Durban Climate Summit Saves Face at the Expense of Future Generations
As the sun rose over Durban,
youth from across Canada sat in the final plenary session of COP17 and
watched through bleary, sleep deprived eyes as our futures were
bargained away in the name of “good” diplomacy.
Despite the fact that COP17 is being touted as a success by the
architects of its demise, global “leaders” in Durban did little more
than lay a roadmap to devastation. They are celebrating the creation of a
deal to find a deal at some point in the future while emissions rise
and the planet cooks.
The Green Climate Fund is an empty piggy bank with no decision on the
sources of finances. Should those nations in desperate need of
adaptation financing shatter it they will find only the promises of the
richest, most polluting nations.
Unfortunately you can’t buy clean
water, arable land and food security with promises.
While Kyoto survived in Durban, it is held hostage by polluting
nations and corporate interests. The world’s major emitters, Canada
among them, refused to adopt new emissions targets resulting in a zombie
Kyoto Protocol which covers only 15% of global greenhouse gas
emissions. This irresponsibly low ambition does nothing to solve to the
climate crisis, simply delaying decisions onto time borrowed from our
generation.
Nation after nation addressed the plenary, criticizing the text for
abandoning the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. A
representative of Grenada took the floor at one point, saying that those
“living in vulnerable countries are now being asked to accept something
meaningless.”
The historical climate change culprits have gotten away with murder
in Durban, they have abandoned their responsibility for this crisis and
placed the burden upon the shoulders of the world.
Only when the process threatens to turn into progress does Canada
meaningfully engage in the climate negotiations. It’s clear that their
interests are not in a binding global climate regime, only in
maintaining business, and profits, as usual.
No matter the outcome of these high level negotiations, the real
solutions will be created by the self empowering movements of youth that
are able to take on the fossil fuel industries and the governments that
support polluters and profits over the rights of people.
What we did see in Durban were youth standing up from the ‘kids
table’ created for us by our governments and the United Nations. Young
people from around the world rejected the the adage that young people
here are meant to be seen, seldom heard and never listened to. It
started when six young Canadians turned their backs on their Environment
Minister refusing to take the disregard for their future sitting down.
