Biden’s Big Climate Summit: expectations include justice for victims of climate change

Forty world leaders have been invited to take part in this Biden’s Leaders’ Summit, including 17 major economies responsible for approximately 80% of global emissions and global GDP, as well as some countries that are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

“I was making a living by growing crops and raising shrimp. However, I was forced to flee my home after Cyclone Amphan hit us last May. Now I drive a van in the Khulna suburbs, about 220 kilometres from Dhaka. I have suffered losses in every disaster since the 1988 cyclone”, Farook Hossain Sardar, a climate-induced coastal victim who is currently living with his family in a Dhaka slum. Geographically, Washington is far from Dhaka, but the sighs of 1.2 billion climate victims of the countries of Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) would undoubtedly reverberate in President Biden’s Leaders’ Summit on Climate from April 22-23.

Forty world leaders have been invited to take part in this Biden’s Leaders’ Summit, including 17 major economies responsible for approximately 80% of global emissions and global GDP, as well as some countries that are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Unfortunately, among G20 countries only Canada, France and UK have coal exclusion polices. The upcoming summit is expected to serve as a critical global milestone on the road to the COP26 in November 2021, ahead of that countries are expected to put forward stronger national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. It is undoubtedly a praiseworthy step of both the US and China that have issued a joint statement on 17^th April for future cooperation to counter climate change and build resilience in the climate vulnerable countries. This is time for meaningful actions.

It will also be a prime opportunity for the United States to re-establish itself as a leader in global climate diplomacy.

Following the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016, a sudden departure of the USA from the agreement put climate victims in jeopardy. Fortunately, America’s return and Biden’s presidency have reignited hope for the planet, as it has been expected that “the Leaders’ Summit on Climate will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger science-based climate action to limit planetary warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to stave off the worst effects of climate change.” 

Hear the Vulnerable Communities

Scientific evidence demonstrates that vulnerable countries could face annual losses of around $4 trillion by 2030 and a record number of hurricanes, wildfires and floods exacerbated by climate change could cost the world $210 billion in damage in just one year. In an alarming disparity, for instance, families in rural Bangladesh spend nearly US$2 billion per year on preventing climate-related disasters or repairing damage caused by climate change, which is twice as much as the government budget, and nearly 12 times more than what Bangladesh receives in multilateral international climate financing.

It is to be noted that only cyclone Amphan which struck the Bay of Bengal in May of 2021, has caused losses of $13 billion in a matter of days.

Green Jobs in Renewables

In terms of the benefits of adopting renewables, compared to the approximately 76,000 jobs in the coal industry in the US, the solar and wind industries generated 360,000 jobs in 2018. “Rapid electrification of the economy, which is essential for reducing emissions, could support up to 25 million good-paying jobs over the next 15 years and save the average household up to $2,000 annually on energy costs and better health outcomes. Emissions reductions would help the United States avoid the economic costs of climate damages” (WRI, 2021).

Moreover, the leaders should agree to revise the Paris Agreement so that it is fully legally binding for Parties including all investors, multilateral banks, lending agencies, and financing agencies to seal the no-exit system of any signatory Parties regardless of government changes or economic downturns. Furthermore, if cost-effective technologies and grant-based finance could be mobilized, the vulnerable countries’ commitment to generate 100 percent power from renewables by 2045 would be ensured. This would greatly promote green economy, by creating millions of jobs and promoting nature- based resilience across countries.

The Funds committed by Developed Economies need to be delivered

The Parties of the Paris Agreement were committed to pursuing equity and commonality, recognizing the specific vulnerabilities of developing country parties; including mobilizing public and private finance to drive the net-zero transition and assist vulnerable countries.

Developed countries’ pledged to mobilize US$100 billion per year as new and additional ODA from 2020 to 2025, but only about US$21 billion has been generated.

However, we have seen that G20 countries have provided $130 billion subsidies from their public funds. Surprisingly, despite project demands of US$30.2 billion, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has only disbursed about US$1.7 billion (6% of demands) since its inception in 2013. The GCF provided only about 45% as grant and 55% as loan. The Paris Agreement acknowledged developing countries’ limited capacity to manage funds; the GCF should have prior plan for faster mobilization of grants without any delay as clause 9.8 of Partners Agreement states to ensure efficient access to financial resources through simplified approval procedures–support for developing country Parties, in particular for the LDCs and small island development states (SIDs).

USA should deliver the outstanding $2 billion from the country’s existing pledge to GCF and make a new, more ambitious commitment of at least $6 billion to match peers who have already doubled their pledges. The Adaptation Fund is receiving just over $1 billion in cumulative contributions over 12 years. U.S. would provide a massive boost to the Adaptation Fund’s for vulnerable states. Similarly, the United States should make a new pledge to the Least Developed Countries Fund for resilience of the victim countries, at a higher level from the $51 million pledge in 2015. In 2021, countries will begin negotiating the Global Environment Facility’s eighth replenishment, for 2022-2026; and the US should come prepared with an ambitious pledge that makes up for not increasing contributions at the last replenishment in 2018.

Biden should also continue support for the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund, and restore full funding for the IPCC and UNFCCC.

Avoid the Debt Trap

Furthermore, no fund has been disbursed yet for loss and damages since 2014. However, an estimate states that the debt burden for 63 vulnerable countries would rise from 133 percent in 2011 to 216 percent in 2022. The Summit must declare time-bound grant-based public finance for resilience so that climate victims don’t fall in debt-trap; treat climate funds as emergency responses, and accountability of all parties must be materialized. Considering historical responsibility of the US to green house gas emissions and immense losses and damages in vulnerable states in addition to ensuring its equitable share to GCF, Biden should also initiate a separate Community-led Resilience Fund (CLRF) for direct funding for communities’ resilience.

Vulnerability is clearly internalized in evidence but is not being realized in actions to effectively fight climate change. Country-level climate action must adhere to the “Whole-of-society” approach, but in order to ensure accountability of all Parties and concerned agencies the UNFCCC should adhere to the “Whole-of-Governance” approach for both developed, developing countries, multilateral institutions and investors.

In addition, this Biden Summit should recognize that Covid-19, Climate Change, and Corruption are global priorities that require equal priorities with the meaningful steps in an integrated manner.

Any violation of the Paris Agreement should be treated as crime against humanity.

Climate disaster is a shared concern of humanity, that is, it is one of a set of fundamental values on which society’s cohesion is predicated.