CYDaily Paris - PhotoCOPped - highlights from day 2
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- Published on Friday, 04 December 2015 14:45
- Written by editor
PhotoCOPped - Highlights from Day 2 of COP21
• Climate Vulnerability Forum: countries adopt declaration calling
for 1.5℃, decarbonization by 2050, and to be paid for climate
damages
• Erica
Lee’s post went viral
“Civil Society Needs a Voice”: The Protest Bans
Since the recent shootings, Paris has been in a state of
emergency. This has meant protesting is banned (defined as a political
demonstration of two or more people), and provoked a backlash as
activists assert their right to freedom of speech and assembly.
However, civil society cannot be silenced. Like other UN conferences
before, COP21 began with grassroots resistance leading the
way, and since then, civil society is using creative actions
to continue being heard.
French President Hollande was called
out yesterday by CYD member Diane Connors, who yelled “let us
demonstrate, civil society needs a voice!” as he walked past
her (look for the video up on Facebook today!). Other
inspiring actions include when youth demonstrating with giant poker
chips urging world leaders not to ‘gamble away our
futures.'
Courageous Climate Commitments from those most vulnerable
On Monday, at the Climate Vulnerability Forum, the
countries most vulnerable to climate change, made a bold commitment to
completely decarbonize in thirty five years. With 43
national sign-ons, this was the most powerful commitment to
decarbonization by 2050 to date. This coalition also called upon OECD
countries to meet their moral obligation to fund developing countries
in battling climate change and poverty. The most vulnerable, not the
most wealthy, countries are making the most drastic
pledges.
“$100 billion (the current amount of climate finance
pledged) a year is not enough for 150 countries to develop
sustainably” Those words from the Costa Rican Delegation at the CVF,
drove home why these talks matter.
The announcement drew a lot
of attention at COP 21 with civil society members expressing
statements of solidarity and calling upon countries in the North to
follow the unprecedented leadership of Global South
countries.
Yesterday, we also attended
to two side events by indigenous leaders focusing on the intersection
between protecting the climate and conserving Amazonian rainforests by
recognizing indigenous land rights. We were struck by the words of the
inspiring Indigenous leaders from Peru and Ecuador and the lack of
attendance at their events.
• Climate Investment Funds
• AIDESEP (Asociación Interétnica de Desarollo de la Selva Peruana)
• Confederación de Nacionalidades Amazónicas del Perú
Songs and Strong Words: Indigenous Pavilion Opens
Yesterday was the first day we could visit the “green
zone” - the part of the conference that is open to the public. The
Indigenous pavilion opened with powerful speeches and songs in the
opening ceremony. Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate
Change, Catherine McKenna was in attendance to hear indigenous leaders
from around the world speak about how indigenous peoples are at the
forefront of climate impacts and solutions. While a French
official was speaking, Indigenous leaders held up signs that demanded
leaders better protect indigenous rights and keep global warming below
1.5℃. We hope that Minister McKenna paid close attention to these
leaders, and that she take a page from former UN Human Rights
Commissioner Mary Robinson, who talked about how listening to
indigenous people transformed how she understood the importance of
indigenous rights.
Fewer Photo Ops More Real Climate Action
Today was the first
of the daily Canadian Stakeholder Meetings. Hidden behind a shield of
strong pro-action rhetoric, the Negotiating Team wasted no time in
continuing the proud Canadian tradition of ignoring the tar sands and
blaming other countries for inaction.Our team-mate Stephen
Thomas asked if Canada will support the Climate Vulnerability Forum’s
call to go carbon-free by 2050 (which also happens to be one of
our asks). McKenna and the Canadian Negotiators avoided the question by blaming other countries who cannot decarbonize by 2050. She said “many countries will have great difficulty decarbonizing by 2050”. But we want to know: is Canada prepared to decarbonize by 2050?
The CYD had a meeting scheduled with Minister McKenna right after the stakeholder meeting. Unfortunately, she cancelled the meeting as we were in the next room preparing for it. Instead, she offered to take a selfie with us instead (for the second time)… we declined (for the second time). We're here to be heard and not just seen in selfies.
Badges
Four members of CYD are on the Canadian Delegation and have been issued Party badges. When the delegates arrived at the the conference they found that they needed secondary badges to get into the Leader’s event on the 30th. Several other delegates at COP21 with Party badges, including Green Party leader Elizabeth May, struggled to get their party badges. The CYD will investigate the matter and keep people posted as we know more. These processes and confusion leave us feeling uncomfortable.All in all, so far at COP, while the leadership of Global South countries and Indigenous leaders has been tremendously inspiring. Our federal leaders have not kept up.
We’d love it if you could continue helping us out by sharing the CYD updates. Here’s a link to this issue of the CYDaily -- don’t forget to share it on social media!
We’ll be in touch with more details --
for live updates, you can follow
us on twitter @CYD_DJC.
PS. We’re in the last couple of
days of our crowdfunder. We would be so grateful if you could pitch in
$5 or $10 to support our work here in Paris. (LINK:https://ourclimate.nationbuilder.com/donate_to_cyd)
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The Canadian Youth Delegation strives to live and work in right relation as allies in the struggle for indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. In our communication, we have used place names commonly known to Canadian settlers, but recognize these places as tradition, largely unceded territory of people indigenous to Turtle Island.
