IndyACT Slams Arab Heads of State for Lack of Action on Climate Change
Last night in Beirut, Lebanon more than 100 environmental activists sounded the alarm in Ein El-Mreiseh square. This is where activists will also erect a Climate Change Countdown Clock to mark the short time line we have to reach a strong equitable global agreement at the UN Climate Negotiations (COP15). Most Arab Heads of State missed the climate summit today in New York, so the action made sure to call on them to’wake up’ and engage in the negotiations.
Members, supporters and partners from the global league of independent Activists, IndyACT, sounded the alarms of their clocks and mobile phones, honked their horns and banged their musical instruments, making a tremendous noise in a symbolic action, part of a global ‘Wake-Up call’. The activists also held up a banner saying “it is time for climate action”, and another sign that says “Wake UP 12:18” to mark the 18th of December when a new global climate agreement is supposed to be reached.
This global call took place simultaneously with over 2000 similar events in more than 120 countries, is a joint effort of the “TckTckTck” Campaign; an international alliance including IndyACT, 350.org, Greenpeace, Oxfam, WWF, and many others. The action comes amid expert warnings that the UN climate pact in Copenhagen in December risks failure unless world leaders revive bogged-down negotiations at today’s UN Heads of State climate summit, ahead of the UN General Assembly.
“Again Arab leaders missed yet another opportunity to defend the survival needs of the region from climate change impacts.” said Wael Hmaidan, Executive Director of IndyACT. “While today’s climate summit is attended by Presidents of the US, France, China and many others, only Algeria participated at the Presidential level from the Arab region”, added Hmaidan.
At the summit today, heads of state will be discussing how the effort to fight climate change should be shared between the developed and developing countries, and how much financial and technological assistance will be transferred from the industrialized to the poor and most vulnerable countries to help them achieve a low-carbon growth.
IndyACT has been a tremendous leader in all the negotiations, pushing forth a binding equitable agreement in Copenhagen. In all of these sessions the Lebanese and many other Arab delegations have never taken the floor to speak even once.
Wael also said that, the main Arab countries engaging the negotiations are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, who only defend their oil trade. “The Arab region is more than oil, and it must be known that if climate change is not addressed properly, we will lose our agriculture, water, economy and livelihood of our people in the Lebanon, in the Middle-East, and Globally.”
IndyAct is calling on all the Arab governments to have an active and positive role in reducing global CO2 concentration in the atmosphere to 350 ppm, the safe level of fossil fuel particulates in the atmosphere.
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