Project
Photo: UNFCCCMonitoring the UN Climate Negotiations
As changes in climate become more extreme, their affects are being hardest felt throughout developing countries. Since 1994, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has laid out actions to limit the increase of global average temperatures and confront the impacts of climate change.
The States that are Parties to the Convention meet every year in the so-called Conference of the Parties (COP) to review their commitments, the progress made in fulfilling them, and pending challenges in the global fight against the climate crisis.
At COP21 in 2015, they adopted the Paris Agreement, which seeks to strengthen the global response to the climate emergency, establishing a common framework for all countries to work on the basis of their capacities and through the presentation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) that will:
- Limit the increase in global temperatures to 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels and continue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C;
- Increase the capacity of countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change; and
- Ensure that financing responds to the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Our focus areas
THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
The climate crisis, due to its transversal character, has repercussions in various fields, geographies, contexts and people. In this regard, the Preamble to the Paris Agreement states that it is the obligation of States to "respect, promote and fulfill their respective obligations on human rights, the right to health, the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities, migrants, children, persons with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations and the right to development, as well as gender equality, the empowerment of women and intergenerational equity."
AIDA at the COP
COP25: Chile-Madrid 2019
At COP25 in Madrid, Spain, we advocated for the inclusion of the human rights perspective in various agenda items. We promoted the incorporation of broad socio-environmental safeguards in the regulation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which refers to carbon markets. We closely followed the adoption of the Gender Action Plan, as well as the Santiago Network, created "to catalyze technical assistance […] in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse affects of climate change." We also encouraged the inclusion of ambitious and measurable targets for the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants in the climate commitments of States.
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Latest News
Defending my place in the fight for the climate
I started at AIDA as a law student exploring the possibilities of working in the field of environmental law. Four years later, I am the youngest attorney on the organization's legal team, supporting the efforts of the Marine Biodiversity and Coastal Protection Program. I always say that the best part of my job is being surrounded by so many young, powerful and exemplary women. Their teachings have cemented my path. Last month, I participated in the preparatory meeting for the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which took place in Costa Rica. It was my first time at such an event. It was there that I really felt the strength of women and the younger generations, who have united to demand our place at the table to discuss solutions to the climate crisis. In recent months, we’ve seen the strength of global and regional movements of young people outraged by what they see as the inaction of governments to curb global warming. For the most part, young women, adolescents and even girls have led these movements. The climate meeting in Costa Rica was no exception, and reflected the generational change we are experiencing. In that forum, young people of various professions and aspirations made our claim and sought to be heard. We were united by a common purpose: to guarantee our future and to be better than present generations in fulfilling that goal. Millennials (the generational group to which I belong) and the centennials (to which my 13-year-old sister belongs) are the ones who will have to live with the consequences of political inaction in the face of the climate crisis. It is our future that is at stake. Women are especially vulnerable to environmental degradation due to the special role we play in caring for natural resources and the people around us. That is why it’s good news that we’re rising up and demanding clear, concrete and, above all, urgent actions. This PreCOP was an opportunity for learning and growth. I identified with the emphasis that the government of Costa Rica placed on the protection of the ocean and solutions based in nature. And I was inspired to see more and more young women taking the lead in the determined and ambitious actions that the world's environmental and social crises require us to take.
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Statement on the suspension of COP25 in Chile
Today the Chilean government, after two weeks of mass demonstrations, cancelled the twenty-fifth Conference of the Parties (COP25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, scheduled for December in Santiago. We lament the decision and express our support to the Chilean people, facing a difficult situation that makes the nation unable to guarantee the safety that an event of such magnitude requires. We call on the Chilean State to ensure that the process of change the country is going through is developed with respect for the human rights of all those involved. Abuse from public forces is unacceptable, especially in a process that seeks to repair the social wounds that tarnish our societies. The Chilean government must comply with its human rights obligations. We also urge the State and private sector to take firm steps towards transforming Chile into a country with greater social, environmental and climate justice; and to set an example for Latin America, a region where inequality and injustice have intensified over the years. Underlying the social crisis in Chile is a very serious environmental crisis that has long corroded equity and is part of the spark that ignited social discontent. Two examples of this inadmissible reality include sacrifice zones, where coal-fired power plants have condemned families to suffering a large part of the country's atmospheric pollution, making them sick and truncating their development; and the privatization of water, meaning Chile fails to recognize access to drinking water and sanitation as a human right, and does not prioritize their use for human consumption and the maintenance of ecosystems. Similar problems occur in other countries of the region. We hope that Chile will continue in its role as President of the COP, pushing with more force than ever toward ambitious climate commitments that will help us keep global warming under control while complying with the Paris Agreement. The events of the past month clearly demonstrate that, in the face of crises, changes must come from the people, always protecting and favoring the most vulnerable members of society. Indigenous peoples and rural communities, who have suffered hardest from social and environmental injustice, can often best contribute to the solutions our planet needs. All efforts to combat the climate crisis must ensure a just, participatory energy transition that respects human rights. Chile today has the opportunity to make history by including environmental protection and climate justice as pillars in the construction of a cleaner, fairer and more equitable future. We warmly call on the international community to join in this show of support for the people of Chile. PRESS CONTACT: Victor Quintanilla (México), [email protected], +5215570522107
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Lessons for moving into a world without fossil fuels
By Javier Dávalos and Florencia Ortúzar Recent social conflict in Ecuador, triggered by the abrupt suspension of diesel and gasoline subsidies, has demonstrated the need for a just energy transition that takes people into account. Measures aimed at ending government support for the production and use of fossil fuels must be progressive and consensual. The extraction of coal, oil and gas produces significant emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, contaminants that cause global warming. Burning these fuels to produce energy also contributes greatly to air pollution, which kills millions of people annually. Nevertheless, governments worldwide spend between 160 and 400 billion dollars each year to subsidize the fossil fuel industry, according to information from the United Nations Environment Program. Total financial support for renewable energy reaches only 121 billion. If we really want to combat the climate crisis and improve our air quality, we much change this situation. Understanding subsidies Public incentives to producers and consumers of coal, oil and natural gas include payments to consumers or businesses and tax deductions. Therefore, even if fuel prices rise steadily, subsidies keep them artificially low. As a result, transportation and trade costs are contained and remain internationally competitive. These subsidies weigh heavily on national economies, which are left without resources that could well be allocated to sectors such as health and education. Support for the industry deepens our dependence on fossil fuels and ties us to a crippling economic system that the planet desperately needs us to escape. It’s important to understand that this dependence is much more acute for the most vulnerable among us, for whom each dollar counts toward quality of life. A just energy transition The events in Ecuador have taught us a valuable lesson: a desirable result does not necessarily justify the way it is carried out. There, the subsidies for diesel and gasoline were eliminated by decree, unilaterally and without prior national dialogue, hitting the poorest sectors of society hardest. This provoked an intense and violent social conflict that forced the government to revoke its decree, which had not even considered the fight against the climate crisis (let alone a just energy transition). Actions of this type, which imply important changes in the basic needs of the population, like the fuel needed for transportation, must be accompanied by protective measures for society’s most vulnerable. It’s time to leave fossil fuel subsidies behind. But their elimination must be framed in serious plans that seek a real transition to a low-carbon way of life. And must be accompanied by supportive actions such as the promotion of local economies, the protection of ecosystems that naturally regulate the climate, the effective improvement of public transport systems, and investment in renewable energy sources. Only in this way will we begin walking in the direction of climate justice. A new social pact to tackle inequality Chile has also erupted in protests in recent weeks. Events there confirm that forgotten segments of society will no longer bear the burden of inequality, and that the time has come to change course. The Chilean crisis is not directly related to fossil fuels subsidies, but it is related to a fundamental problem in Latin America: abysmal social inequality that has for too reigned in our region. Deep social discontent erupted after the government increased the price of public transportation without considering the social consequences it would have. When commodity prices rise, the most vulnerable will always be the hardest hit. Therefore, these changes must incorporate actions that close social gaps rather than aggravate them. Like Ecuador, Chile has shown us that it is time to aim further, beyond palliative measures that affect the pockets of the poorest, in search of a new social pact. The current social and environmental crisis can be taken as a unique opportunity to begin building a more just society, putting an end to the serious inequalities that have long afflicted our countries, our region and the world.
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