CYDaily from COP22 -- Report from day 12

Details: Published on Saturday, 26 November 2016 15:00; Written by editor

Report from day 12 of COP22

As the meeting of the UNFCCC COP 22 came to a close today in Marrakesh, Parties sat in negotiation spaces debating long-term funds for adaptation and text in final reports while the CYD alongside other civil societies took to the halls of COP for one last hurrah to let the Canadian government know we are watching and we are mobilized.

We have been running in circles with the Canadian negotiators over the last two weeks and it took interrupting the Canadian reception to get an opportunity to speak briefly with Minister McKenna. We repeatedly hear from the Canadian government that they want to meaningfully engage with youth on climate change, but in reality McKenna prioritized sitting on panels with Suncor and Enbridge, and meeting with businesses, banks and private sectors. We wanted to remind our representatives that they are accountable to us, to their citizens, and not to oil interests and people with deep pockets.

Canada’s long term climate plan falls just short of being ambitious

Canada released its pathway to 2050 today - and we have mixed feelings about it. The development of a long-term pathway to reduce emissions beyond Canada’s 2030 target is an essential step for the country, and will be an important input to national and provincial territories as they prepare to meet in early December to discuss the pan- Canadian climate action plan. However, reducing our emissions 80% below 2005 levels by 2050 as a target may be challenging, but it is not ambitious. In order for Canada to do its fair share and decarbonize our economies completely, Canada must reach 0 emissions by 2050 and pursue efforts to reach zero well before that if they are committed to aiming for 1.5 degrees.

… but 48 of Most Climate Vulnerable Countries Pledge 100% Renewable

While Canadian Governments are still advocating long-term fossil fuel infrastructure, the countries of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) are ditching fossil fuels. They won the “Ray of the Day” award for COP22’s last day (and certainly deserved it)!

The Climate Vulnerable Forum is a group of countries already dealing with some of global warming’s most severe impacts: rising sea levels, drought, and extreme weather. These developing countries have made miniscule historic contributions to climate change. But what they lack in monetary wealth, they make up for in ambition and commitment. They’ve showed leadership like nothing we’ve seen from Canada or other developed countries at this year’s COP.

The developed economies of the world should look to them for leadership. Canadians should contrast this with political conflict we deal with on our climate commitments. Despite our enormous economic privilege, our emissions targets are inadequate (and we don’t yet have a plan to reach them), and our international climate finance is far less than our subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. It’s time we follow the CVF’s lead.

We meet Saskatchewan environment minister Scott Moe

Brendan raised important questions and concerns to Environment Minister Moe at COP 22 from Saskatchewan youth back home. Minister Moe suggested coal was a transition fuel (really?!...really.)

How can Saskatchewan be talking about diverting all Canada’s international climate finance commitments into expensive CCS technology that doesn’t work? Has their government been withholding details of the Husky spill last summer? Indigenous peoples continue to be tokenized in these forums and their voices ignored. We left him with a reminder of what is at stake, with marginalized and indigenous communities in Saskatchewan and in climate-vulnerable communities around the world.

Going out with peace and protest

In the last moments at COP, CYDelegates spent the day posting love letters around the COP space and sharing the voices from back home in Marrakesh. Love letters echoing heart-warming sentiments towards our oceans, our lands and our planet were spread across the cold walls and halls at COP. It was an honour to share your letters of hope, love and peace for Mother Earth to the global community and a great way to wrap up our work at COP22.

We also spent the day calling for a rejection of the Kinder Morgan pipeline (just in case Minister McKenna and the Canadian delegation didn't hear us at the reception). If Canada is committed to pursuing efforts of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees and doing its fair share, it cannot build pipelines, period! We held banners outside the COP space in silence and in solidarity with the land defenders and organizers back home. As onlookers from across the globe stopped to take photos, we spoke to them about the plight of people in Canada who are fighting the power and urging our governments to keep fossil fuels in the ground and protect our coastal ecosystems.

Civil society gets the last word

Our team closed off the last day at the conference centre with a beautiful closing action led by youth and climate justice leaders. We marched through the negotiating halls, by the informal sessions closed to civil society observers, past the last minute negotiations over a few pages of text that move the process forward at a glacial pace and out the doors of COP.

We sang at the top of our lungs, so the ministers and negotiators could hear us march out --

Hey COP22

We are here to talk to you

Will you hear the people’s call?

1.5 or we all fall.

We will lay our bodies down,

We will keep it in the ground.

We won’t stop until it’s done,

We will fight until we’ve won.

COP22 was labelled the COP of action, but with Canada applauding the importance of the participation of oil companies and while keeping interactions with youth minimal unless we actively engaged them, we realized our voice was being silenced in this space. Our voice is strongest back home in the streets and in local communities, standing with land defenders and grassroots movements. It is stronger, louder and growing in numbers. These are the people-powered movements resisting fossil fuels and building a sustainable and renewable path forward. What better way to spend our final day at COP22?

Pendant la dernière journée de la CdP 22, les Parties se sont réunies pour négocier les fonds d’adaptation à long terme, tandis que la DJC se sont joint à d'autres groupes de sociétés civiles pour une dernière action pour faire savoir au gouvernement canadien que nous les observons et que nous sommes mobilisés.

Le plan climatique à long terme du Canada est juste presque ambitieux

Le Canada a publié son plan pour 2050 aujourd'hui - et nous avons de sentiments mélangés. Le développement d'une voie à long terme pour réduire les émissions au-delà de la cible canadienne de 2030 est une étape essentielle et constituera une contribution importante aux territoires nationaux et provinciaux qui se préparent à se réunir début décembre pour discuter du plan d'action sur le climat. Toutefois, la réduction de nos émissions de 80% par rapport à 2005 d'ici 2050 c’est le minimum. Pour que le Canada fasse sa part équitable et décarbonise complètement ses économies, le Canada doit atteindre 0 émissions d'ici 2050 et poursuivre ses efforts pour atteindre zéro bien avant si elles s'engagent à viser 1,5 degré.

... mais 48 des pays les plus vulnérables so commettent à 100% énergie renouvelable

Alors que les gouvernements canadiens défendent toujours les infrastructures de combustibles fossiles, les pays du Forum sur les Vulnérabilités Climatiques (CVF) se s’en débarrassent.

Le CVF est un groupe de pays qui sont déjà entrain de vivre les impacts des changements climatiques les plus graves: l'élévation du niveau de la mer, la sécheresse et des conditions météorologiques extrêmes. Ces pays en développement ont une contribution historique minime au changement climatique. Mais ce qu'ils manquent de richesse monétaire, ils compensent par l'ambition et l'engagement. Ils ont fait preuve de leadership comme rien de ce que nous avons vu du Canada ou d'autres pays développés lors de la CdP de cette année.

Reunion DJC avec le ministre de l'Environnement de la Saskatchewan, Scott Moe

Brendan a soulevé des préoccupations importantes au ministre de l'Environnement Moe à la CdP 22 de la part des jeunes de la Saskatchewan de retour chez eux. Le ministre Moe a semble suggérer que le charbon est un carburant de transition.. Nous avons pris la chance de lui rappeler des enjeux des communautés marginalisées et autochtones a Saskatchewan, et des communautés vulnérables au climat partout dans le monde.

Paix et manif

Dans les derniers instants de la CdP, les délégués de la DJC on passé la journée à écrire des lettres d'amour autour du centre de conférence pour partager les voix de canadiens partout a la CdP. Les lettres d'amour on était écrit a nos océans, nos terres et notre planète. C'était un honneur de partager ces histoires d'espoir, d'amour et de paix pour la Terre Mère avec la communauté internationale. C'était une excellente façon d'achever notre travail à la CdP.

Nous avons aussi passé la journée en demandant le rejet du pipeline Kinder Morgan. Si le Canada s'est engagé à poursuivre les efforts pour maintenir le réchauffement à 1,5 degré et à faire sa juste part, il ne peut pas construire de pipelines, fin à la ligne! Nous avons tenu des bannières en dehors de la CdP en silence et en solidarité avec les défenseurs de terre et les manifestations partout au Canada. Alors que des spectateurs internationaux s'arrêtent pour prendre des photos, nous leur parlons du peuples canadien qui se combattent pour garder les combustibles fossiles sous terre.

Canadian Youth Delegation
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The Canadian Youth Climate Coalition · Halifax, NS B3K 2B6, Canada
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