In just a few days, the U.N. global climate talks will begin. And while these annual talks were postponed last year because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, they are moving forward this year, despite the vast global inequity to vaccine access. That means that Big Polluters, and the primarily Global North governments that do their bidding, like the U.S., U.K., and EU, will be at this meeting in force. Meanwhile, many Global South delegates, activists, and the people dealing with the biggest impacts of the climate crisis will not be able to attend.
Earlier today, we hosted a virtual press conference1 featuring climate movement leaders and elected officials from Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the U.S. They unveiled new hard-hitting research showing how Big Polluters are pulling the strings ahead of the U.N. climate talks.2 And they shared high-impact, people-centered, just solutions for addressing the climate crisis that governments attending the upcoming talks need to hear.
Now, it’s your turn. It’s time for Global North governments, like the U.S., U.K., and EU to stop shilling for Big Polluters. Will you demand that the U.S., U.K., and EU governments heed the voices of people in the Global South and on the frontlines of the climate crisis?
This year at the global climate talks, many of the communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the climate crisis will not be represented, while the wealthiest, whitest, and most polluting nations and entities (like Big Polluters) will be even more disproportionately represented than they usually are.
Under these unjust conditions, Big Polluters are gearing up to push through their agenda: namely aggressively advancing their “net zero” schemes, which promote false solutions like vacuuming carbon out of the air.
“Net zero” pledges give polluters and polluting countries a free pass to continue extracting fossil fuels, emitting methane, and destroying rainforests.
We know that governments doing the bidding of Big Polluters, like the U.S., EU, and U.K., will use these “net zero” pledges to serve as “get out of jail free” cards at the upcoming climate talks. And governments like the US, historically one of the biggest polluters, have used their political power to stop urgent and equitable climate action at these talks in the past. But this is no game of Monopoly: billions of lives and livelihoods are at stake.
The way to counter Big Polluters and the governments doing their bidding, is to show them that the eyes of the world are on them. Together we can make sure that the voices of people around the globe are heard. Add your name now so we can stop Big Polluters’ schemes and advance real solutions at the global climate talks.
