Decision time for world’s future
Decision time for world’s future
NEWSLETTER, August 2024—Summit of the Future: A livable world for people of tomorrow; CCL Canada's impressive actions; "Olympic spirit" op-ed published in Africa; Climate Diplomacy Workshops to start
Solidarity is a liberating force. It allows large numbers of people to work together in good faith, organizing around a common purpose and focusing on how to prevent and reverse injustice. This makes societies stronger and more resilient. Governments that set solidarity aside or decline to act on their commitments to the common good, spread distrust and disrupt the project of building a livable future. Stakeholders sharing their views on Priorities for a Livable Future want governments to know their people expect them to be trustworthy, proactive, and collaborative in solving the biggest challenges of our time. At the Summit of the Future in September, nations will seek to devise a plan to ensure that tomorrow’s generations inherit a world where everyone can thrive. Later, at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, agreements will need to be made to speed the reduction of heat-trapping emissions pushing temperatures to new extremes. And in the United States, the world's largest economy, an election will be held offering a choice between transitioning away from fossil fuels or doubling down on coal, oil and gas. In short, it’s decision time for the future of the planet we all call home, and our fate rests on our ability to see in each other the teammates we need in the hard work of securing a future of safety, justice, and opportunity for all.
Summit of the Future: A livable world for people of tomorrow
Leaders of the world will gather in New York this month for the Summit of the Future, seeking agreement on how we can hand off a livable world to those who come after us. In a world battered by climate change, this is a challenging task, but generational justice demands that we do everything we can to ensure that people in the future have access to affordable and nutritious food, basic education and healthcare, and decent housing. In short, the ability to lead their lives with dignity, free from the never-ending struggle for survival. This summer, Citizens’ Climate International initiated a Consultation on Priorities for a Livable Future to get feedback from people to gather insight about the experiences, values, needs, and aspirations of people in diverse circumstances, around the world. In a post on the Climate Value Exchange, CCI Executive Director Joe Robertson offers a first look at the feedback and finds that “A general insight running through the Consultation responses is that we find ourselves at a crucial moment of risk and fragility, where small decisions (including delays) could have great consequence, not just for our own access to future wellbeing, but for generations far into the future, and for the composition and health of life on Earth.” Check out the insights offered by stakeholders in Joe’s post.
CCL Canada’s impressive actions
CCL Canada has been racking up an impressive number of accomplishments this year, as evidenced by their second quarter report that recently came out. Here are the some of the highlights:
CCL Canada’s national conference and lobby days, “Dream No Small Dreams,” took place in Ottawa June 2-4. The event featured a keynote address from Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. Volunteers held 25 meetings with members of Parliament.
In April, volunteers joined with organizations for an event in Manitoba attended by 17 members of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly who were urged that Manitoba fulfill its role in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Climate Change.
On social media, CCL Canada had 588 posts on Twitter, 81 posts on Threads and 60 posts on Bluesky. They also posted 15 YouTube videos.
On mainstream media, they had 449 publications and engagements, including an op-ed in the National Observer, “Canada’s carbon price: You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone,” by Cheryl McNamara.
Sophia Mathur, a 17-year-old volunteer in Sudbury, was featured in the 2024 Power List presented by Maclean’s, Canada’s leading magazine. She was described as the nation’s No. 1 climate crusader.
Check out all the great things CCL Canada has done in their Q2 report.
CCI gets ‘Olympic Spirit’ op-ed published in Africa
In August, Citizens’ Climate International distributed an op-ed from Executive Director Joe Robertson suggesting that the Olympic spirit of appreciation, togetherness and cooperation should be present in all international efforts, like the Summit of the Future and the COP climate conferences, to fashion a better world. Joe’s piece opened by describing a scene at the Paris Games where two American gymnasts bowed to a Brazilian who won the gold medal. From his op-ed:
“It was an incredibly magnanimous gesture of sportsmanship…a display of grace, humility, harmony and appreciation. It was also a quintessential Olympic moment, reminding us why this quadrennial event stirs and inspires us…The Olympic spirit and ideal invites us to imagine a world where people of all colors and nationalities can live in harmony and create a world that works for everyone. And we begin to see the possibility of a world where, like the Olympians, nations are competitors but not adversaries. Imagine, then, if we could bring that Olympic spirit to all great human endeavors, starting with the herculean task of fighting climate change to preserve a livable world.”
Thanks to our amazing volunteers in Africa, Joe’s op-ed was submitted and published in Ghana, Tanzania and Nigeria.
Climate Diplomacy Workshops to start
As we approach the COP29 climate conference in Baku this November, Citizens’ Climate International is again offering the Earth Diplomacy Leadership Workshops starting Sept. 30. Six sessions will take participants through the process, issues and opportunities of the conference:
The Process, as outlined in the Convention and the Paris Agreement;
The Stakes, looking at the risks of failing to meet the Paris goals;
Enhanced Multilateral Cooperation, using the tools of international conventions to move progress forward;
Mutual Gains Approach to Negotiations, whereby parties work toward agreements that benefit all;
Embracing Complexity — with 197 governing bodies involved, it gets complicated;
Key Opportunities in COP29 Agenda: Where can we achieve breakthroughs to get climate goals back on track?
Whether you’re attending the COP29 conference in person or following along online, the Earth Diplomacy Leadership Workshops will prepare you for a more informed experience.
Updates
In Nigeria, CCI volunteers are having success lobbying for climate policies on the state level. Read about their latest effort.
Save the date for the Citizens’ Climate Europe’s hybrid carbon pricing event Oct. 15-16 with a lobby day on Oct. 17 for Citizens’ Climate Europe volunteers. The educational days will be valuable for all CCLers globally as it will be focused on CBAMs and pushing for international carbon pricing. Registration available soon.
Want to know more about Citizens’ Climate International? Join one of our Get-To-Know-Us calls on Wednes, Sept., 18. Register for one of two times.
Our September Global Check-in Call is happening on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Email invitations will be sent to chapter leaders.
In Bangladesh, the recent upheaval leading to a change in government leadership presents challenges for CCI’s chapters in that nation. CCI Program Director Cathy Orlando has posted a statement about our concerns.
Trifecta for CCL Canada media efforts! In early August, volunteers had three letters to the editor published in Parliament Hill’s national newspaper, The Hill Times. You can read more about it on their social media posts on Threads, BlueSky, Twitter and Facebook.
Climate concerned Canadians are invited to join CCL Canada’s Power Hour Wednesday evenings starting on October 2 at 5 pm PT/ 8 pm ET. Register on Zoom.
In Africa, CCI has launched a chapter in Harare, Zimbabwe.
