Lebanon

Beirut raises the voice to Copenhagen

With less than one week to the  United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009, Beirut launched its call to the Copenhagen Summit.
This event was held by The United Nations Development Programme – Parliament Project and the parliamentary committee of general works, transport, energy and water in the Parliament on Tuesday the first of December 2009. 

Headed by MP Mohammad Kabbani, the meeting discussed the policies to be raised in the Copenhagen Summit, in the presence of MP Marwan Hamade, head of the parliamentary commission of the environment, Mr. Seifeddine Abbaro, UNDP director, Mr. Hassan Sherif, expert in sustainable development and Mr. Wael Hmaydan, executive director of The League of Independent Activists, IndyACT. 

A large number of Parliamentarians, NGOs, private and public sector representatives, along with the Lebanese singer Mr. Ragheb Alama, the UN Ambassador for climate change, were also present to share views on this important subject. 

In his speech, MP Kabbani explained that this meeting is held to show our firm commitment towards the climate change. “The Copenhagen summit is a turning point and a choice, he said, it is rescue or suicide”. 

Mr. Abbaro stressed the important role of the international and Lebanese nongovernmental organizations in influencing the decisions of the head of states and. He also added that the United Nations considers that the climate change is an important threat to life on earth, and that we are left with 10 years to avoid its catastrophic impact. 

Mr. Hassan Sherif, expert in sustainable development, presented different facts and figures on the impact of the climate change worldwide. 

Another presentation was given by Mr. Wael Hmaidan on the importance of the negotiations leading to Copenhagen. In addition, he said that a number of Lebanese activists will participate in the Copenhagen summit, including 43 persons from IndyAct, environment experts, and journalists. 

At the end of the meeting, the attendees discussed the various points of the document and released the “Beirut Call to Copenhagen summit”:
“We - the representatives of the Lebanese people, the deputies of Civil Society, organizations and bodies of the public and private sectors and representatives of international organizations - are meeting because the problem of climate change is our own responsibility.
Climate change is one of the greatest disaster facing humanity today, threatening the demise of our civilization in Lebanon and the entire world. According to scientific reports, the Arab countries are among the most vulnerable areas to potential negative impacts of climate change. It is evident that we consume the natural resources more than the limits of what the planet can take. Scientists say that the level of concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere must be returned to less than 350 ppm for the continuation of life on Earth, and the world has now exceeded the safe level. Scientists also say that we have less than ten years to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the effects of catastrophic climate change. Therefore, Copenhagen is our appointment with destiny. We either establish a strong convention to save us from this disaster, or sign a suicide pact. 

We are meeting today on the 1st of December 2009 to raise our voice. We demand the heads and representatives of all countries the approval of an ambitious, binding and fair agreement in Copenhagen that includes the following objectives: 

- Working on reducing the high temperatures in the planet to remain below maximum two degrees Celsius. Therefore, we call for commitment to the alleviation of global emissions to peak in 2015 at its maximum, and then in 2020 to return to what they were in 1990. After that work on cutting more than 80% of this rate in 2050, until the stability of the concentration of greenhouse gases to less than 350 ppm of carbon dioxide. 

- Calling upon all States to develop long-term plans that set the road map to reach all these goals, according to an equitable distribution of duties and responsibilities.

- Calling upon the industrialized countries to cut their emissions by at least 40% by 2020 and by more than 95% by the year 2050, less than what they were in 1990. We also call upon those States to abide by providing funding, technology transfer to developing countries to assist in the transition to sustainable development paths and low-carbon economy. 

- We call upon developing countries to depart from the basic line for the growth of emissions by more than 30% by 2020, and to reduce these emissions to more than 65% of its level from what they were in 1990, by 2050. 

- We call for directing the activities of global adjustment according to human rights standards, including the responsibilities of governments towards their people; and that the planning and implementation of adaptation include the determination of the identity of people and ecosystems of the poorest and most vulnerable to climate change, in order to give priority to increase the capacity for adaptation. We also demand that the poorest and most affected States be given the priority access to funding for adaptation as well. 

- We call developed countries to fulfill their obligation by providing annual funding to help developing countries move to a development path and a low carbon economy, the amount of this funding should not be less than the $ 100 billion of the annual assistance in the second commitment period, rising to more than $ 200 billion annually from its budget by 2020. 

- We call for the establishment of a new independent center within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to manage this funding and to ensure that all long-term plans fit with the responsibility of the States and their capabilities and potential. 

- We call for an end to the ad hoc financial support of coal and other unclean fuels, and bio-fuel, as well as stopping any support or funding for non-sustainable technologies. We call for work on the development of techniques and for clean and sustainable usage. 

- Finally, we call upon all States to abide by specific targets in the use of renewable energy and technology transfer in accordance with the highest standards of environmental efficiency. As a possible target for commitment, we demand that the renewable energy be by an amount of 20% of global energy production by 2020, and 65% by 2050; and we call upon all States to work to improve energy efficiency by 2.5% every year between now and 2020. 

- We call upon the Lebanese government to adopt this appeal and to participate effectively in climate change negotiations in Copenhagen and beyond it. We also invite the government to develop strategies and policies including the spirit of this appeal. 

Copenhagen: A turning Point and A Choice- Rescue or Suicide.”