October 9, 2009 – While delegates spent the past ten days negotiating for an international climate change agreement at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bangkok, Thailand, CARE International has been responding with humanitarian aid and supplies to an unusual number of simultaneous, mostly weather-related emergencies around the world.
At this time, CARE is involved in responding to emergencies in the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Guatemala related to typhoons, severe droughts, floods and landslides.
‘While the world’s governments are arguing about who is going to pay whom for responding to climate change at what time in the future, millions of the world’s poorest people are being affected by a rough climate right now. The official delegations in the negotiations are behaving as if these people don’t matter,’ said Poul Erik Lauridsen, CARE International Climate Change Coordinator. He stressed that during the Climate Change Talks he has not seen enough of the political will needed to achieve the three things that matter the most for the world’s most vulnerable people who have contributed the least to climate change: serious reductions in emissions; solid commitments for enough money to solve the problem; and the final key element which is to ensure that the money reaches those most affected by climate change.
‘Part of the climate treaty text that is under negotiation is to give priority to the most vulnerable people and groups when financing adaptation to climate change. Believe it or not, some countries want that text eliminated. Leaving it out could mean that urgently needed adaptation money is not spent on things that will make the most difference to the lives of the people most affected by climate changes. And CARE will have to continue responding to an increasing number of natural disasters rather than being able to focus more on prevention efforts that save lives and money,’ Lauridsen said.
Just this week, the World Bank set a high price tag on adaptation in a new report ‘The Costs to Developing Countries of Adapting to Climate Change.’ The report estimates that it will cost $75 to $100 billion each year to finance adaption to climate change from 2010 to 2050.
According to CARE, the Climate Change Talks in Bangkok have shown some progress in terms of streamlining and shortening the negotiation text. But the parties are nowhere near reaching an agreement on the actual content.
‘The horse-trading might well continue until the last minute when international leaders finally sign something in Copenhagen at the 15th UNFCCC Conference of Parties in December,’ Lauridsen said. ‘Through all this bartering for what will become a global agreement between governments on climate change, CARE is committed to ensuring that it is not only governments that will benefit. A good deal in Copenhagen needs to pass one important test – it must be good for people.’
About CARE: CARE International is a leading aid organization fighting global poverty and delivering emergency aid to survivors of conflict and natural disasters. In nearly 70 countries around the world, CARE works with communities to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, improve maternal and child health, and expand economic opportunity. In line with CARE's core mission, we are helping the most vulnerable communities adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
To learn more about CARE’s global response to climate change and poverty reduction, visit the CARE International Climate Change Information Centre at www.careclimatechange.org.