Climate Action Network’s Minute

I’m attending the United Nations Climate Change conference in Doha, Qatar, known as COP 18. The Climate Action Network International, which Brighter Green has just joined, had one minute to offer a perspective to the opening session at COP 18 at SBSTA, a scientific technical body, where agriculture’s being discussed. Sounds dry, but it isn’t (well, not that dry).

Here’s what was said on food security, animal welfare, GHGs, and a range of rights. This is the reality of COPS . . . and it’s not that unpalatable thanks to the wordsmiths on the CAN committees:

Parties must ensure that climate policies encompassing agriculture include considerations and safeguards that protect and promote food security, biodiversity, equitable access to resources, the right to food, animal welfare, and the rights of indigenous peoples and local populations, while promoting poverty reduction and climate adaptation.

Towards this end, SBSTA should facilitate the exchange of views among Parties on, among numerous other things:

· Assessing existing adaptation policies whether they are designed to avoid aggravating existing inequalities and support the most vulnerable.

SBSTA’s recommendations to COP18 on Monitoring and on Measuring, Reporting and Verification must ensure sustainability and permanence of emissions reductions. Building further consensus on reference levels, safeguards information systems and how to address drivers of deforestation is critical for ensuring that REDD delivers benefits for the climate, forests and peoples.

Finally, countries continue to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidizing fossil fuels each year. SBSTA should ensure its reporting guidelines for biennial reports include guidance to report on the existence of and efforts to remove these subsidies, to facilitate the removal of these harmful subsidies.