Future generations or outdated dirty energy industry? UNFCCC chief given ultimatum by climate youth

Note: From our allies at Corporate Europe Observatory – “Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and Transnational Institute have just published today ‘The COP19 Guide to Corporate Lobbying – Climate Crooks and the Polish Government’s Partners in Crime’, a guide on corporate lobbying and industry capture of UN climate talks, which exposes the eleven official corporate partners of the Warsaw climate summit (COP19), takes a look at some of the other influential Polish lobbies, and examines an extensive list of the lobby groups attending the COP.”

Read the report here.

On a related side note, GJEP Executive Director Anne Petermann and Media Associate Keith Brunner were formally banned from attending the UNFCCC by Christiana Figueres last year.  GJEP applauds all attempts to expose the Figueres’ support of the corporate takeover of the UN.

-The GJEP Team

November 9, 2013. Source: Corporate Europe Observatory

figueresYouth organisations from around the world have sent an ultimatum to Christiana Figueres, head of the UN’s climate change body, the UNFCCC: you can only attend the annual youth convergence that takes place before the official climate talks if you don’t attend the industry-organised International Coal and Climate Summit.

The Coal Summit is organised by the World Coal Association and co-hosted by the Polish Ministry of Economy (one of the many acts carried out by their government to undermine progress on climate change), and is expected to have Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, giving one of the opening speeches.

The letter, sent out on Friday afternoon, says:

“The coal industry is one of the most carbon intensive in the world and it is also responsible for other dangerous pollutants in our air, soil, and water. Recently, the coal industry rebranded the same dirty energy as ‘clean coal’, but without seriously addressing its environmental cost. While we youth are meeting to talk about the hard work we all need to do to keep over two thirds of this industry’s proven fossil fuel reserves in the ground, the World Coal Association is meeting to do the opposite. The World Coal Association’s international summit aims to have a direct influence over the outcome of COP 19, and so to strengthen the dangerous role of fossil fuel energy in the UNFCCC negotiations.”


It goes on to say:

“It is our view – and will no doubt be the view of many within the media, and civil society – that the presence of a UNFCCC official (not least the Executive Secretary) at such an event represents a serious conflict of interest and critically undermines the legitimacy, perceived and actual, of the entire the UNFCCC process. We as youth do not accept the coal industry’s attempts to influence the global climate negotiations, to attack the bases of climate science, and to brand ‘clean coal’ as a viable mitigation solution. The World Coal Association’s goals are clearly contrary to the UNFCCC’s core objective to avoid dangerous anthropogenic climate change.”

The ultimatum comes two days before the start of the official negotiations, and is yet another sign that people – and youth in particular – reject the increasingly present role that dirty industry has in making climate policies.

The choice for Christiana Figueres is clear: Future generations or outdated dirty energy industry?

Read the full letter here:http://pusheurope.org/coy9/en/open-letter-conditional-invitation-pscee/

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  1. Reblogged this on ashley dawson and commented:
    Important guide to corporate hijack of COP19

  2. Important guide to corporate hijacking of climate change negotations by corporate interests.