The South sues the European Union- Climate Justice instead of idle talk!

Tuesday, 01 December 2009 14:16

With a visual protest in the form of a mock trial, NGO Broederlijk Delen (BD) and CIDSE - the international alliance of Catholic development agencies – have put the devastating impacts of climate change on poor people in the South in the spotlight.

In a mock trial set up in Brussels today, the European Union was sued for failing to acknowledge its responsibilities in causing climate change and for doing too little to support developing countries in their battle against climate change. Bolivian climate expert Elizabeth Peredo, Director of Fundación Solón and member of the Bolivian Platform against Climate Change, testified as climate witness in the simulation of a Climate Justice hearing.

Peredo explained how she sees the impacts of climate change on people in Bolivia with her own eyes every day. “We need to reconsider our lifestyles and the way we fuel our economies,” she said. “There’s an urgent need to drastically change our relationship with nature.” Peredo said that the city of La Paz, where she was born, had been blessed with glaciers that were now melting. Even though Bolivia contributes less than 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it suffers severe climate change impacts.

Climate finance will be a deal maker or breaker at the climate talks in Copenhagen, Broederlijk Delen and CIDSE therefore urge the EU to set the example with strong financial commitments.

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