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NEW YORK, Sep 25 (IPS) – With its global representation, you would expect the UN General Assembly to deal with a wide variety of issues. And it does. But the conversations have repeatedly returned to one unifying call: If we want to save ourselves, our planet and our future, we must act now.
In his remarks at the UN General Debate last Tuesday, President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to combating the intersecting challenges of the climate crisis, hunger and global inequality. Yet the next day at the Climate Ambition Summit, the US was not recognized as a climate leader and was not given speaking time because the US had no new climate commitments.
In his remarks, President Biden said extreme weather events around the world “tell the urgent story that awaits us if we fail to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.” But under current policies, the United States is responsible for more than a third of planned global oil and gas expansion through 2050 and faces the largest gap between its climate plans and what is needed to meet its fair share of emissions reductions to achieve prevent climate change. catastrophic climate change.
Now President Biden and the United States government must take more investment and more action – not only to be the climate president he promised, but also to fulfill the United States’ obligation as the largest historic emitter.
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But it’s not just about fighting climate change. The latest UN report confirms what many of us in the humanitarian sector have been emphasizing for years: the quest to combat climate change, combat inequality and achieve our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not mutually exclusive missions.
On a recent trip to the Sahel, I visited Bargny, a coastal community south of Dakar. There, a female activist, a mother and grandmother, shared her experience of losing her home to sea level rise and erosion. She and other displaced families were promised land to resettle, but the government gave that land to a foreign company to build a coal-fired power plant.
According to the people we spoke to, this happened without any consultation with the community or compensation for the people affected. Unfortunately, such injustices are all too common due to our continued investments and dependence on fossil fuels.
Marginalized communities bear the brunt of decisions made on their own lands and thousands of miles away, and these people often have little say in the policies that so profoundly affect their lives.
As we approach the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda, we are falling far short of our SDG targets that aim to protect communities like Bargny around the world. Our research at Oxfam shows the depth of this crisis: as extreme weather and poverty increase, so does extreme inequality.
The CO2 emissions of the richest 1 percent are more than double the emissions of the poorest half of humanity combined. But when we look at the investments of those at the top, in addition to their lifestyles, the data is even grimmer. On average, a billionaire emits a million times more greenhouse gases than the average person, and billionaires are also much more likely to use their wealth to invest in polluting industries.
Whether it is the recent floods in Libya, increasing hunger in all countries, or the hottest and cruelest summer on Earth since global records began in 1880, the call for immediate climate action, with an emphasis on reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, and safeguards for affected communities has never been louder.
The US, which has historically contributed enormously to climate pollution, has a huge responsibility to lead the fight against climate disasters and to empower and fund local leaders, youth and marginalized communities.
Last Sunday, many of my Oxfam colleagues were part of the 75,000 people who marched through New York City to demand an end to fossil fuels. They held up signs that read: “Climate change knows no borders.” What we do here – good or bad – affects all countries represented in the United Nations.
It’s an uphill battle, but every moment and every decision counts. While President Biden’s words resonate with hope and commitment, we need to see more action or they are just platitudes. Time is running out and the world looks forward with hope and expectation to transformative actions that match these promising words.
Abby Maxman is the president and CEO of Oxfam America
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© Inter Press Service (2023) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service