Vulnerable nations want talks to end with ambitious climate actions

The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) on Thursday highlighted the outcome of its recent Virtual Summit and the Jumemej Declaration which calls on the ongoing UN climate summit named COP24 to take key decisions on ambitious at Katowice.

"We call all parties to unite against any mediocre outcome from COP24. As poor and vulnerable countries, we have pledged to do all we can to take greater action by 2020. We did so to prevent warming from going to most dangerous levels, beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius," said Marshall Islands President and current Chair of the CVF Hilda Heine.

"We are bearing the torch for those vulnerable to climate change. We represent a number of nations, like my own, that face extinction. Species of all kinds also face existential risk," she said.

"We are not prepared to die. We have no intention of becoming climate change's first victim. We will do whatever it takes to survive," added Mohamed Nasheed, former President of Maldives and co-founder of the CVF and current AOSIS Chair.

The CVF, a group of 48 of the most vulnerable countries in the planet, warned that amidst prolonged floods, droughts and extreme weather events that devastate lives and economies, a robust rulebook for Paris is absolutely crucial but enhanced nationally determined contributions or NDCs by 2020 are critical and must be signaled at COP24.

All countries must take concrete actions to satisfy public expectations for enhanced ambition and climate action.

It called for special vigilance or "Jumemmej" given how much is at stake.

The CVF warned that amidst prolonged floods, droughts and extreme weather events that devastate lives and economies, a robust rulebook for Paris, whilst crucial, will be insufficient to satisfy public expectations for an enhanced ambition and climate action.

The group further said a clear signal in Katowice would give time to engage citizens, business and investors on how to deliver climate action ahead of the 2020 deadline for updating national contributions.

A COP outcome must make it clear that countries should increase their ambition together with adequate international financial support in order to put climate action on the pathways needed to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit.

The two-week-long UN climate negotiations will culminate on Friday, hopefully with an agreement on the Paris rulebook for transparent implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement -- the first global treaty to reduce emissions by all rich and poor nations.

(Vishal Gulati is in Katowice at the invitation of Climate Trends to cover the 24th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP24. He can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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