In 1972, the world convened at the landmark in Stockholm, Sweden. For the first time, the environment was recognized as a pressing global issue.
The conference paved the way for the creation of the (UNEP) - conceived to monitor the state of the environment, inform policy making with science and coordinate responses to the world’s environmental challenges.
“We [were] founded in [19]72, turned 50 - we have been the environmental conscience of the world; we deliver the science; we tell the story of the planet; we are the global advocate; we work on environmental law; we are that tapestry upon which the multilateral environmental conventions, including the climate convention, see themselves embroidered; and we deal with finance and business,” says Inger Andersen, an environmentalist and economist who heads UNEP today.
As UNEP marks fifty years of environmental diplomacy, Andersen talks about the importance of climate justice and the shifts that we need to make as we move towards a climate-resilient and low-emissions future.
According to the latest climate report from the (IPCC), which was created by UNEP and the in 1988, is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks.
Today, nearly half of humanity is living in a danger zone. Weather extremes have exposed millions of people to acute food and water insecurity, especially in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, on Small Islands and in the Arctic - places that have contributed little or nothing to climate change.
“[...] Where you have climate impacts - you have harvests that can no longer sustain the people there, you will see an environmental implosion. And that can lead to a societal implosion, and can lead to either criminality, outmigration, and internal conflict. Justice is an essential part of the environmental discussion,” stresses Andersen.
“When we know that one in three African citizens have faced water scarcity, then we understand climate inequality, then we understand that those folks who are my neighbours here in Nairobi are producing very, very low CO2 emissions.”
“When you travel to the Pacific Islands, then there is a clear realization of the injustice of it all. These are nations that have contributed nothing to what is happening in terms of climate change and are feeling the brunt.”
“But we are all going to feel that brunt,” she warns. “It's just that some are feeling it sooner and harder than others. And so, yes, talking about loss and damage is critical and holding the world's feet to the fire in terms of justice matters.”
UNEP’s latest says that despite increased climate ambitions and net-zero commitments, governments still plan to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than what would be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°颁.
As climate impacts worsen, scaling up investments in climate resilience will be essential for survival. At the same time, divesting from fossil fuels – or “hydrocarbons” – is key for a healthy planet.
“When we subsidize hydrocarbons, we fail to understand that the costs of that subsidy are much higher than the subsidy. Think about it - children with asthma because of exhaust fumes. Think about it - coastal erosion where fishermen or fisherwomen cannot have their livelihood secured. Think about it - constant inundations, wildfires. What are the costs? These are societal costs,” explains Andersen.
“And we need to understand, however, that developing countries that are sitting on a pile of hydrocarbons that could potentially be a moneymaker for them, the inequity of them forgoing that means that this money has to be on the table that helps them make those shifts.”
In 2009, developed countries committed to $100 billion a year to support climate action in developing countries by 2020. But they have fallen short.
“The science stands unassailably, what needs to happen is political courage,” says Andersen. “The issue is the courage of leaders and the economic interests that at times can create fog of decision making of our leaders.”
“You can't wait until 2045, and say, ‘oh dear, it seems to be true.’ Now we really want to turn it. You got to do it in 2022 and 2023 so that you can put a safety net over those whose jobs will be impacted, so that you can safely make that turn, so that you will not see the kind of discord that COVID created because it was so sudden. We want to make that shift now.”
Urgent action is needed – on financing, adapting to climate impacts, and cutting emissions, especially by the big emitters. Making the shift now means - phasing out coal; putting a price on carbon; ending fossil fuel subsidies; and ensuring a just transition to renewables.
“This is not a left or right or political issue. It is an intergenerational justice issue. We're voting for the future, we're voting for our grandchildren.”
