Event

On May 21st the Phoenix in Leicester is showing the film Arica – at 5.30pm (part of Great Big Green Month)

Arica is a documentary about a Swedish mining company who made a deal to dispose of toxic waste in Chile and the case that the community took to court to try and get justice.  The toxic waste had a terrible impact on the health of the small community. This gripping film has been made by film makers Lars Edman and William Johansson.

Join us to watch Arica at the Phoenix cinema in Leicester on Saturday – after the film there is a Question and Answer session.

Global Justice Leicester & Leicestershire is taking a stall to the screening and will explain how Corporate Courts are being used to oppose climate protections. You can find information about Corporate Courts on the Global Justice Now website.

CLIMATE FINANCE AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

This is a summary of issues raised in various online reports and COP 26 decisions – written by Alison Skinner who is a member of Global Justice Leicester and Leicester Friends of the Earth.

We know that  getting climate justice for the nations most affected by climate change who have contributed little or nothings in emissions is a huge priority.   These include Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands threatened by rising sea levels, parts of sub Saharan Africa and the Arctic and the Caribbean.

The pledge from Copenhagen 2009 to provide $100b a year starting  2020-25 has not yet been delivered – figures from 2019 show that poor countries were given $80b  according to the OECD.

The two main distinctions are between money for projects aimed at mitigating green house gasses such as developing  alternative energy generation using solar panels, hydro and wind farms etc.and projects designed for adaptation such as early warning systems for extreme weather events, air conditioning to counter extreme heat, resettlement of communities away from coastal areas and changing agricultural practices to crops more resistant to draught. Examples from the November Geographical magazine include creating mangrove seawalls in Indonesia, building amphibious rather than stilted houses in Vietnam and planting salt tolerant crops in Bangladesh.

Both approaches are valid but the key issue for developing countries  is that only about 20% of the $80b funding allocated is for adaptation projects – Global North countries preferring to sell the type of material on which they can make a profit.

Global South countries are lobbying for the financial allocation between these two approaches to be 50:50 rather than the skewed distribution at present.

Another problem is the status of the finance provided. In 2019 71% of the public climate finance took the form of loans rather than grants and this can suck poorer countries into a cycle of debt.

They have to borrow money at punishing rates of interest to repair the effects of hurricanes and cyclones.and if they use their loan to pay for a project that gets destroyed in the extreme next weather event they are left with a debt and no tangible benefit.

Small island states and least developed countries are now lobbying for a new stream of funding for loss and damage in addition to mitigation and adaptation projects. Historically the Global North has been extremely reluctant to buy into this and resists any notion of funding being compensation or restitution.

Antigua, Barbuda and Tuvalu have announced a commission to explore if there might be legal grounds for loss and damage funding from polluting countries. 

COP 26  Decisions

Many developing countries were left very disappointed by the decisions made on issues which were critical for them and it would seem that the conference was particularly a debate between Global North countries about how far they were prepared to go to reduce emissions having accepted to some extent there was some urgency required to keep within 1.5c. Some of the developing country decisions appear to be a holding operation to be considered at another day.  

Climate funding

There were new pledges from US, UK, Germany, Japan and others of climate funding which it is estimated would finally achieve $1billion by at least 2025 or perhaps a little earlier if other funding could be brought in. Some experts are saying that funding in trillions would be more realistic.

There was a recommendation, rather than a requirement, that developed countries should double their collective provision for adaptation projects by 2025, but this would still fall short of the 50:50 provision requested by Global South countries and there was no detail concerning time scales and transparency.

There was a mention of the impact of debt levels carried by poorer countries for the first time but no indication of how this could be reduced. It does provide a marker for future discussion however.

There was some recommendation about making funds available as grants but also recommendations about making cheap loans which still allowed wide discretion on the part of funders.

Jubilee Debt Campaign claims however looking at the small print that some countries may pay their contributions out of their existing aid budget instead of making new money available which is in the spirit of the funding. This could include the UK. 

Loss and Damage Funding

This was a very important issue for front line island nations and others which was effectively sidelined with the promise that a “dialogue on loss and damage would begin next year in Egypt.”

To their great credit Scotland has promised £2m to a special Loss and Damage Fund, managing this way to provide UK money, but circumventing Boris and the Treasury who have made no such pledge. Wallonia – an area of Belgium has also pledged 1m euros.

There will be a huge head of steam on this issue by next year, particularly after another year of global warming induced weather events, so we will wait to see what transpires. 

Indigenous People Support

Five countries including the US and UK and global charities have promised $1.7b to support indigenous people and the conservation of their land. How this gets to the grass roots in an effective way will need scrutiny. 

Deforestation

A group of countries have pledged £14b by 2030 to halt and reverse global deforestation by restoring degraded land, managing wildfires and supporting indigenous people. This has included Brazil’s president who will need detailed supervision on this!

The introduction of annual COPs means we are now in continuous campaigning mode on this issue

which should increase important pressure.

Global Day of Action for Climate Justice – on Saturday November 6th

Please join us in Leicester city centre as we take part in a worldwide day of action:

• to highlight how climate change disproportionately affects the poorest in our communities.
• to call for action to address this injustice – action by politicians at COP26 and action in our city and communities.

The events in Leicester have been organised by
Climate Action, the Race Equality Centre, the Muslim Green Guardians, Leicester Friends of the Earth and the City Retreat

The timetable for the afternoon is:

• 2.30-3.30 pm at the Clock Tower: silent vigil for climate justice, please wear black or white.
• 3.30-4.00 pm in Jubilee Square: arrange ourselves in the shape of an eye and take an aerial photo to send to world leaders at the COP26 climate talks with the message “Leicester has its eye on you”.
• 4.00-6.00pm at the City Retreat on Churchgate: Write a postcard to our MPs calling for action, share plant-based food and swap pre-loved clothes.

Extinction Rebellion Leicester will also be in Jubilee Square from 9:30 am on Saturday and invite everyone to take along a pair of old shoes to help create a memorial to the victims of the climate crisis. Their samba band will be playing between noon and 1 pm and there will be some speakers.

Find out more about the Global Day for Climate Justice

Global Justice Leicester is a member of Climate Action Leicester and Leicester (CALL)

We are invited to get involved in some local actions:

1. Launching regular climate vigils in Leicester

Climate Action has decided to start running regular silent vigils on the climate focussing on specific topics. They will run at 12 noon-1pm on the 2^nd Monday of each month, and 5-6pm on the 4^th Friday of each month from September, and you can find information about them on our website here.

The launch vigil will be noon-1pm at the clocktower in Leicester on Sat 21^st August. It will focus on the impacts of the climate crisis in various parts of the world (fires in Siberia, typhoons in the Philippines, disease in Bangladesh, floods in Uganda, mud slides in Japan and so much more). It’s a great chance to get new people thinking about the climate and also to get to know each other (chatting afterwards and before – not during, as the vigils are silent). We are asking you to wear black or white as we want to stand out as a group. Please bring someone with you if you can. We will make and bring a set of matching placards and also flyers.

Please come and stand up for the people and places across the world suffering from the climate crisis right now. 12-1, Sat 21^st August, Leicester Clock Tower. Wear black or white.

2. Leicester Friends of the Earth Pesticides petition

Leicester Friends of the Earth have launched a petition asking Leicester City Council to stop spraying pesticides, and we are asking people who live or work in Leicester to sign it (using their Leicester postcodes). You can find it here.

Message from Leicester Friends of the Earth:

“The City Council say they are minimising the use of weedkiller around Leicester but we are still seeing unnecessary spraying. Being exposed to pesticides has been linked to many health problems, including cancers, Alzheimer’s, asthma and fertility problems. Glyphosate, the weedkiller used in Leicester, was recognised as a carcinogen by the World Health Organisation in 2015. Children are particularly vulnerable to pesticide poisoning because their skin is more permeable and they spend more time playing close to the ground.

“Biodiversity and the natural world are is already stressed by the climate crisis and don’t need spraying poisons to make it worse.

“We understand that it is necessary to remove plants from pavements to stop people slipping but why spray in parks and green spaces? Does it really matter if wild plants grow around trees or fence posts? We need more space for wildlife in our city.”

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In 2016 Global Justice Leicester was involved in the Global Justice Now campaign to #StopGlyphosate – due to safety concerns. It is worrying to learn that this weed killer is being used in our parks and green spaces.