A make-or-break year for the climate
NEWSLETTER, Jan. 2024—Earth Diplomacy debrief on COP28; CCI launches Climate Value Exchange; Defending carbon price in Canada; Talanoa video; Citizens' Climate Europe lobbies EU Parliament.
Looking at the year ahead, we see that 2024 must be a time of decisive action to reduce the threat that climate change poses to a livable future. We learned late last year, according to a leading climate scientist, that global warming is speeding up, perhaps reducing the time left to keep global temperatures from exceeding dangerous thresholds. Despite a commitment at COP28 to “transition away from fossil fuels,” petro-states and oil companies plan to increase the development of oil and gas. National elections this year, most prominently in the U.S., will determine whether progress on reducing heat-trapping emissions will continue or be set back. Citizens have an important role to play in holding their governments accountable for their climate commitments, and Citizens’ Climate International will support them to take effective actions.
What happened at COP28?
In the run-up to COP28 in Dubai, Citizens’ Climate International and The Fletcher School at Tufts University hosted a series of Earth Diplomacy Leadership workshops—to familiarize participants with the COP process and the issues to be negotiated. In January, we organized a debrief on COP28, with a distinguished panel of experts that included climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe and accomplished climate diplomat Rachel Kyte, now at Oxford University.
The panel also included Selamawit Wubet of the Global Center on Adaptation, Sara Farley from the Rockefeller Foundation, Prof. Mizan Khan from ICCCAD, and Dr. Nfamara Dampha of the University of Minnesota, as well as CCI’s own Joe Robertson and Isatis Cintrón. Some observations and reflections:
In the context of the Convention mandate to prevent dangerous climate change and the consensus that 1.5ºC is the threshold for unacceptable danger, the Dubai agreement to “transition away from fossil fuels” is now effectively the law—even though “political and geopolitical forces continue to align with the idea that short-term profits from pollution are too convenient to pass up.”
Climate-smart economies are good for everyone. We need to evolve economies that meet human needs and aspirations.
COP28 formalized the creation of the Loss and Damage Fund. Donors must now step up. Financial arrangements should NOT generate additional debt.
Future success for everyone depends on actions that meet the moment, now. All nations need factual information about progress toward climate goals. Transparency is legitimacy.
CCI launches Climate Value Exchange
Meeting the challenge of preserving a livable world requires nothing less than a radical transformation of our economic systems to place climate resilience at the heart of decisions made on how we power our lives, grow our food, manufacture goods and get from one place to another. To facilitate that transformation, Citizens’ Climate International has initiated the Climate Value Exchange, a collaborative multistakeholder endeavor, aimed at coordinated upgrading of climate ambition, through policies and cooperative arrangements designed to provide everyday benefits to local economies, human security, the macroeconomy and nature.
CCI is working with foundations, centers of knowledge production, governments, and non-governmental organizations, to develop the optimal climate transformation approaches. The Climate Value Exchange will work through small group planning, multilateral cooperative arrangements, and local and global convening, to support development of Economy-Wide National Climate Action Plans. CCI invites nonprofit organizations, foundations and knowledge producers, governments at all levels, and international financial institutions, as well as those commercial non-state actors aiming to lead the climate-smart transformation, to join the Climate Value Exchange.
Defending carbon price in Canada
Canada’s carbon pricing law with climate income went into effect in 2018, and since then, per capita greenhouse gas emissions have dropped. With federal elections coming up in 2025, however, opponents of the carbon tax are on the attack, fueling the inaccurate perception that the tax is economically detrimental. In a post from Citizens’ Climate Lobby, researcher Rick Knight notes that despite the fact that average Canadian households receive more from the carbon tax rebate than they pay in increased costs, only 14 percent believed their rebates exceeded carbon tax costs. This perception gap presents a threat to Canada’s carbon pricing policy.
In the wake of the distribution of Climate Action Incentive payments to households across the nation in this past week, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada (CCL Canada) has launched an educational initiative aimed at demystifying and clarifying the often-misunderstood realm of carbon pricing. Titled “Laser Talks for De-Mystifying Carbon Pricing” the booklet serves as a concise, powerful resource for Canadians seeking to engage in informed discussions.
The booklet has been distributed to Citizens’ Climate Lobby Chapter Leaders in over 40 chapters across Canada. These dedicated volunteers will also be forwarding a copy of this media release to their local media and their MPs.
“What we’re learning in Canada is that our job as climate advocates is not over after a policy is enacted,” said Citizens’ Climate International Program Director Cathy Orlando, who’s been lobbying the Canadian Parliament since 2010. “Despite the fact that Climate Action Rebates are working for Canadian families and communities, the perception gap is putting this effective tool at risk. The effort to dismantle Canada’s carbon pricing policy is an effort to transfer wealth from ordinary Canadians to polluters. Our volunteers at Citizens Climate Lobby Canada will be working diligently this year and next to make sure the public knows the truth.”
Talanoa Dialogue video available
In November, Citizens’ Climate International hosted the third in our series of global Talanoa Dialogues, focusing on shifting financial flows. Stakeholders from around the world recorded and submitted videos about the impacts of climate change in their communities and regions and suggested remedies to mitigate and adapt to the risks that lie ahead. Some of those recordings have now been compiled in a short but powerful video that we encourage you to watch and share with others.
CCEU takes aim at ETS2
With the European Union rolling out the next phase of its Emissions Trading System (ETS2) as well as its carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), Citizens’ Climate Europe has been busy lobbying the European Union Parliament with the aim of achieving the most effective and equitable policies. CCEU Chair James Collis reports that 18 members from eight countries held 30 meetings in Brussels last April.
To get an idea of the message they brought to their meetings, check out their laser talk, “ETS — Why and How to be More Ambitious.” In short, CCEU volunteers urged that carbon pricing be more ambitious and predictable and that revenue be recycled to households — climate income — which would increase public support for more ambitious pricing and have a positive impact on the economy.
Read more about CCEU’s work over the past year on the CCI blog.
Updates
Seven young plaintiffs were in an Ontario court in January to challenge the government’s decision to significantly weaken its 2030 climate target.
CCI Panama Leader Andre Dumoulin wrote a blog about COP28 for the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations, noting the gap between ambition and the political will to deliver on those ambitions.
New CCI groups in Africa: In January, climate leaders and their members were officially trained by Cathy Orlando and David Michael Terungwa in South Sudan (Sasa Emmanuel James leader), Buea, Cameroon (Ikome Mbella). Wakiso, Uganda (Kiberu Ismail) and Dar es Salaam (Charles Mwambene).
CCI Nepal Leader Hement Raj Kaphale has received another honor — the International Tree Man Award, which acknowledges his outstanding contributions to ecological conservation and sustainable development.
CCI group leaders have formed the Climate Income Working Group to help drive evidence-based discussions on Climate Income and Redirecting Financial FlowsThe objective of the group is to support CCI leaders in their efforts to create the political will for Climate Income locally, regionally, nationally, supra nationally and globally.
In Nigeria, CCI volunteers in Kaduna held a meeting — led by Gloria Bulus — with seven state legislators to provide pathways for effective engagement between legislators and constituents on issues relating to climate change.
Coming up
Journey to Baku: Earth Diplomacy Leadership for the year ahead. Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, from 14:00 to 15:30 UTC. Register here.
Join one of CCI’s monthly “Get to Know Us” calls around the third Wednesday of the month to learn how you can help drive evidence-based and socially-just climate action. There are three convenient times to select from. Register here.
Global climate leaders are invited to join our monthly CCI Global Check-In Calls, which takes place on the second Tuesday of the month. Global leaders, please look in your emails.
Transforming Ontario’s Electricity Sector II: Ontario Lobby Prep and Breakfast at Queen’s Park. Feb. 25 - Feb. 26. Register here.
CCL Canada conference and lobby days, “Dream No Small Dreams,” takes place June 2-4 in Ottawa. Registration opens in February.
Save the date for Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s national conference and lobby day in Washington, D.C., June 8-11. Registration opens in March.