CARE calls on UN climate summit to tackle global ‘climate disruption’
NEW YORK — Ahead of the UN Climate Summit in New York, CARE’s Secretary General Dr. Robert Glasser says humanitarian organization CARE ‘will not rest’ until governments take urgent action to tackle climate change and limit its effects on people living In poverty.
Pointing to extreme weather events in recent weeks, including devastating flooding and landslides in India and Nepal, extreme flooding in Pakistan and the Balkans, severe drought in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sri Lanka and tropical storms and typhoons in Vietnam and the Philippines, Glasser said “Every day we’re seeing how global climate disruption, including severe storms, floods and drought, is turning lives upside down in some of the world’s poorest places.”
CARE will not rest until the people we work with in India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Philippines and many other countries have a clear signal from leaders that the world is serious about winning the war on climate change, Glasser said. “It is scandalous and unjust that the poorest are already bearing the brunt of climate change impacts, despite having done the least to cause the problem. CARE calls on leaders meeting in New York to slam the brakes on climate change by cutting emissions and helping people living in poverty to adapt.”
Glasser will lead CARE’s delegation to New York and attend the climate summit at the invitation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. CARE staff will also join People’s Climate Marches and events taking place in Paris, New York, London, Canberra, Zurich and Vienna.
Glasser adds: “The UN summit must be an historic turning point, and leaders meeting in New York have a unique opportunity to reverse the trend of growing climate disruption. With the right commitments, particularly from developed countries, governments can catalyze a new phase of ambition ahead of major decisions in 2015, including a new global climate change agreement, a new plan for sustainable development and a framework to address global disaster risks.”
As the impacts of climate change worsen, pressure is mounting on governments to begin the transition towards a greener future. The huge turnout expected for the Peoples Climate Marches in New York and around the world will help to demonstrate that hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens will not go unheard.
In an open letter to Heads of States and Government in advance of the summit, CARE calls for:
- New and concrete action to reduce emissions, tackle climate impacts, and scale up renewable energy ahead of 2020.
- A commitment to limit global warming to 1.5C. Governments must also agree to work towards an emission-free, ‘zero fossil fuel’ future.
- Climate action in support of poor and marginalised people based on gender-equitable, participatory and rights-based approaches.
- New financial support for the Green Climate Fund. Developed countries must provide USD 15 billion in the next three years.
- An ambitious climate agreement at the UN climate summit in Paris in 2015.
Media Contacts:
CARE’s Secretary General, Dr Robert Glasser, who will attend the UN climate summit in New York on Sept. 23 and the People’s Climate March taking place in New York on Sept. 21, is available for interviews. Contact Jo Barrett in London, +44 (0)7940 703911, jbarrett@careclimatechange.org; or Brian Feagans in Atlanta, bfeagans@care.org, 404-979-9453.
About CARE:
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year CARE worked in 87 countries and reached more than 97 million people around the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org.