International
Without ‘additionality’ of climate funds, Copenhagen adds up to nothing
As world leaders fly home from the climate change summit, the agreement reached in Copenhagen could add up to nothing unless the funding offered is not double counted from existing aid promises.
Late last night an agreement was brokered by the US, China, South Africa, India and Brazil. This included $10bn a year in so called ‘fast track’ financing for the next 3 years and $100bn a year by 2020 for poor countries to cope with climate change. But currently these sums will largely be subtracted from promised resources to help these same countries fight poverty.
ONE has been campaigning hard against this dangerous double counting, which undermines both sustainable international development and a good global deal on climate change. Last week we handed over a petition from more than 80,000 ONE members to the Danish government, as chair of the summit, and the US delegation. We called on them to ensure that new funding is additional to existing and promised aid flows and that development promises are kept in full.
Here’s what ONE’s Executive Director Jamie Drummond had to say on the agreement that was reached last night:
“Climate change is putting additional stress on poor countries – which is why they need additional funds to cope with it – on top of existing and promised aid levels.
Promises of aid made by the G8 in Gleneagles in 2005 must not be lost in Copenhagen. Without a clear commitment that these climate funds are additional, the dollar amounts are next to meaningless.
This debate over ‘additionality’ might seem arcane, but within the details lie billions of dollars – and very real impacts on millions of lives. Without this additionality, Copenhagen adds up to nothing.
It is not clear how a cap on 2 degrees will be achieved, but it is very clear that much more can and must be done, including harnessing the potential of African and other developing countries to be renewable energy hubs and help capture carbon through growing trees.”
ONE supports the African proposal for an interim target of US$50bn by 2015 on top of existing and promised aid to help the poorest countries – many of them in Africa – with pressing adaptation needs. The “Copenhagen Accord” mentions a High Level Panel to assess how alternative sources of funding can contribute to raising genuinely additional funds.
This urgent High Level Task Force should be convened immediately to look into alternative sources of climate finance to complement additional public funding from rich countries. These sources could include: revenue from aviation and shipping, international auctioning of emissions allowances, a financial transactions tax and the proposal to use the IMF’s own currency, known as Special Drawing Rights. The need for accountability and transparency for these new funds is also paramount.
With the agreement in Copenhagen weaker than we hoped, we now know we have much more work ahead of us.
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The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
23/12/2009 at 8:11 am
No chance for me to drive a smaller car….lol. In younger years I decided never to drive a car, I go by bike, bus and train.
Fair Trade is a great thing. At least it gives some people teh chance to get fair prices and a fair income for their work and products. Woudl be great to see a 50 % of fair traded products in the supermarket shelves in some years. I agree with you, Jan Thye, it is US who can chose and buy fair traded products, save energy etc.
And put pressure on our governments.
Martina
23/12/2009 at 3:54 pm
I can only express my disappointment with the collective lack of good will on Copenhagen summit. It seems to be truly sad that the political leaders behave in a totally selfish way, remain indifferent to the problems they have largely contributed to and divide the human race – obviously not with their words but with actions – into the better and the worse category. It has to be pointed out that as we all accept the most fundamental and crucial law regulations referring to human rights, a large group of politicians treat them practically just as empty words. This injustice, shown for instance by ‘double counting’, is nothing more but another proof that our representants need a change of mentality. People deserve fair treatment not only in poems and songs, they exist here and now, at the very moment and another pointless agreement would not delay their problems.
I would like to thank cordially to all those (all of us!) who signed the petition with One. We showed them that we are not eager to remain on the side, passively observing political actions. By putting pressure on leaders, we can combat with the lack of good will. Thank you and best Christmas wishes from Poland!
23/12/2009 at 4:03 pm
And a Merry Xmas to you, Marcin, all people in Poland and to all here. I hope it will be a good Xmas for everyone on this planet. My heart is with those who suffer from hunger, injustice and war in these days.
Martina
24/12/2009 at 2:19 pm
I hope there is binding agreement and cooperation to not to go back to old polluting technologies. I’m a bit dissapointed it looks like a “Let’s repeat this again because its so vague and concentrating on the thermometer only” kind of thing. Indeed so much can be done to stop global warming indirectly like minimizing and controlling pollution not just focusing on the regulation of greenhouse gasses.
24/12/2009 at 2:21 pm
Merry Christmas to all!
24/12/2009 at 3:31 pm
Merry christmas to all !!!
Let us have faith in our actions. Let us hope for good outcome of Copenhagen summit. There is no deviation , infact one step forward to know what the developing countries expect.
Nature has it’s own course irrespective of what political leaders of the various countries decide. However anxiety is obvious. Whoever has in possession of land around thier house , please try to plant atleast 5 trees
1. Coconut 2. Banana 3.Guava 4. Drumstik 5. Lemon .
While we try to take care of the soil and water for plantation , we must take care of the atmosphere. “Agnihotra” is one of the mode of anciant indian ritual to save and purify air.
Self help is the best help ! Aniruddha Kavishwar
25/12/2009 at 11:51 am
Aniruddha, we live in a subpolar /northern european climate, so we won´t be able to plant the trees you mentioned. But be sure that we do a lot here, too, to protect nature and reduce pollution. We saparate our garbage and recycle a good part of it. I work for a natural ressort here in my hometown and me and some friends use bus and bike instead of cars. Your idea of planting trees is great. I only hope that it helps, for on the other side so many rainforest parts are destroyed, noble wood is still cut.
In Germany we look for alternative energies, like solar and wind energy. Unfortunately there are still carbon and nuclear power stations, too. I have been an activist against the building of nuclear power stations. Nevertheless the energy companies still run them here.
Nature protection and climate change as well as economical injustice are not national problems, but global ones.
I will try to find something about Agnihorta now on the internet.
Virgilio, I hope that all politicians and energy companies see it the way you and us see it, hopefully one day! And I hope it is not too late to look more for alternative energies, for the global warming is in progress and will have an impact on all of us, but mostly on the poorer countries.
25/12/2009 at 11:52 am
Merry Christmas and wishing all a properous 2010,
The struggle still continue in making our voices heard on the Cophengen Summitt. Its better now that developing countries are becoming awear of the effects .If we as activist ,NGO’s and vulunteers are united to empower ourselves on strategic policy advocacy in this campaign would make a very big diffefernce.Lets ready to ensure that we plant ONE to promote very good conservation, Govt and donors should reduce conditionalities of acessing fund to grassroots organisation to educate and mobilized community driven projects and initiatives to minimized climat change and sustainablke development in sub sahara africa.
25/12/2009 at 11:59 am
Gibril Maada Bassie, I agree with you. That is just my idea, to become even more active than we are now with signing petitions etc.
I know some people of the African countries in the Sahara and south of Sahara ( I lived and worked in Tunisia and Morocco and am in touch with people from Mauretania and Niger). They all are very educated and open-minded people with great visions and ideas of how to develop their countries even more. Unfortunately the clue to that is always or mostly the money.
We will put more pressure on our government here in Germany to fulfill their promises of development budgets for those countries. For the ideas and the people who can bring their countries in progress is already there.
Merry Xmas to you!
Martina
25/12/2009 at 12:03 pm
Aniruddha, I just checked on Agnihotra. Agnihotra seems to me a very positive and healing ceremony, in a spiritual sense and in the sense of environmental protection. For the spiritual side should be included in the protection of our nature, air and water etc.
If anyone else is interested in reading more about it:
http://www.agnihotra.org/
Martina
26/12/2009 at 8:00 am
Martina, Am a Sierra Leonean and also live there .A Founder&Director of a Think Tank and development agency Called Coordination for Active Peace& Empowerment(CAPE-SL) since 1998.We a faced with a lot of confrontation with our Govt and some Logging Companies that are investing in sierra Leone destroying our natural vegetation . The issues of political financing is a problem for Africa as these companies and business enthusiast missuse our Govt and resources at the detriment of the masses.If these funds are to be given to organization to meaningfull engage youths to educate communities on unnecessary bush fires and to propagate nitrogen fixing trees and other trees crops to regain soil fertilty and wide life conservation.Lets all work to immenselly to lobby judicoiusly use these fund in the rights ways possible.Have a nice seasonand stay connected
26/12/2009 at 9:14 am
Gibril, if any support is wished for your development agency, please let me know.
27/12/2009 at 6:21 am
Martina,actually not fund is yet approved for CAPE-SL.Have you got any idear of soliciting these fund?what are the channels of accessing these fund for development work?
Gibril.
27/12/2009 at 6:25 am
Martina, We are all just campaigning for just world .If there are like minded groups / organisations that we can jointly collaborate with to effect change would be a laudeable effort for our organisations.
Gibril
27/12/2009 at 7:41 am
We are strong and weak at the same time, there is no government or no organisations that can save a world who doesn’t wish to save itself.
there will never be a question of money, this world is virtual and had always been.
more expenses and more actives you have the more taxes you will have to pay, that means richer you are the poorest you are.
lest buildings less constructions less cars, the less needs you have.
the more you work the more you cost, think more policemen and army, the more cost you have, and how some paysant can sutain so big cities, and so much polution.
the last thing nobody never earn the earth or some part of it. it belong to the people and future generations, that means that all you titles and papers are obsolet or ashes into the wind.
tha last thing a child want or a mother for her childrens or a father is civil war or war itstelf or violence or revolution. the best his peace and harmony. so think and think again do we leader and can you be your own leader? can you lead your own life by reducing your own expences, and polution? you see those who show exemple are the leaders the other will fade away in ther own abuses.
trying to silence the voice or take our jobs and life away is giving us strengh and freedom.
this what peace and reason is, this what love and nobility is
regards Oneric
28/12/2009 at 5:14 am
Martina , nice that you visited the Agnihotra site. You can get information on my page at also. “PEACEFUL COEXISTANCE” should be our motto. I have got little space around my house. I take care of the trees. Last year I did one experiment. I saw lots of african snails eating leaves and destroying plants with no answer . I was upset and under the anxiety I collected all these snails bundled in a bag and thrown it in a garbage . Those re-appeared in abundant within a week. Then I deed one successful experiment . Now I collected those snails and kept them into a box of iron grill coated with zinc. I put some dried leaves as layer at the bottom and poured some water into it . Next day I collected the water in a tub kept below the box. I watered this to the plants ….. and effect was astonishing !! Not only the plants grew faster but with a turgid leaves and improved resistance power. At the same time I could feed the snails with no guilt in my mind. This was a great lesson for me. Our peaceful co-existance with nature will only bring happiness in our life. Ani
28/12/2009 at 5:15 am
My page on search for name ‘kavishwar’
28/12/2009 at 5:19 am
on opera community
28/12/2009 at 8:17 am
Aniruddha, even snakes are living beings and play their roll in nature. And you found out in a great way how they can help nature (your trees). So all beings keep the nature in balance. It is only human beings with profit interests who destroy that balance. That is why theer is so much pollution and the climate change.
Can you give me the direct link to your webpage please? There are several websites related to Kavishwar.
Martina
28/12/2009 at 10:45 am
I tried to give link but it disappears from the comment I don’t know why. It is -my.opera.com-community-kavishwar
29/12/2009 at 8:37 pm
Thank You Aniruddha. I will check that. I am sitting at the computer of a friend as my computer broke down. I hope I get it repaired soon.
Martina
05/01/2010 at 7:51 pm
this is my first time writing a comment on One just wanna say that ok we are signing the petisions and we are kepping the work on the track but i wanna share my oppinion that the main job must be done by the affricans i know that is hard but together we can achieve something hear you
07/01/2010 at 12:08 am
@ Martina,
I sincerely need to tell the world that our problem in Africa is not money as you rightly pointed neither human resource but we Africans lack mental,social and physical concept of change that will positively affect all sectors (environment,education,health,security,economy,resource control,industrial/labour growth,human rights,planning,leadership,e.t.c) of our life in that part of the world.
African is stricken eluded with leadership drive,don’t we have the money? Dont we have the resources that can turn to trillions of dollars and transform the region?I am sick of grants or donor from our western brothers.From a poor background,i no what i pass through before i graduated in Nigeria and years of fruitless seeking for job.If not for spirit of enterprise and i can,i will have been wasted as many that are already wasted due to afformention constraints cum corruption,wickedness of our leaders.
I remain very emphatic about a stop to donor of money to our African governments whether through western state bilateral agreement or through international agency such as i.m.f,world bank,paris club,w.h.o,united nation etc.Conclusively (E + R = O) events plus response equals outcome. i.e local agency that need help should be motivated.
07/01/2010 at 9:53 am
I think Afrika has enough well educated and studying people who are able to put many solutions to the problems. And they also have the will to change something.
But Afrika has alos problems that interrupt and slow down progress and development: corruption (lile in all countries, even in ours), natural difficulties like droughts, floodings etc. And there is one thing that has to be changed: the developed countries still extract natural resources (from metals to fruits, from sugar and coffee to diamnonds and wood and gold etc.) from the developing countries. And then it later forces these countries to buy the elaborated products made from the natural resources. As long as this doesn´t change and as long as the developed countries don´t let the developing countries build their own industries, these countries will always remain poor. Our countries (and their governments and companies) are rich because they keep the developing countries poor.
07/01/2010 at 4:32 pm
Climate change in all of its form is hitting the poor nations hard. My country, Liberia, is having it difficult. We have 42% of the remaining forest in West Africa, The country is just coming out of war and these people Politician and business people) are about to sell all that we have in the name of economy growth. The forest are getting concessions for logging and I know the land is about to get degraded fast. These poor rural dwellers are told they will get jobs but are not told that the forest will get degraded.
07/01/2010 at 7:54 pm
Climate change begin with individual altitude towards primary environment they live and extended to national,regional and international understanding, all these accumulated to global climate condiction.
Though the world powers attribute towards climate change is far fetch and nothing comparing to human consumption.We cannot maintain the level of consumption of resources we have today with 6, 7 or 8 billion people. Sooner or later we will have to make the difficult choice between reducing the population or our standard of living.
Also the developed countries impoverish of underdevelop/developing is not the issue rather let underdevelop/developing do justice to there natural resource.We cannot rule out the importance of western influence and technology to achieve growth in all Africa states,Europeans are not left behind in climatic issues areas like Mongolia,Ukraine my present abode and some other parts in eastern europe are seriously in need of sustainable planning.In a policy research working paper, World Bank analyst Guiseppe Iarossi ranks the investment climate in 16 Indian States, using data from a survey of 4,000 entrepreneurs in 2005. Karnataka tops the list, with Kerala a close second. Tamil Nadu comes in at ninth place, overtaken by Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Delhi.
Having identified 46 variables descriptive of the business environment in the 16 States, the researcher grouped them into three categories: inputs, infrastructure and institutions. Two dimensions were identified for each category: the objective indicators of cost and the subjective indicators of perception.
07/01/2010 at 8:05 pm
@ MARTINA (I think Afrika has enough well educated and studying people who are able to put many solutions to the problems. And they also have the will to change something.)
I totally agree with you,but with education we (Africans) still need to absolve the mind set,human and social productiveness of western communities.I pray that most of us Africans schooling in western world
will learn and use it in future either to develop Africa or wherever sector will found ourselve.
07/01/2010 at 8:16 pm
Well, I think our countries can learn from each other mutually. We can also learn a lot from African people and countries. I have African friends here. And I admire their human sense, their sense for family, their creativity and talents.
And I hope that there will be an African solution and development, based on knowledge of Africa and the entire world, on African culture and traditions.
08/01/2010 at 10:46 am
Caleb, is there anything we can do from our countries to stop the logging and destruction of your forests?
10/01/2010 at 11:38 pm
The following measures can be put in place to stop logging and forest destruction.
1) Awarness and campaign towards the prevention of natural forest and environment.
2) Conservation and protection trainning package for N.G.O in the affected area/countries.
3) Zoological convertsion of forest by international agency.
4) Environmental landscape planning.
5) Park creation
6) Radio,television,journals,hand-bill,lecture/ communities enlightment as well as community actfast initiative.
The above afformention is areas where the international agency can be of help to forest and logging affected area.
12/01/2010 at 5:33 pm
Excellent piece of work!
13/01/2010 at 8:37 am
I think one reason for logging and forest destruction is that your and other countries need (like all countries) foreign currencies and income, and one possibilty to get this is selling ground and/or wood. There should be searched for alternative incomes and funds on a global level, funds from selling products or ressources on a level that benefits all people in a country. I know that this sounds utopistic, but that would really help people in the producing and consumers in the buying countries. But of course it would leave less profit for the big business companies, so they do all to maintain the injust situation we have now.
Another reason of forest destruction is the need of land and fuel (firewood) of the people.
(Sorry for the late reply here, my PC crashed and I had to install all again from scratch).
Martina
13/01/2010 at 12:45 pm
Well hey hey . This is a great site . Thanks to the folks hard work , that gathered these important
people together . As ONE of many , may we seek unity of purpose , and look to what unites us ,
rather than compete , for what divides us . This Earth , provides us all . Every living thing , is at home
on this third rock , from the Sun .
Countless generations , have battled for survival , to earn for us , to be alive today . I look back into
our history , to long before I was born , and understand , why I am ONE of many .
To work with my neighbor , builds upon our community , which should better this world , if we have
ONE home . To share with my neighbor , makes me proud , cause I contribute , to all our family .
Money will help things , but getting money , is one of the things that divides us .
To share the wealth , of our planet , for our kids future , comes from our hearts , and our toils .
In a world thats falling apart , working together , and sharing with our neighbor ( family ) , can help
lessen the conflicts , about power and money .
Escalating wars , will destroy us all , over power and money . No-one will win . The Nuclear fire
will rain down , on us all .
We can be much more wise than this . before its to late . From my family . Ron .
13/01/2010 at 2:48 pm
Thanks you for these generous and insightful words, Ron Dean09; may peace in wisdom be with you and your family.
Regards.
13/01/2010 at 3:25 pm
Ron I fully agree with you. I have always been in touch and helping my neighbours, no matter if they were from my hometown or from Latinamerica, Asia, Africa or Australia, no matter which religion or nationality or believes or ideas they had. And as you say we are all neighbours.
That is why I see like you the fantastic possibilities an organisation like ONE has. It brings us people together to exchange ideas and to bundle and focus our activities and hopes for a world of justice and a brighter future.
Luckily there are people like you in this world, people who can make a change for the better.
30/01/2010 at 3:35 pm
I sometimes had a silly idea:
If mankind is able to buid pipleines from Russia to Western Europe for the transport of petrol and gas – then why can´t we build pipelines for water supply for draught-affected regions?
Ok, people may say that gas and petrol are far more precious goods than water. But drinkable water might become one day a good as precious as it is gas or petrol now.
I have lived 1 year in the Sahara and almost 6 years in the Peruvian (northern) part of the Atacama desert. In those places for the people who lived there water often was as precious as gold.
I will never forget the old man in an oasis in southern Tunisia who proudly gave me some of his tomatoes. He passed them over to me with both hands and as if they were made of gold. And I received them with the same respect. For I thought of all the work and water that must have cost this man to let them grow.
30/01/2010 at 3:36 pm
Of course I meant “pipelines” – my typing is lousy sometimes….lol.
31/01/2010 at 7:11 am
We can only stop Logging , if tough policies are levied on Companies that trade in funiture& paper production to buildup more support for communities to embark on tree crop planting and sensitization campaigns and to promote eco- tourism.
31/01/2010 at 10:08 am
I will check on companies here in Germany and from which countries they get their wood and if they are still involved in the logging. We could start a campaign that calls for boycot of these companies and their products (furniture etc.).
The same was done with fur importing companies , that campaign was very successfull.