By Mattias Söderberg 

Today, June 5, the UN climate talks begin with a new round of negotiations in Bonn.  Known as the SB58, the 58th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), runs from today until June 15.  

Time is running out for the world to handle the rapidly worsening climate crisis. So, what is on the table at these negotiations? And what is at stake? 

First, we should acknowledge that the coming two weeks are not the time for major decisions. These talks are preparatory, so that ministers can come to an agreement at December’s climate summit, COP28. However, UN negotiations are never easy. Without big steps in the coming two weeks, ministers will not have much to look forward to in December.  

The last summit, COP27, was a big success for climate-induced loss and damage, which we have celebrated. But COP27 failed to deliver progress on other parts of the climate agenda, and it is important now to speed up negotiations; to catch up.  

Adaptation is one important area where there must be progress. There is agreement that parties should adopt a global goal on adaptation. It is crucial this doesn’t end with empty words. A goal must be set to promote scaled-up action. Vulnerable communities around the world are in urgent need of adaptation.  This is true at the local level where families must be prepared to handle incoming cyclones and droughts. It’s also true at national and regional levels, to ensure that institutions, infrastructure and economies are robust when countries face climate-associated disasters.  

Another important topic is the global stock take. This refers to the ambition mechanism of the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement, constituting the framework for global cooperation related to climate change, was not ambitious enough. It was agreed to take stock every five years, to see if more action is needed. Well, the science is rather clear.  The world needs to scale up its ambition on reducing emissions.  The global stock take at COP28 will be extremely important, but it must be prepared well in Bonn these next two weeks. 

All parties around the world must also address the root causes of climate change. The production and use of fossil fuels must be phased out, and coal, gas and oil must be left in the ground. This is a huge challenge, and a crucial decision if the climate crisis is to be addressed. The phase out of all fossil fuels may not be a big topic on the formal agenda, but it is an important agenda item in bilateral negotiations. I hope parties realise that this is the only way forward. We must find ways to make it possible.  

Finally, we should not forget about loss and damage. Even if COP27 was a success, there is still a busy and heavy agenda. There is an agreement to establish a fund and to mobilize finance to assist those facing loss and damage. How this will be done, and what kind of fund there should be, is still uncertain. This will be one of the important topics for negotiations in the coming weeks.   

ACT Alliance will follow events at SB58 closely. We will be there, and we will make sure all negotiators are aware of the need for scaled-up ambition and progress. The climate crisis is a reality. It is time to speed up decisions if we want to tackle the crisis.  

Mattias Söderberg of DanChurchAid is co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Justice Reference Group. 

By Mattias Söderberg

The debate about innovative climate finance has been going on for years.  Momentum is growing, and it is now time for ideas to become solutions. There are two concrete proposals on the table: to introduce levies on international transport – ships and planes. I believe that the proposals are win-win and ready to be rolled out. I hope governments will read this blog and be inspired by my recommendations. 

A global levy on maritime transport 

Let’s start with shipping. The shipping industry is responsible for two to three percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. This may seem like a small contribution, but if we want to tackle the climate crisis, all efforts are needed. The shipping industry must turn green.  

At a summit this July the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will address the need for reduced emissions. One concrete proposal is to introduce a levy which could become an incentive for shipping companies to reduce emissions. Such a levy could also become a way to mobilize climate finance, potentially for loss and damage.    

It should be noted that a levy on shipping could have negative effects. Increased costs could lead to higher prices on the commodities and foods transported by ship. This is why it is important to have a global agreement to channel the revenue back to poor and vulnerable countries. Without a global agreement, I fear national and regional initiatives will increase costs for the shipping industry without channelling revenues back to developing countries.  

Loss and damage money from air traffic 

Now let’s look at aviation. There have been many proposals and discussions about taxes on air traffic. The latest focuses on mobilizing money for climate-related loss and damage. Called “International Climate Solidarity Levies,” the proposal would introduce an air tax earmarked for climate-related loss and damage and send the money directly to the new loss and damage fund that was agreed upon at the last climate summit, COP27. 

The proposal is not to negotiate a global tax, but to encourage governments, airlines, and other actors to introduce a solidarity levy. This would mobilize funds for people and communities facing climate-induced loss and damage. This kind of levy can be introduced relatively quickly, and it can become a good source of climate funding.  

An air levy would not have the same effect on trade as a levy on shipping. Experience of previous air levies and changes in the cost of tickets shows that most air passengers can afford an additional price for their journey.  

Win-win for the climate 

The international debate on the two proposals is underway. I hope governments will engage and look for solutions. The fact that shipping and air traffic can contribute to climate action is a real win-win. On the one hand, the taxes will be an incentive for the two industries to become greener. On the other hand, it is an opportunity to mobilize climate money based on the principle that the polluter must pay. That is a real win-win for the climate. 

Mattias Söderberg of DanChurchAid is co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Justice Reference Group.

By Nerisse Klaire Kassey Pamaran, National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP)

Anamarie Rivera, a mother of four, had just given birth to her youngest daughter when last September’s Super Typhoon Noru hit her hometown of Jaen, Nueva Ecija in the Philippines. “We went to my sister-in-law’s house when the winds got stronger”, she says. “I was only able to get my kids out … I wasn’t able to save any of my belongings.” Anamarie’s house was made from light materials with a makeshift roof of galvanized iron, a type of housing that is common 
in Filipino communities living in poverty.  

The typhoon struck several provinces in the northern part of the Philippines, causing widespread damage not only to housing, but to farms and the livelihoods of farming communities. “It completely destroyed our crops,” says Ashley Arante, whose mother worked in the rice fields. “We had a hard time meeting our daily expenses afterwards.”  

The stories of Anamarie and Ashley illustrate just two of the struggles endured by millions of Filipinos affected by the climate crisis. Climate change impacts are measured not only by the strength of typhoons, but also by the lasting impact they have on already-vulnerable communities. 

In the case of Super Typhoon Noru, aid came from the most rural of local churches through to international agencies. ACT Alliance responded to the immediate needs of typhoon victims through the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP). But given the typhoon’s extensive and lasting damage, organizations can only do so much. 

On average, at least twenty typhoons make landfall in the Philippines every year. Five of these will be destructive. This destruction has become such a normal occurrence in marginalized Filipino communities that they are being praised worldwide for their resilience and optimism in otherwise hopeless scenarios.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021, the Philippines is one of the countries that is most vulnerable to the long-term impacts of climate change. The country must address the loss and damage induced by the climate crisis and implement adaptation and mitigation measures to achieve a people-centered, low-carbon future. 

The Philippines’ contribution to world greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is minuscule compared to the G20, yet  studies show that the country’s emissions increased by 114 percent from 1990 to 2017, largely due to the energy and industry sectors. The Philippines needs to take genuine steps towards climate crisis mitigation. This includes banning practices such as deforestation, illegal mining and logging, and plastic waste pollution, which are known to harm the environment. The country must also address the vulnerabilities of most Filipino people, who live in poverty, and strengthen their adaptation capacities at the local level.

At the global level, the NCCP believes that the climate crisis must be addressed by holding major GHG contributors accountable for the impacts of climate change. The climate crisis is “a consequence of the historical impact of the patterns of consumption and industrialization by what are now the wealthiest and so-called ‘developed’ nations in the world,” they say.  

To be accountable, the wealthiest nations must use climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity building to support the most vulnerable countries, such as the Philippines. They must also keep their own carbon footprint in check. 

Nerisse Klaire Kassey Pamaran is a youth volunteer with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), an ACT member.

By Christian Wolff

The interconnections between climate change and human mobility have lately been discussed with increasing fervor and frequency. ACT Alliance and its members have been working on this issue for several years. Now, in collaboration with ACT member Bread for the World, we are publishing a new analysis entitled, “Addressing the Protection Gap – Human Mobility and the Climate Crisis in International Frameworks”, compiled by Dr. Katherine Braun as lead author.  

There is growing recognition that climate change affects people’s ability to move and their decisions about movement, and that, apart from addressing the root causes of climate change and ensuring climate justice, more equitable access to safe migration opportunities is needed, alongside strengthened protection for people on the move, or those unable to move. ACT and our partners and networks have made considerable progress in advocating for this over the last few years – as reflected in the recent agreement to establish a loss and damage financing facility, or in the inclusion of a framework for more diverse and more easily accessible regular pathways in the Global Compact for Migration.  

The next steps in our journey towards positive change for affected populations will lie in furthering our common understanding of how their diverse needs in different contexts can best be served and their human rights and dignity can be most effectively protected. Some of the answers to this will be found in climate change processes, others in humanitarian approaches, still others in global and regional migration policies. The report attempts to provide an overview of how the underlying issues are connected, and how advocates – including our membership and allies – can best use the different international frameworks to make rights-based progress on this topic. In doing so, it examines the place of human mobility in climate policy, its treatment in international human rights instruments and in migration governance, as well as looking at implications for financing. 

Please follow this link to access the report. We also invite you to read this blog post by the lead author and our Bread for the World colleague Sabine Minninger. 

Christian Wolff is the ACT Alliance Migration and Displacement Programme Manager