Response to latest round of draft text from Paris climate conference from Climate Action Network Canada

PRESS RELEASE 
For immediate release 

PARIS – The draft climate change agreement released today in Paris still has the potential to prevent dangerous global warming of 3°C or more, says Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat Canada. To get the result the world needs, all parties must roll up their sleeves and do some hard work.

While most of the puzzle pieces are on the table for a successful global climate agreement in Paris, the whole deal could stumble for lack of a pathway for action before 2020 to avert a catastrophic path to 3°C global warming. Other contentious issues that could bog down the negotiations relate to how effectively the text addresses the needs of the world’s most vulnerable.

Canada’s back, and has the opportunity to play a leadership role in these final crucial hours of negotiation.

“The new text contains encouraging options to limit average global warming to 1.5°C, but if you add up current national commitments, you get to 3° or more. Without a mechanism to ensure countries will increase the ambition of their national commitments before they take effect in 2020, the agreement would simply rearrange the deck chairs on a sinking ship,” said Adam Scott, Environmental Defence.

“We need to finish the transition to a clean, renewable energy economy by 2050, and the longer we put it off, the tougher the job will be and the more damage will be done,” said Catherine Abreu, Ecology Action Centre and Climate Action Network Canada. “Communities around the world as well as in Canada’s northern and and coastal regions are already suffering the impacts of climate change. Protecting them means starting the hard work before 2020.”

“The good news is that Canada is back,” said Steven Guilbeault, Équiterre. “Canada has pushed for the inclusion in the Paris Agreement of the rights of Indigenous peoples, a fair transition for workers, and the goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5° Celsius…all that in a week’s work,” he added.

“While Canada has been much more progressive at this summit than in previous years, Canada’s position on Loss and Damage is problematic. Canada, along with other countries, is thwarting progress on this crucial issue affecting the world’s most vulnerable.” said Patrick Bonin, Greenpeace Canada. “We know Canadians expect more from their government and know Canada can do better.”

“We applaud the Canadian government for committing to the 1.5°C limit,” said Bethany Hindmarsh of the Canadian Youth Delegation. “We are excited to work for a just transition that ensures this goal is met. However, Canada is not back unless we are willing to take responsibility for historical and per capita emissions, and pay our fair share to vulnerable countries for the irreversible losses suffered because of climate change.”

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For more information contact:
Catherine Abreu, Ecology Action Centre, +33 7 88 80 66 59
Steven Guilbeault, Équiterre, +1-514-231-2650
Patrick Bonin, Greenpeace, +1-514-594-1221
Adam Scott, Environmental Defence, +1-416-347-3858
Bethany Hindmarsh, +33 7 89 78 57 52