3 months ago
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At the recently concluded UNFCCC COP 28 in Dubai, UAE (from 30th November to 12th December, 2023), Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific had a strong contingent and were very active in calling for climate justice and urgent action. While the UAE Consensus left much to be desired – failing to call for a full, fair, and funded fossil fuel phase out, leaving the door open to an extensive false solutions agenda and being unable to close the finance gap that developing countries urgently need to address the already catastrophic impacts of the climate crisis. Even in a restrictive setting such as the UAE, there was a strong civil society presence in Dubai, with a sizeable Friends of the Earth International delegation well represented by FoE APAC. Out of 13 member countries, at least 9 were represented at COP 28 – making powerful interventions, participating in actions, closely following negotiations, and trying to influence such toward better outcomes (or at least resisting worse ones!).
FoE APAC was invited to be one of the founding members of the COP 28 Coalition, headed by the Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) and FoEI and FoE Palestine sat on the steering group as well. However, due to the horrific situation in Gaza and the UAE’s decided alliance with Israel, PENGON (FoE Palestine) decided to boycott COP 28.
“Our struggle against Israel’s colonial regime is intrinsically linked with all struggles for human rights and climate justice. COP28 is being used as a greenwashing tool by Israel, to deflect criticism from their systematic oppression of Palestinian people and project themselves as climate saviours, while committing environmental genocide in Gaza. As a Palestinian, I am not attending the COP28 in the name of climate justice.”
Abeer Butmeh, PENGON/ FoE Palestine
On December 9th, the Global Day of Action was held in the COP venue, simultaneously with about 250 actions across the world. Throughout the COP, FoEI and civil society allies continually brought attention to the plight of the Palestinian people in the face of the massacres and indiscriminate bombing by Israel.
As COP began, many FoE APAC contributed in various ways, including following negotiations and feeding them into the policy group. Throughout the two weeks, APAC members spoke at various actions, including several on ending fossil fuel finance and against gas as a so-called transitionary fuel. FoE Japan colleagues spoke at multiple protests about the role of their country in the global investment infrastructure for continued fossil fuel use-now especially investing in LNG which is causing massive harm to communities across the world.
FoEI Chair Hemantha Withanage spoke at FoEI’s side event on false solutions – a good session with speakers from across the world who spoke about resisting the corporate capture of nature in the name of “solutions” – rather than climate action relying on the real solutions, which would be community led and relying on indigenous and local knowledge and expertise.
At the press conference of the South Asian Just Transition Alliance, he called for a just and equitable transition.
“South Asian nations face a delicate balancing act: meeting the basic electricity needs of their citizens while navigating economic challenges. Big economies must acknowledge and support our transition efforts, ensuring a just and equitable pathway towards sustainability.”
Hemantha Withanage, Chairman, Friends of the Earth International
FoEI held a press conference on climate litigation, in which Uli Arta Siagian of WALHI/FoE Indonesia gave an update about their groundbreaking case against Holcim, brought about the community members of the Pari Island. BELA/ FoE Bangladesh’s Ajmain Nakib organised a session on climate communications at the Civil Society Climate Justice Hub.
The FoE APAC Regional Facilitator Bareesh Chowdhury spoke at a side event on adaptation and water.
“As expected, we’ve seen the wealthiest countries shirking their dues at this COP. Without money and means of implementation, the places worst hit by climate change are left with only empty pockets and empty promises. We need billions of dollars, we’ve been given peanuts, and even more debt to boot,”
Bareesh Chowdhury, Regional Facilitator, Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific
On the 12th of December, as the COP took a turn for the worst with a draft text that might as well have been written at OPEC secretariat, FoEI presented their
closing thoughts on the state of affairs at a well-attended press conference. The panel included Bareesh Chowdhury from BELA and SAM/FoE Malaysia powerhouse Meena Raman.
“They don’t want to talk about historical responsibility but talk about keeping 1.5 alive. It’s really playing to the gallery. Fossil fuel expansion is already happening in the global north. The global stocktake has been full of dishonesty and hypocrisy from the global north, especially the US and umbrella group of countries, who are suddenly claiming to be climate champions talking about the 1.5C north star, while refusing to talk about their historical emissions and historical responsibility.”
Meena Raman, SAM/ FoE Malaysia
COP 28 may have for the first time mentioned the root cause of the climate crisis in fossil fuels and urged a “transition away” from them. But they opened the door to false solutions and have brought the principles of justice, equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities under attack. As we return to our countries, we will continue to fight for a new world based on these very principles, placing people, not the interests of the fossil fuel industry, at the centre.
Press Links:
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/12/rich-countries-failing-show-leadership-break-cop28-impasse-activists-say
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/13/indigenous-people-and-climate-justice-groups-say-cop28-was-business-as-usual
- https://www.voanews.com/a/cop28-climate-talks-enter-last-day-with-no-agreement-in-sight-on-fossil-fuels/7394501.html
- https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2023/12/01/cop28-s-first-day-hails-the-loss-and-damage-fund-s-implementation-as-an-important-step-forward_6303663_114.html#
- https://www.democracynow.org/2023/12/12/climate_activists_outraged_as_cop28_draft
- https://india.mongabay.com/2023/12/consensus-among-parties-far-off-as-cop28-comes-to-a-close/
- https://english.varthabharati.in/gulf/urgency-equity-in-environmental-struggle-against-climate-colonialism-discussed-at-cop-28
