deforesting countries which reduce deforestation from historic levels, and low deforesting countries which protect their natural forests at historic levels.

“Instead of basing performance on history and facts, Durban has opened the door to wild speculation,” said Roman Czebiniak, Greenpeace’s Senior Advisor on REDD.

“Countries can now claim that REDD will reduce emissions which haven’t yet happened and which may never happen, regardless of REDD policy intervention. This can lead to situations where REDD is not only failing to reduce deforestation and degradation, but where funding is actually being used to subsidize the continued destruction of natural forests by the logging and plantation industries.” He continued: “An entire year has been wasted, and this decision takes us in the direction where the risks of REDD could soon outweigh its intended benefits.”

“To succeed, REDD+ should deliver real benefits for the climate, people and nature. Parties should not back away from previous agreements to respect the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, to conserve natural forests and biological diversity, and to reduce the drivers of deforestation,” said Bruce Cabarle, Leader of WWF’s Forest & Climate Initiative. “Durban must ensure that REDD+ results in real emission reductions, rather than just hot air.”

Media Contacts in Durban:
CARE: Sandra Bulling, +27 71 41 26 574, +41 79 205 6951, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Greenpeace: Natalia Truchi, +27 076 035 6345, +316 2494 0977, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
WWF: Melissa Tupper, +27 72 05 20 470, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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WEB UPDATE:

CARE scores 3rd in video competition on climate change

Sunday, December 4, 2011. At the climate change conference in Durban, South Africa, CARE International showed an inspiring film about poor people being not only affected by climate change, but acting as agents of change. The film by CARE, “Powerful Hands,” took third place in the Development & Climate Days International Film Festival, after the first-place ‘Ripples’ from Bangladesh and ‘Carbon for Water’ from Kenya. A second film directed by CARE was among the top 10 shortlisted films.

The film’s judges said they were moved by both the strength of ‘Powerful Hands’ as well as its call to action. “The voiceover, visuals and music combine to provide a strong empowering message,” said Hannah Reid, Consulting Researcher with the Climate Change Group, International Institute for Environment and Development and one of the judges. “The film provides strong visual messaging on local climate change problems and solutions in developing countries and it provides action for civil society in industrialized countries to take to help.”

Laurie Goering, Editor at Alertnet Climate and another judge of the Film Festival said that the innovative photo style of the film is not only beautiful, compelling and fun to watch, but has a strong educational value in that it “gets quickly through a great range of adaptation and resilience measures, from crop and animal shifts to mangrove planting, solar cooking, tree planting and new livelihoods.” She especially liked the message from the film that ‘we all hold the power to help the planet and its people.’ She said this uniting message “ties together those at the adaptation forefront particularly in the developing world and those at the mitigation forefront in the higher emitting world."

In addition to ‘Powerful Hands’ (www.careclimatechange.org/hands), the film ‘Women Power in Overcoming the Drought’ from Garissa District in Kenya as part of the Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP) for Africa was shortlisted.

The top 10 shortlisted films can be seen at www.iied.org/climate-change/key-issues/climate-negotiations-capacity-building/development-and-climate-days-film-c. More information about the community-led creation of ‘Women Power’ from Kenya can be found at: www.careclimatechange.org/videos/africaalp and www.careclimatechange.org/cop17/cc-stories. The festival was sponsored by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN).

More information: Tamara Plush, CARE International, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Durban: “It’s time to seal the leak”
On the 4th day of the climate change conference, CARE International notes lack of ambition and leadership

Durban, December 1, 2011 – On the fourth day of the climate change conference in Durban, South Africa, CARE International recognizes that some key negotiating parties have not come prepared to tackle the growing climate crisis. Discussions have begun on critical areas to operationalize the Cancun Agreements, including on national adaptation plans, a loss and damage work programme and information systems on safeguards for REDD. However, there is a clear lack of ambition and lack of leadership by key countries to agree on a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol of no more than five years and a mandate to negotiate a long-term, legally binding climate regime.

“Operationalization of the Cancun Agreements is within reach, but parties have a lot of work to do in the remaining week and a half to accomplish that,“ says Tonya Rawe, Senior Policy Advocate for CARE USA. “Delay is not an option. For the sake of the poor and vulnerable people in all countries, parties must agree ambitious emission reductions to keep global warming well below 2 degrees. Otherwise, adaptation efforts will never be sufficient, because we will keep pumping the water out of the boat instead of sealing the leak.”

Developing countries are bearing the brunt of climate-related natural disasters such as floods and droughts, and their poor and vulnerable populations are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change.  Developed nations are also increasingly affected by climate change impacts, in terms of economic and human costs. However, the lack of capacity and resources to adapt and to respond–as well as to develop–among poor populations in developing countries exacerbates the severity of climate impacts. “The continued delay and lack of leadership that we currently see here in Durban are akin to playing a dangerous game with the planet’s future and the lives of vulnerable people around the world,” Rawe says. “Without leadership on the part of big emitting countries–leadership that reflects historic responsibility and current capability–we will fall short of securing a sustainable and equitable future for the most vulnerable populations, and in fact, for everyone.”

CARE’s experience working with poor and vulnerable people shows that local communities are not waiting but are acting now to adapt to impacts they already see in their environment. However, they cannot solve the climate crisis alone nor can they adapt their way out of a problem other countries created. “Parties must keep their shoulder to the wheel and their eye on the prize.  To say it with the words of Nelson Mandela ’It always seems impossible until it’s done,’” Rawe urges.

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COP17 Climate Change Conference:
CARE calls on leaders to stop gambling with the fate
of the planet and its most vulnerable people

Geneva, November 23, 2011. Ahead of this year’s UN climate change conference in Durban, South Africa, CARE International urges all negotiating parties to come prepared to tackle the growing climate crisis. “Although the global landscape for securing a new climate regime is constrained by a lack of commitment from some of the large emitting countries, the most vulnerable and poorest people require urgent action to address increasing climate impacts,” says Martha Chouchena-Rojas, CARE International’s Global Head of Advocacy.  “Among those most affected are women and girls and we urge parties to put poor people at the centre of efforts to address the climate challenge.” CARE is calling for all parties in Durban to step up their ambition and agree to a second commitment period for the Kyoto protocol, a framework for a long-term, binding deal on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and on providing new, predictable, sustainable and additional climate finance.

CARE recognizes that developed countries, which have historical responsibility for causing unprecedented climate change, and other big emitters have been stalling the negotiations and are in danger of causing a race to the bottom in terms of ambition. Countries such as the US, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and others have been blocking progress in the negotiations on mitigation, finance, and in some cases, even adaptation. “Large emitting countries have to show leadership and must stop blocking the negotiations. World leaders can’t keep gambling with the fate of the planet and postponing a climate deal year after year, because the risks are too high. What might look like wordplay in the negotiations is in reality betting with poor and vulnerable people’s lives. And the longer we wait for real climate action, the more costly are the impacts in lives and money,” says Kit Vaughan, CARE’s Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator. “Key countries, which have the power to deliver a global solution, must come to Durban prepared and committed to take decisive actions to address climate change and secure a sustainable future for the most vulnerable countries, communities and people.” 

This year, some limited progress has been made toward implementing the key elements of the Cancun Agreements, including the design of the Adaptation Committee and Green Climate Fund, and the system for providing information on safeguards on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). However other critical elements required for a global deal must also be agreed, such as closing the gigatonne gap, identifying sources of new, additional, predictable and sustainable finance and a second commitment period on the Kyoto protocol.

Whilst some parties are still delaying on finding a solution to the climate crisis, 2011 has been the most economically expensive weather year on record, according to a newly released report by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC).  “We are in the midst of a severe drought and food crisis in the Horn of Africa, and have seen unprecedented flooding in Southeast Asia and Central America. These disasters are a glimpse into our future as climate change is exacerbating such types of impacts,” says Chouchena-Rojas. For example, in Borana, southern Ethiopia, local communities are telling CARE that droughts now occur every 1-2 years whereas they used to hit every 6-8 years in the past. 

Today, developing countries are overwhelmingly bearing the brunt of human and economic costs of extreme weather events. More than 95 percent of all deaths caused by natural disasters occur in developing countries.   Poor people are becoming more and more vulnerable due to climate change and they have limited means to protect themselves and adapt their livelihoods. “Already our current emissions pathways are in danger of putting global warming at well above three degrees and run the risk of triggering catastrophic climate change. We must act now as the chance for keeping the world below an acceptable two degree pathway is rapidly closing,” Vaughan says. “It’s now time to hold those parties most responsible for climate change accountable for their inaction.”

CARE recognizes that women’s rights and contributions are central to lasting solutions for development as well as for responding to the challenge of a changing climate. Yet, they are often absent from or under-represented in climate change related planning, despite their wealth of knowledge on vulnerabilities and traditional and innovative strategies to respond to climate change.  “Our growing experience of working with vulnerable communities to address climate change in 34 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean demonstrates the key role local communities, and women, play in adapting and strengthening resilience to climate change impacts,” explains Chouchena-Rojas. “This is why an international climate change agreement must put vulnerable people, who are often poor women, at the center of efforts to address the climate challenge.” 

At the climate change conference (COP17) in Durban (November 28 – December 9), parties once again have two weeks to work out differences and demonstrate commitment to fight catastrophic  climate change and to helping the poorest and most vulnerable communities least responsible for climate change confront the climate crisis. “You can’t negotiate with the planet and its climate. World leaders must not fail to use this opportunity to show new levels of leadership and solidarity to work towards stronger emission reduction targets to tackle dangerous climate change and agree on a legally binding regime that holds governments accountable to these targets,” Vaughan urges. “Time is running out.”