Pandemic, climate change and the responsibility of rich countries | Asked in the Financial Times for discussion of ecological debt

This Thursday, coinciding with the start of the G20 meeting on climate, environment and climate, the civic and social movement Avaaz will launch a campaign in the streets of Naples, on social networks and in the newspaper Financial Time, calling for the rich countries of the G20 to recognize their ecological debt and commit concrete funding to actions aimed at mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss.

In the Financial Time, Avaaz will publish a request with the title: “People are hungry for hope” in which five of the green leaders of the G20 are highlighted, including the minister Juan Cabandie, like the leaders who have the possibility of unblocking international negotiations on the environment.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that protecting the environment is the only way to stabilize our economies, an idea that has been recognized by G20 finance ministers, indicating that they continue to be urgent priorities, now is the time for environment ministers to do the same, ”he explained. . Oscar Soria, Avaaz Campaign Manager.

The requested Avaaz is part of a campaign to be launched in Naples as part of G20 Environment Ministers Meeting. It is within this framework that the five ministers are invited to promote an agreement so that the nations present send a strong message in which all countries and markets that the 20 largest economies in the world commit to achieve a systemic change that allows equity and ecological recovery for the world.

The president of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, Briton Alok Sharma has a powerful menu of options where 50 percent of climate finance is directed quickly towards climate adaptation as climate impacts have become more and more and more serious, not only in developing countries, but also here in Europe.

John Kerry, the special envoy of the presidency of the United States for the climate, must restore the climate credibility of his country by concrete actions so that countries like China abandon the excuses and act. This includes the urgent delivery of US $ 100 billion in climate finance pledged. And you must also put all your influence to force financial reform so that the money intended for the payment of the sovereign debt is now intended to pay the ecological debt, paying particular attention to the double crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Developing countries should not wait. According to Avaaz, they should bring proposals for change the rules that generate inequalities and destructive incentives for the environment. Juan Cabandie from Argentina and Barbara Creecy from South Africa are seen not only as human rights defenders, but also as potential interlocutors from countries of the South to present a vision in which economic, social and ecological recovery go hand in hand. : “Argentina and South Africa have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to lead the appeal of the countries of the South to recognize the ecological debt contracted by the rich countries, and reorient sovereign debt finance towards a fair and green recovery for developing countries, ”Soria said.

Finally, the host of the summit, the Italian Minister for the Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani, has the opportunity and the responsibility to guide all the G20 ministers to agree on a strong political declaration that shows the world that there is a path towards phasing out subsidies that harm our climate and our biodiversity.

“The world is facing a unprecedented climate crisis: severe flooding in the north and rising temperatures that increase forest fires at various latitudes. Today in Argentina, the Paraná River is experiencing the largest decline in the past 70 years, resulting in droughts and other effects on the populations that depend on this tributary, ”said the chief of Avaaz.

The G20 is a major engine for the destruction of biodiversity: they represent four fifths of global emissions; government spending on environmentally harmful subsidies was at least five times greater than total spending on protecting ecosystems; These 20 countries must redouble their immediate coordinated mobilization efforts to close the gap towards 1.5 ° C of global warming by the time of the Glasgow Climate Summit.