November 24, 2023–Ahead of COP28, CARE is urging countries in the global north and other major emitters to respond to the reality of the climate crisis. It is now beyond doubt that 2023 will be the hottest year since records began. On 17 November, global average temperatures breached the 2-degree threshold for the first time*.
A successful outcome at COP28 is critical for communities in climate vulnerable countries, including Somalia. Walter Mawere, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator for CARE Somalia, says: “Nearly two million Somalis have been affected by once-in-a-century floods after five failed rainy seasons. These communities have contributed the least to climate change, yet are now facing hunger and a lack of drinking water, with 649,000 people forced to leave their homes. The failure of wealthy countries to keep their promises on climate finance is a betrayal that must be corrected at COP28.”
Sven Harmeling, Global Policy Lead, CARE Climate Justice Centre says: “The first Global Stocktake is a moment for world leaders to face reality and massively accelerate progress to prevent global warming escalating beyond control. There are very worrying indications that temperatures are rising faster than feared. The fossil fuel industry accounted for over 90% of global emissions in 2022. To have any chance of limiting global temperatures below 1.5°C, we have to transition fairly from fossil fuels into clean, renewable energies and we have to do it now.”
On loss and damage negotiations, Fanny Petitbon, Head of Advocacy for CARE France, says: “Following the COP27 breakthrough to establish the Loss and Damage Fund, governments must turn hope into a reality and operationalise the Fund. At COP28, historical emitters must also contribute first to rebuild trust, while billions of dollars of pledges are required to meet the scale of the crisis. They owe it to populations who bear the brunt of climate impacts, in particular women and girls.”
On adaptation, Obed Koringo, Climate Policy Advisor, CARE Denmark (based in Kenya), says: “Developed countries must keep their promise at COP26 to at-least double adaptation finance by 2025. Yet even this is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount required to address the ever-increasing impacts of the climate crisis that continue to widen the adaptation gap. The barriers preventing local and women-led organisations from accessing climate finance must be dismantled, with only 2.9% of climate-related development finance identifying gender equality as a principal objective. At COP28, negotiators must listen to the voices of women and girls who are at the frontline of the climate crisis.”
At COP28, CARE is calling for:
- Operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, with a minimum of 50bn USD pledged annually by 2024, led by developed countries and others with significant emission shares.
- Developed countries to set out in detail how they will deliver 100bn USD of climate finance in 2023, and commit to make up for the shortfall in previous years.
- The new climate finance goal must include provisions to challenge gender inequality. All climate finance must be flexible, accessible and responsive to the needs of women and girls.
- Governments to keep the COP26 promise to double adaptation finance.
- A rapid, just, and equitable global phase-out of fossil fuels in all sectors by 2050 at the latest, in line with a 1.5°C temperature limit.
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*The global average temperature on 17 November 2023 was more than 2 degrees Celsius hotter than levels before industrialization, according to preliminary data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
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About CARE Canada:
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package℠, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization working around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice. CARE puts women and girls at the centre of our work because we know we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE develops solutions alongside women and girls to lift themselves, their families, and communities out of poverty and out of crisis. CARE works in over 100 countries around the world.
To learn more about CARE Canada, visit care.ca.