Climate change impacts are already affecting people and the planet. And
the science shows it will get far, far worse. The biggest impacts will
be on the lives and livelihoods of the poor and developing countries,
especially small island states. The biggest culprits are the rich and
the developed countries.
Progress has been made: we have international agreements; more resources for scientific research, leading to stronger evidence; some policy advances; a change in industry rhetoric; and a certain increase in public awareness. But all this falls far short of what is needed. At the heart of the problem is the production and use of fossil fuel - particularly the emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Developed countries have now accepted legally-binding emissions targets in the Kyoto Protocol, but these are widely recognised to be seriously inadequate, and the US has opted out.
Climate justice means: Equal rights to the atmosphere for all human beings and equity within and between nations are paramount. This implies for example, that reduction percentages and emissions allowances etc. should be based on a per capita basis.
Further links:
http://www.globalissues.org/article/231/climate-justice-and-equity
http://www.climatelaw.org/
http://www.climatejustice.org.uk
http://www.gci.org.uk/
http://www.plant-for-the-planet.org
http://www.indiaresource.org/issues/energycc/2003/baliprinciples.html - Bali Principles of Climate Justice
The field of law has, in many ways, been the poor relation in the world-wide effort to deliver a cleaner, healthier and ultimately fairer world. We have over 500 international and regional agreements, treaties and deals covering everything from the protection of the ozone layer to the conservation of the oceans and seas. Almost all, if not all, countries have national environmental laws too. But unless these are complied with, unless they are enforced, then they are little more than symbols, tokens, paper tigers. This is an issue affecting billions of people who are effectively being denied their rights and one of not only national but regional and global concern. We are increasingly aware that what happens in one part of the world can affect (sic) in another part of the globe – be it toxic pollutants from Asia, Europe and North America contaminating the Arctic or the greenhouse gases of the industrialised regions triggering droughts or the melting of glaciers in the less industrialised ones.
Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme,
on the adoption of the Judges’ Johannesburg Principles on the Role of Law and Sustainable Development, August 2002
Progress has been made: we have international agreements; more resources for scientific research, leading to stronger evidence; some policy advances; a change in industry rhetoric; and a certain increase in public awareness. But all this falls far short of what is needed. At the heart of the problem is the production and use of fossil fuel - particularly the emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Developed countries have now accepted legally-binding emissions targets in the Kyoto Protocol, but these are widely recognised to be seriously inadequate, and the US has opted out.
Climate justice means: Equal rights to the atmosphere for all human beings and equity within and between nations are paramount. This implies for example, that reduction percentages and emissions allowances etc. should be based on a per capita basis.
Further links:
http://www.globalissues.org/article/231/climate-justice-and-equity
http://www.climatelaw.org/
http://www.climatejustice.org.uk
http://www.gci.org.uk/
http://www.plant-for-the-planet.org
http://www.indiaresource.org/issues/energycc/2003/baliprinciples.html - Bali Principles of Climate Justice
The field of law has, in many ways, been the poor relation in the world-wide effort to deliver a cleaner, healthier and ultimately fairer world. We have over 500 international and regional agreements, treaties and deals covering everything from the protection of the ozone layer to the conservation of the oceans and seas. Almost all, if not all, countries have national environmental laws too. But unless these are complied with, unless they are enforced, then they are little more than symbols, tokens, paper tigers. This is an issue affecting billions of people who are effectively being denied their rights and one of not only national but regional and global concern. We are increasingly aware that what happens in one part of the world can affect (sic) in another part of the globe – be it toxic pollutants from Asia, Europe and North America contaminating the Arctic or the greenhouse gases of the industrialised regions triggering droughts or the melting of glaciers in the less industrialised ones.
Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme,
on the adoption of the Judges’ Johannesburg Principles on the Role of Law and Sustainable Development, August 2002