While 30,000 people rallied for climate action in Melbourne, and an estimated 60,000 nationally at 130 events across Australia, it seems Australia has won an unprecedented fourth fossil of the day award in Warsaw for a statement that obligations for new, predictable and reliable finance from developed countries are “not realistic” and “not acceptable.”
As the citation points out, this amounts to "an attack on an important cornerstone of the UNFCCC." That developed countries due to their historic emissions have an obligation and commitment to provide funding for developing countries for climate mitigation and adaptation.
Earlier this week Australia won Fossil awards for repeal of carbon pricing and abandoning neighbors on loss and damage. Australia started the week at COP19 winning the first Fossil of the Day award for not be putting forward any new finance commitments.
The citiation reads:
After being handed their first fossil, on Monday, for refusing to make any new finance commitments, Australia has today gone even further with their nasty rhetoric, willfully and completely undermining the very concept of climate finance. The Australians said obligations for new, predictable and reliable finance from developed countries are “not realistic” and “not acceptable.” This is nothing short of an attack on an important cornerstone of the UNFCCC.
In the same statement, Australia said that climate finance “is not welfare transfer. Indeed. Climate finance isn’t welfare – it’s a moral obligation (sorry Australia, it might not be acceptable to you, but it’s true) and a legal commitment that developed countries have made because of their responsibility in causing climate change.
New, additional, adequate and predictable finance – which must primarily be public money if it is to reach the poorest countries and communities and meet UNFCCC obligations – is not an optional part of the UNFCCC. It’s a key building block without which the entire international climate architecture falls apart.
Whether or not this is Australia’s explicit intention in making its comments yesterday (we wouldn’t dare jump to conclusions), it clearly deserves a First Place Fossil award.
This is more contempt by the Abbott Government for climate justice and the finance required to assist many of our neighboring countries in the Asia Pacific region, such as the Marshall Islands and the Philippines, to make climate adaptations as a result of climate change from emissions caused mostly by developed countries.
Source:
- Climate Action Network, 16 November 2013 - Amateur Australians scoop fossil pool with finance furphy
Comments
Re: COP19: Australia wins unprecedented fourth Fossil of the ...
Oh cry me a river and pass the box of tissues!
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change says Australia's government is 'mean' because we won't invest in their financial sector after they experienced a major banking collapse based around dishonesty and unrealistic financial assumptions and expectations--and as if that weren't a good enough reason, a group of their major banks were caught rigging LIBOR all through it and for years afterwards and had to be fined $2.3bn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libor_scandal) ?
Being correct about reality is an important cornerstone of finance, so thanks for recognising that fact.
Perhaps instead of handing out "Fossil Awards" the people of Warsaw could take a look in their own backyards for lifestyle changes they could make in order to effect an outlook of properly upstanding "moral responsibility" on issues they clearly lack a sufficient understanding of.
Perhaps they could take a look at this table (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_energy_consumption_per...) and learn some real science, before complaining about the actions of others.