Health Community Demands Ambition On Ending Fossil Fuel Dependence And Robust Investment In Protecting Communities
'Over the next two weeks, governments must protect people's health by laying the groundwork for a just transition away from fossil fuels to cleaner renewable energy sources - this must be matched by adaptation that promotes health, and underpinned by adequate finance that will effectively confront the climate crisis already driving devastating health impacts around the world', said Jess Beagley, Policy Lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, which brings together over 200 health professionals and health civil society organisations and networks to address climate change.
'Dependence on fossil fuels is the primary driver of health impacts from climate change, which is already straining healthcare systems around the world', said Beagley. 'Fossil fuel use is also a key air pollution culprit, causing millions of deaths annually from respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as developmental and cognitive issues.'
'Developed countries must provide enough finance to developing countries, so that they can adapt and respond to these climate impacts, and transition to development pathways compatible with a healthy climate future', said Beagley. 'At COP29 rich countries could have committed financing that would support the Global South - yet they failed to deliver'.
'Over the coming fortnight, governments can redeem themselves by delivering positive signals on the Baku to Belem Roadmap on climate finance, and in demonstrating willingness to prioritise public grants from developed to developing countries', continued Beagley. 'Developed countries must provide funding to prevent worsening climate change by addressing its causes; funding for countries to build resilience against the climate impacts they are already facing; and funding to recover and rebuild from destruction that they were unable to avoid.'
'In Bonn, countries must also make good on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) by supporting technical experts, enabling them to continue coordinating and refining their work', said Beagley. 'Down the line, delegations must ensure GGA indicators adopted at COP30 include means of implementation - namely finance, technology transfer, and capacity building – in order to ensure that countries actually have the capacity and resources to take the steps they must to protect their people'.
'Meanwhile, countries yet to submit their NDCs [Nationally Determined Contributions - see notes below] must address these same priorities of mitigation, adaptation and finance at national level, including setting targets for reducing their emissions that are sufficiently ambitious to align with their fair shares towards the goals of the Paris Agreement', said Beagley. 'In their new NDCs, governments must commit to optimising health and building resilience, which will only be possible when supported by adequate domestic budget and international finance commitments, and they must commit to monitoring how those commitments are being implemented", said Beagley.
'Governments must also ensure that countries that have contributed the least to climate change but are facing its harshest impacts, must receive crucial international support', said Jeni Miller, Executive Director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance. 'From flooding that destroys homes and clinics and spreads cholera, to heatwaves that overwhelm hospitals with patients, to droughts and weather instability that ruin harvests, to wildfires spreading toxic smoke to communities thousands of miles away, in every country people are suffering from the impacts of climate change; low income developing countries are the most severely harmed and the least able to respond to and recover from the damages from this problem that they did not cause.'
'Fossil fuels are at the root of climate change, as well as of air pollution and plastic contamination, as well as polluting our water and soil pollution. Collaboration amongst governments in Bonn must ensure that November's COP30 takes a great leap towards ending the fossil fuel age and its devastating impact on human health', said Miller.
Ending Fossil Fuel Industry Influence
'A major impediment to action on climate change is the well-documented and deliberate efforts of certain industries to block progress', said Miller. 'For years, the fossil fuel industry has deliberately sown doubt and interfered with policy deliberations, has sent hundreds of lobbyists to COPs every year since the Paris Agreement was signed. Big agriculture is also very well organized, and increasingly attempting to slow COP action on agricultural practices that contribute to climate change. Without putting a halt to the influence of industries that have a vested interest in delaying progress on climate change, our chances are hampered from the get-go.'
'A clamour is now developing ahead of COP30 about how UNFCCC should counter the increasing representation at climate summits from high emitting industries like fossil fuels and big agriculture', added Miller. 'Two years ago, the UNFCCC Secretariat introduced new regulations forcing delegates to disclose their affiliations, but to date, there are no restrictions on participation - as a result, polluting industries driving climate change are everywhere at COP climate summits. The UNFCCC must urgently put in place stronger measures to limit the influence of industry and conflicts of interest - and to achieve this, it can learn from how other UN bodies, such as the World Health Organization, have responded to industry pressures from tobacco and alcohol companies.'
Brazil's COP30 Presidency has voiced concerns over fossil fuel interference, plans to lead a 'Global Ethical Stocktake' of COP processes, and has launched four 'Support Circles', including one focused on climate governance.
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