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Action plans for Climate Ethics Climate ethics, Climate Justice, Global actions, Rio +20 and Recommendations Rohullah Azhad, M. A. in I.R. Global classroom II Justice on Climate change, Sustainable Development and Human Rights KazNU Al-Farabi Almaty – Kazakhstan, 2012
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Page 1: Action plans for climate ethics 2007

Action plans for Climate Ethics

Climate ethics, Climate Justice, Global actions, Rio +20 and

Recommendations

Rohullah Azhad, M. A. in I.R.Global classroom II

Justice on Climate change, Sustainable Development

and Human RightsKazNU Al-Farabi

Almaty – Kazakhstan, 2012

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Heavy snowfall in Ireland causing damages East of Africa worst drought The whole world is vulnerable to climate change but scientific and empirical research has confirmed what was already anecdotally clear:

climate change affects people differently those who are more socially or poor economically

International community has recognized the direct and indirect effects of climate change on human rights and the dis-proportionate impact felt by those who are already vulnerable.

(Where there are rights, there are responsibilities.) Ensures people’s dignity and respects their rights. Meets their basic needs and where resources are shared

equitably. Supporting people to cope and adapt their livelihoods. Not to leave the future to chance. To increase understanding of the interconnections between

lifestyles and public policy choices.

Summary

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Recurring food and energy crises and the alarming depletion and degradation of natural resources and systems on which human life depends, more than ever call into question how current sustainable development models are and how should it be?With its causes and consequences bound up in these convergent crises, climate change is a particularly ominous symptom of the failure of development decisions. A change of direction to deal with the climate crisis must be a symbol of the shift to a new development paradigm. This paper looks at the frameworks needed to support and secure action on climate change at global and national levels. Highlighting the work of partners to support affected communities and their efforts to influence their governments to bring about policy change, it seeks to place political and public discussion on climate action in the context of a debate on the broader issue of sustainable development.

Summary (Continued)

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Goals of the research: how can achieve clear environment , decrease harm and disadvantages of climate change. How much important is international efforts and convergence? In which level actions are more effective; national, sub-national, or

international? list and cite many frameworks and conferences, proved necessity of Rio+20.

In which level were previous conferences on climate changes much more effective; and are efforts in many conferences and meetings every year a factor to lead countries to achieve their

goals better? Individual and political actions for one or two time Sub-national level actions for a short period International political frameworks and conferences foreverOrganization of the research Concepts and principles International Frameworks and conferences specially Rio+20 Conclusion and recommendation

Introduction

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Justice on climate ethicsClimate ethics, Climate justice, Programs

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Climate ethics is generally used as a term for viewing climate change as an ethical issue and considering how its causes and effects relate to concepts of justice, particularly social and environmental justice.For example examining issues such as equality, human rights, collective rights and historical responsibility to climate change. Everyone has a right to life, liberty, and personal security. Humans have rights to life, liberty, and personal security

that create duties in others to refrain from interference with these basic rights.

In this paper we seek to help clarify our duties to prevent the neglect or violation of those rights. Of course, climate change policy making raises additional ethical issues including questions about duties to protect future generations of humans, plants, animals, and ecosystems.

Climate ethics

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Respect and protect Human Rights Support the right to development Highlight gender equality and equity Share benefits and burdens equitably Leave fossil fuels in the ground Demand real and effective solutions Equal access to resources Use effective partnerships to secure Climate Justice Harness the transformative power of education for

climate stewardship Ensure that decisions on Climate Change are

participatory, transparent and accountable

Principles of Climate ethics

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Climate Justice is generally used as a term for viewing climate change as an ethical issue and considering how its causes and effects relate to concepts of justice, (social justice and environmental justice). This term is also used with reference to legal systems, where justice is achieved through application and development of law in the area of climate change.Climate Justice is a new and growing area of research that focuses on the ethical dimensions of climate change, and concepts such as climate justice.Climate Justice links human rights and development to achieve a human-centred approach, safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable and sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its resolution equitably and fairly. Climate justice is informed by science, responds to science and acknowledges the need for equitable stewardship of the world’s resources. Climate justice is a vision to dissolve and alleviate the discrimination created by climate change. As a form of environmental justice, climate justice is the fair treatment of all people and freedom from unequal burdens with the creation of policies and projects that address climate change and the systems that create climate change and perpetuate discrimination.

Climate justice

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Climate justice is a fluid concept, however, there are recurring themes across various definitions. The following definitions taken from 'Organizing Cools The Planet' give a picture of the various

understandings of climate justice:

Demanding Climate Justice section of Hoodwinked in the Hothouse

Climate Justice as Evaluative Model:“Climate Justice is a struggle over land, forest, water, culture, food sovereignty, collective and social rights; it is a struggle that considers “justice” at the basis of any solution; a struggle that supports climate solutions found in the practices and knowledge of those already fighting to protect and defend their livelihoods and the environment; a struggle that insists on a genuine systematic transformation in order to tackle the real causes of climate change… Climate Justice addresses four key themes: root causes, rights, reparations and participatory democracy.”

Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative

Roots in Environmental Justice:“Climate Justice is a vision to dissolve and alleviate the unequal burdens caused by climate change. As a form of environmental justice, climate justice is the fair treatment of all people and freedom from discrimination with the creation of policies and projects that address climate change and the systems that create climate change and perpetuate discrimination.”

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Indigenous Environmental NetworkFour Principles for Climate Justice: “Industrialized society must redefine its relationship with the sacredness of Mother Earth: Leave Fossil Fuels in the Ground Demand Real and Effective Solutions Industrialized – Developed Countries Take

Responsibility Living in a Good Way on Mother Earth"

Principles of Climate justice

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In December 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Collaborative Program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change was launched at the 10th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major outcome of this meeting was the Buenos Aires Declaration on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change.The program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change seeks to: Facilitate express examination of ethical dimensions of climate change; Create better understanding about the ethical dimensions of climate

change among policy makers and the general public; Assure that people around the world, including those most vulnerable to

climate change, participate in any ethical inquiry about responses to climate change;

Develop an interdisciplinary approach to inquiry about the ethical dimensions of climate change and support publications that examine the ethical dimensions of climate change;

Make the results of scholarship on the ethical dimensions of climate change available to and accessible to policy makers, scientists, and citizen groups;

Integrate ethical analysis into the work of other institutions engaged in climate policy

The Program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change

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Action Plans on Climate justice

Climate justice actions,

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Climate Justice Action (CJA) "is a global network of groups and individuals committed to taking action to prevent catastrophic climate change". CJA formed as part of the alternative mobilization around the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, and organized mass Direct actions during the conference.The Network has a strong emphasis on climate justice, and has the following goals: To promote and strengthen the rights and voices of Indigenous and

affected peoples (including workers) in confronting the climate crisis. To support reparations and the repayment of ecological debt to the Global South by industrialized rich countries

To build a global movement for climate justice that encourages urgent action to avoid catastrophic climate change.

To highlight the critical role of biodiversity in weathering the climate crisis, and to defend the existence of all species.

To expose the roles of false and market-based climate “solutions” as well as corporate domination of climate negotiations in worsening the climate crisis.

To advance alternatives that can provide real and just solutions to the climate crisis.

Our network is committed to working with respect, trust and unity towards these goals.

To both sharpen our understanding of, and to address, the root social, ecological, political and economic causes of the climate crisis toward a total systemic transformation of our society.

Climate Justice Action

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Individual and political action on climate change

Political action

Political action can gain media, change laws and regulations that relate to climate change, such as tax incentives, greenhouse gas emissions limits or establishing a regulatory framework within which carbon trading markets can operate. Political action can also gain media and public attention to climate change. Political action from the community, however, is often challenged by interests within the fossil-fuel industry., Some climate change sceptic groups are independent of the fossil-fuel industry, such as the Australian Youth Climate Change Council (AYCCC).

Protest movements

A number of groups from around the world have come together to work on the issue of global warming. 2005, a coalition of 50 NGOs called Stop Climate Chaos launched in Britain, to highlight the issue of climate change.The Campaign against Climate Change was created to focus purely on the issue of climate change and to pressure governments into action by building a protest movement of sufficient magnitude to effect political change.

Individual and political action on climate change can take many forms, most of which have the ultimate goal of limiting and/or reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the

atmosphere, toward avoiding dangerous climate change.

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Some states, regions, and cities in the world are taking the lead on developing emissions reduction methods in the absence of federal policy and may provide models for future national efforts. Their efforts are achieving real measurable emissions reductions and by pursuing policies and programs that have climate benefits, they have promoted state economic development, improved air quality and trimmed their vulnerability to energy price spikes. In the long run, addressing climate change will require comprehensive national policy and international agreements. However, in the absence of federal policy, states and regions are taking the lead on developing policies that may provide models for future national efforts.

Sub-national level action

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United Kingdom

The town of Totnes in Devon through its "Transition Town Totnes" Project has adopted an Energy Descent Plan, as a response in answer to the twin problems of greenhouse gas emissions and peak oil. As a result of a series of large, well-attended public gatherings with key experts from around the world, and the organization of a number of special interest groups, the community has come together with lecturers and trainers shared with Schumacher College, through a process of participative strategic planning, to hone their skill in project development. As a result of the initiatives, a large number of other communities have started Transition Town projects, and there are now more than 400 around the world, ranging from small communities to whole cities (e.g. Berlin). The concepts of including food miles or carbon neutral labels on packaging has been gaining interest in the UK.

Ghent, BelgiumThe city promotes a meat-free day on Thursdays called Veggiedag, with vegetarian-only food in public canteens for civil servants and elected councilors, soon in all schools, and promotion of vegetarian eating options in town. This campaign is linked to the recognition of the detrimental environmental effects of meat production, which the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has established to represent nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

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International political frameworksThe European Union Emissions Trading Scheme

Under Kyoto, countries with targets can elect to reach these targets in co-operation with other countries. The European Union has decided to work as a unit to meet its emissions targets. The European climate change program attempts to do this by utilizing an emissions trading scheme known as the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme. The principle of this scheme is quite simple: to make their legally binding commitments under Kyoto, countries can either make these savings within their own country, or they can buy these emissions reductions from other countries. These other countries would still need to meet their Kyoto targets, but the use of a free market system ensures the reductions are made for the least possible costs. Most reductions are made where these reductions are cheapest, and the excess reductions can be sold on to other countries where such cuts would be less economically viable.South Africa's first National Conference on Environment and Development was held at the University of the Western Cape in conjunction with the Cape Town Ecology Group and the Western Cape Branch of the World Conference on Religion and Peace in 1991. Prominent persons involved in this conference were Ebrahim Rasool, Cheryl Carolus, Faried Esack, and Julia Martin.

South Africa (Ecologize Politics, Politicize Ecology)

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United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, 1972

The UN's first major conference on international environmental issues, marked a turning point in the development of international environmental politics which convened under United Nations auspices, held in Stockholm, Sweden.113 countries, 19 inter-governmental agencies, about 400 IGOs and NGOsThe meeting agreed upon a Declaration containing 26 principles concerning the environment and development; an Action Plan with 109 recommendations, and a Resolution.

International political frameworksUnited Nation conferences and frameworks

Climate Justice Now!

CJN is a global coalition of organizations and networks campaigning for climate justice. The coalition was founded at the UNFCCC meeting in Bali, and has since mobilized for UNFCCC meetings in Bangkok, Copenhagen and Cancun.

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United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to 14, 1992. (172 governments 2,400 NGOs)The objective of the treaty is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. (Non-binding)The treaty provides for updates (called "protocols") that would set mandatory emission limits. The principal update is the Kyoto Protocol, which has become much better known than the UNFCCC itself.The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded and established legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Another agreement was to "not carry out any activities on the lands of indigenous peoples that would cause environmental degradation or that would be culturally inappropriate".The Earth Summit resulted in the following documents:Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21, Forest Principles

UNCED: UN-FCCC/Kyoto Protocol/Earth summit 1992 (Rio)

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World Summit on Sustainable Development took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 Aug to 4 Sep 2002. It was convened to discuss sustainable development by the United Nations. WSSD gathered a number of leaders from business and non-governmental organizations,The Johannesburg Declaration was the main outcome of the Summit; however, there were several other international agreements. It laid out the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation as an action plan. Agreement was made to restore the world's depleted fisheries for 2015. It was agreed to by negotiators at the World Summit.The initial informal discussions on a possible new Summit in 2002 were held in February 1998 and hosted by Derek Osborn who co-chaired the preparatory meetings for Rio+5 and Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future.

WSSD, Earth Summit 2002 (Rio+10)

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Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 - 18 Dec. COP 15 - MOP 5According to the Bali Road Map, a framework for climate change mitigation beyond 2012 was to be agreed there.The Copenhagen Accord was drafted by the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa on December 18, and judged a "meaningful agreement" by the United States government. It was "taken note of", but not "adopted", in a debate of all the participating countries the next day, and it was not passed unanimously. The document recognized that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the present day and that actions should be taken to keep any temperature increases to below 2°C. Many countries and non-governmental organizations were opposed to this agreement, but, throughout 2010, 138 countries had either formally signed on to agreement or signaled they would.

United Nations Climate Change Conference, 2009

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Was held in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 Nov to 10 Dec 2010. COP 16 - CMP 6The outcome of the summit was an agreement adopted by the states' parties that called for a large "Green Climate Fund", and a "Climate Technology Centre" and network. It looked forward to a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol.The agreement further recognizes that deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions are required, with a view to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions so as to hold the increase in global average temperature below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and that Parties should take urgent action to meet this long-term goal, consistent with science and on the basis of equity; and recognizes the need to consider, in the context of the first review, strengthening in relation to a global average temperature rise of 1.5°C. The agreement also notes that addressing climate change requires a paradigm shift towards building a low-carbon society. The agreement calls on rich countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as pledged in the Copenhagen Accord, and for developing countries to plan to reduce their emissions.

United Nations Climate Change Conference, 2010

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Was held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 Nov to 11 Dec 2011 to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions. COP 17 - CMP 7The conference agreed to a legally binding deal comprising all countries, which will be prepared by 2015, and to take effect in 2020. There was also progress regarding the creation of a Green Climate Fund (GCF) for which a management framework was adopted. A primary focus of the conference was to secure a global climate agreement as the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008–2012) was about to end. It was also expected to focus on "finalizing at least some of the Cancun Agreements", reached at the 2010 Conference, such as "co-operation on clean technology", as well as "forest protection, adaptation to climate impacts, etc.Forcing countries for the first time to admit that their current policies are inadequate and must be strengthened by 2015, it has snatched 2 °C from the jaws of impossibility. At the same time it has re-established the principle that climate change should be tackled through international law, not national, voluntarism."

United Nations Climate Change Conference, 2011

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The UN Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20, is almost here. The year 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, referred to as the Earth Summit, a milestone in the global sustainability process and the birthplace of the Local Agenda 21 movementThe decision to hold the conference in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro was made by UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/64/236 on 24 December 2009.In 2012 the United Nations will convene the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio 2012 or Rio+20, hosted by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, as a 20-year follow-up to the historic 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) that was held in the same city. The conference is organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.The conference will focus on two themes: building a green economy and creating an effective institutional framework for sustainable development.

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In the run-up to and during the Rio+20 conferences, ICLEI will organize two main events aimed at accelerating action on global sustainability. The ICLEI World Congress 2012, and parallel event Urban Nature (12-14 June) will bring together Members, partners, experts, researchers and businesses, to find solutions to the urban and global challenges we face:Strongly linked to Rio+20, the Congress is a unique opportunity to exchange with other large and leading cities facing similar challenges and to develop partnerships to strengthen your work in this area.The Rio+20 Global Town Hall is the place where the sustainable urban future will be discussed at Rio+20. Local government leaders can connect with UN officials, country negotiators, leading private sector executives and other important individuals in an interactive situation close to Rio+20 seeks to build global political consensus on a pathway towards greater environmental, social and economic sustainability.

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Conclusion and Recommendations

International Community, European Union

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In recent years calls for climate justice have gained support among global civil society and other actors. While there is no one definition of climate justice, the importance of the concept is that it broadens the debate on climate change beyond technical and political discussion to a focus on people and on rights and responsibilities. This is a critical contribution.Although efforts of every unique country, regardless in governmental level, media or civil society, help reducing harms and damages on environment caused by climate change, there is need coordination for sum up these gains and attempts in a global level to achieve the goals quickly and easily. It is right that climate change is different in every region and places around the world, but indirectly, it has effect for whole atmosphere surround the earth. Therefore all regulations, activities, and funds should be synchronized in international conferences and summits to achieve this aim better. But continuing of climate change in the future compels humans that follow their plans every year in many different meetings and conferences. Of course Rio+20 emphasis previous achievements and adds new tools and ideas for future measures.

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While recognition of the need to protect the environment in development has increased markedly in the last decades, this has largely focused on reducing the impacts of existing practices rather than rethinking the way in which humans view and interact with the earth. Many climate justice movements advocate a profound rethink of the way we manage the natural environment and its resources.Which we believe that the EU and international community need to urgently implement in order to address the issue of climate change in ways which benefit those living in poverty. These recommendations, whilst they are numerous, are not enough. They represent the first step towards redirecting development towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all. We need to maximize synergies and minimize risks

in addressing agriculture and climate change We need strong EU leadership – a key to progress We need fair, ambitious and binding global action

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Thank you!


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