Oxfam hits UN summit for ‘piecemeal response’ to climate change

The Philippine arm of international aid agency Oxfam hit hard against the lackluster conclusion of the recent UN Climate Change Summit in the face of urgent need for global action.

 

On Wednesday, September 24, more than 120 world leaders attended the UN Climate Summit held in New York, the largest gathering of heads of states on climate change since the failed Copenhagen Summit of 2009.

 

The UN summit was created as a platform for both international and national commitments to tackle the problem of climate change, with the hope that it will set the stage for a breakthrough in next year's Paris conference regarding a new deal on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions.

 

It also set goals to halt losses of tropical forests by 2030, improve food production, and hike the share of electric vehicles in cities to 30% of new vehicle sales by 2030.

 

China and India: No-shows

 

Of note is the fact that leaders from China, the world's biggest polluter, and India, the number three emissions producer, were no-shows.

 

"Action on climate change is urgent. The more we delay, the more we will pay in lives and in money," said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

 

"Today’s Summit will conclude with only a partial and piecemeal response. Some positive signals were sent, but too many of the commitments made lack vital details or are recycled. No government should leave New York thinking the job is done," said Jed Alegado, media and communications officer in the Philippines of aid agency Oxfam.

 

"Excuses for inaction have run out. The summit can be a major milestone, but only if it delivers the real world changes that we need," said Andrew Steer, of the World Resources Institute.

 

In his speech, critiqued by Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, President Benigno Aquino III expressed the dedication of the Philippine government to fighting against climate change, saying that, "Everyone here has to do everything they can to address climate change without first waiting for the neighbors to engage in action."

 

Denmark, France, Norway, South Korea, and Switzerland committed just over $1 billion in pledges to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

 

However, according to Alegado, the announced pledges amount to less than sixth of what total developed countries should commit.

 

Saving the world's forests

 

Burning forests to make way for farmland makes up around one-fifth of greenhouse gas emmissions from human sources.

 

To combat this, a coalition of multinational companies agreed to sign up for a plan to halve forest loss by 2020 and completely halt them by 2030.

 

Companies including McDonald's and Kellogg committed to "climate-smart agriculture" in a move to protect farmers from global warming and increase crop yields at the same time.

 

Alegado expressed hope that more investors become interested and dedicated to gradually "greening" their investments, adding that strong standards should be put in place to ensure that green processes are actually being adhered to. — TJD, GMA News