Throughout history, climate change has adversely impacted low-income communities, which have become particularly vulnerable to flooding, high carbon emissions and co-pollutants. These events have led to displacement and high levels of cancer, asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ) was established in 1994 to respond to the disproportional burdens facing people of color and low-income residents in environmentally distressed communities.
At a time when urban centers are depressed with job loss, aging infrastructure and numerous abandoned properties, DWEJ is on the cutting edge of finding unique solutions that integrate environmental justice, city revitalization and economic development.
Over the past several months, DWEJ and other environmental justice advocates have worked closely on the federal climate legislation – H.R. 2454 (American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009) and S.1733 (Clean Energy Jobs and America Power Act) to ensure that stringent measures are adopted to closely monitor and regulate cap and trade, significantly increase green job opportunities for historically under-represented communities, and substantially curtail carbon emissions in low-income communities.
The passage of a climate justice energy bill is critically important because it will strengthen the United States position of negotiation in future Conference of Parties (COP) climate negotiations.
We must have a strong focus on substantially reducing green house gasses, carbon dioxide, providing financial support for adaptation and technology transfer for developing countries and small island states.
Thousands of people descended upon Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec. 7-18, ranging from world presidents to foreign ministers, to party leaders to non-government organizations (NGO’s) to business groups, in anticipation of a climate agreement being reached. This Climate Conference (COP15) was considered the largest ever, drawing over 40,000 people. Indeed, it was considered a who’s who of who’s who premier functions.
There were 192 nations and over 110 heads of state in attendance. What a perfect and unique opportunity to develop a binding agreement that would immediately develop and enforce short- and long-term goals for reducing green house gasses. All of the necessary players were represented. The stage was set.
As DWEJ has played an active role in proposing amendments to the federal energy legislation, we were very excited to join with other environmental justice advocates to participate in the Climate Conference for the duration.
This experience enabled us to meet with key stakeholders to express our concerns and share our recommendations about reducing global warming and addressing its adverse impact on vulnerable communities, nationally and internationally.
DWEJ met with several world government leaders, particularly African countries, to build a consensus on establishing a meaningful treaty during the conference.
We were particularly focused on ensuring that the global temperature should be closer to 1.5 Celsius, which will ease the devastation of global warming and agricultural development in particular. We are also concerned that developed countries, particularly the United States and China, have not made more aggressive commitments to reducing carbon emissions in the short term.
Reportedly, the United States and China are the two top carbon emitters. Recently, China surpassed the U.S. Together, they account for over 40 percent of carbon emissions. We shared these concerns with the White House, as well as the EPA, during the Copenhagen Conference.
In order to create a meaningful binding international treaty that is advantageous for developed countries, developing countries and small island states, there must be a more concerted effort from the United States, China, Brazil and India to appoint advisors with a vested interest in promoting environmental justice.
This is fundamentally important if we are going to reduce the adverse effects of climate change on national and international vulnerable communities.
Additionally, it is our fervent desire that developed countries will engage in more strategic conversations with non-government organizations (NGO’s) and other stakeholders who endeavor to achieve a strong semblance of environmental justice.
DWEJ believes that the time is now for a climate justice agreement and we readily embrace the Climate Change Treaty, which was developed prior to the Climate Conference to respond to the disastrous weather events experienced by Gulf Coast residents. It is imperative that the Copenhagen Accord (official agreement) fully incorporate these principles to protect our human right to a healthy and safe environment.
Highlights of the Climate Change Treaty (Developed by the Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, New Orleans, Louisiana):
• Reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide to below 350 parts per million
• Transition to a clean energy economy that supports alternatives for workers employed in carbon-intensive industries and communities that rely on such industries
• Prioritize improving the environmental health, educational, and economic conditions in communities that suffer from the impacts of carbon-intensive industries
• Ensure that vulnerable communities, and women from vulnerable communities, are included in all levels of decision-making on climate change policies
• Support the climate resiliency of indigenous and poor communities in the U.S. and around the world by fostering sustainable land use and building materials
• Ensure that climate change adaptation policies are aligned with the U.N. Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
• Require best practices in coastal restoration, reforestation flood protection, and disaster mitigation in the U.S. and around the world.
For more information and to view the entire Climate Change Treaty, please visit Advocates for Environmental Human Rights at www.ehumanrights.org
On Thursday and Friday, Dec. 17-18, many of the world leaders arrived in Copenhagen. On Friday, after stalled talks, President Obama met with China, India, Brazil and South Africa, and created the Copenhagen Accord. Although this document did not assign a deadline for establishing a binding agreement or short-term commitments to reducing carbon emissions, it was a long-awaited step towards an agreement. However, many countries reluctantly accepted the Accord and viewed the conference as a failure.
Highlights of the Accord:
• Confirms the continuation of the Kyoto protocol and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Sets maximum of 2 degrees Celsius for global temperature rise. Will review in 2016 to determine whether it should lower temperature to 1.5 Celsius (request of Africa, developing countries, small island states)
• Developed countries will commit $30 billion additional funding for developing countries for 2010-2012, and developed countries will support a goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries
• Developed countries commit at least 80 percent emission reduction by year 2050
• Mitigation actions subject to international measurement reporting and verification, will be monitored nationally and reported every second year by guidelines accepted by the parties to UNFCC
As the Con
ference of Parties (COP) moves towards establishing a binding treaty, we need for everyone to urge the U.S. Senate to pass an energy bill that is not watered down by the petroleum and coal industry, but achieves climate justice.
We need a fair energy bill that will protect low-income communities from the adverse effects of climate change, closely monitor and regulate the emissions reporting system, which is currently based on an honor system, and regulate the cap and trade system which has not been necessarily proven to reduce carbon emissions.
In fact, it is likely that older, dirtier facilities will feel compelled to buy more carbon permits than to reduce emissions because of the cost benefit. Call your senators today. U.S. Sen. Carl Levin can be reached at (313) 226-6020 or U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow can be reached at (313) 961-4330.
The next Conference of Parties 16 (COP16), held this year, will take place in Mexico City. COP 17 will take place in South Africa in 2011.
For more information and to view the entire Copenhagen Accord, please visit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at https://ionemichiganchronicle.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/l07.pdf.