Climate Change Accountability

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CLIMATE CHANGE ACCOUNTABILITY YOUNG FABIANS ENVIRONMENT NETWORK COP26 REPORT Revealing How to Improve Transparency, Assign Responsibility & Implement Science-Backed Solutions to Solve the Climate Crisis

First published September 2020. Launched at Labour Connected 2020.

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Published by: Young Fabians [email protected] www.youngfabians.org.uk Young Fabians 61 Petty France London, UK, SW1H 9EU CONTENTS

Foreword 2 Executive Summary 3 Climate Change: International Accountability and Multilateral Reform 4 Improving Education & Transparency Around the Climate Crisis 11 The United Nations Should Commit to 1.5ºC 16 Strengthening Scientific Advisory Bodies & Communication to Put COP26 Back on Track 19 Fairly Assigning Responsibility Based on Historical Impact 22 Aligning Responsibility with Consumption 24 Climate Migrants: Gaining International Commitment to Share Costs & Adapt 27 Open-Source Solutions to Fight Deforestation 31 The Rise of Eco-Fascism: The Environmental Case for Taking a Tougher Stance Against Online Hate 36

1 MATTHEW PENNYCOOK MP FOREWORD ext November’s COP26 UN a particular responsibility and ca- COP26 Presidency also rests on Nclimate change conference in pacity to ensure COP26 is a suc- the Government’s actions abroad. Glasgow will be a critical moment cess. Failure is something that our That is why Ministers must act to in the fight against runaway glob- planet cannot afford. ensure the UK’s actions abroad are compatible with its obligations un- al heating. It is therefore imperative that the der the Paris Agreement, starting The summit will be the first test Government establishes the cred- with an immediate end to the use of the provisions of the landmark ibility of the UK’s COP26 Presiden- of public money to finance new 2015 Paris Agreement designed fossil fuel projects overseas and to see signatories ratchet up a greater focus on support for the their climate ambitions every five poorest and most vulnerable na- years in order to limit the rise in tions least responsible for climate the global temperature to “well breakdown and most exposed to below” 2°C and achieve global its effects. net zero emissions in the second half of this century. At present, the gulf between the Government’s rhetoric on climate Current commitments are leading action and the reality is vast. Min- the world down a path to over 3°C isters must use the next fourteen of heating, so the overriding goal cy now. That must begin here at months to prove to the world that of the summit must be to convince home with much more ambitious the UK is doing everything it pos- all participants to significantly raise action to rapidly decarbonise our sibly can to secure a successful their ambitions when it comes to economy this year, alongside the COP26. their domestic targets for reducing publication of a Nationally Deter- greenhouse gas emissions. We all have a stake in securing that mined Contribution based on a success, especially given the UN’s Yet success or failure in that re- significantly enhanced 2030 emis- Intergovernmental Panel on Cli- gard is something that is likely to sions reduction target. mate Change 2018 warning that, in be determined in capitals around The need to rebuild our economy the response to the climate crisis, the world long before delegates in the wake of the coronavirus pan- the next few years are “probably arrive in Glasgow in November demic offers a once-in-a-genera- the most important in our history”. 2021. That means that leadership tion opportunity to advance that That is why this collection of es- needs to be demonstrated well in effort and it is imperative that the says, addressing a wide range of advance of the summit to generate Government does not let the pres- issues that will influence the out- the necessary momentum. ent opportunity to enact an ambi- come in Glasgow, is so timely and As the summit’s host, but also tious green stimulus package slip so necessary.  as the first country in the world through its fingers. to industrialise and the world’s In addition to greater ambition at sixth-largest economy, the UK has home, the credibility of the UK’s Matthew Pennycook Labour MP for Greenwich and Woolwich Shadow Minister for Climate Change

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY By Jack Parker, Lead Editor

oronavirus has reinforced the we should press ahead regardless forestation. We tackle all of these reality that our economy is re- with the writing and publication of issues in these pages. C this report. Climate change is no liant upon the normal functioning I want to thank all of the contribu- less urgent, and so our response of society, and likewise society is tors that made this report possible, should be no less proactive and dependent upon the stability of especially to Cecilia Jastrzembska Much ambitious as before. the natural environment. and Laura Cunliffe-Hall for their like a pebble balanced on a stone, While the contributions in this re- support in editing. in turn balanced on a boulder, the port are broad and diverse, they products and services we take for While this report cannot offer a all focus around policies and ideas granted on a day to day basis are comprehensive list of solutions, that can help drive global account- in fact vulnerable to small shifts our hope is that these ideas be- ability and enable science-based in the environment on which we come part of the narrative and crit- action on an international level to have built everything around us. ical thinking which is desperate- solve the climate crisis. If coronavirus was a small shift of ly needed ahead of COP26 next the boulder, then climate change This includes greater transparency year. I encourage you to read and threatens to be a major earth- and education, strengthening the share these ideas, to debate and quake, threatening much more sig- role of scientific advisors to tackle improve them, and to lobby poli- nificant disruption to society and fake news and misinformation. It ticians and decision makers over the economy. includes greater awareness of the the coming year. We must lever- historical contributions of Western age the opportunity of COP26 to This report was initially intended to nations and today’s sharing of re- set our economy and society on a be published ahead of the COP26 sponsibility based on consump- new, sustainable track, and to pro- meeting in Glasgow, originally tion, not just domestic production. tect the things that coronavirus has scheduled for late 2020. Despite This also involves global coopera- taught us to value more than ever. the UN’s flagship meeting being tion to ease the pain of climate-re-  postponed to November 2021, lated migration and to prevent de- the Young Fabians decided that

Author: Executive Summary, Lead Editor, Jack Parker Fabian Involvement: Young Fabians Environment Network Chair Bio: Jack is the Managing Director of Construction at Hanson Wade, a role from which he hosts international conferences covering architecture, building methods and performance. He graduated with a Masters in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Cardiff University, where he also discovered the critical role of politics in transitioning society to a more sustainable future.

3 CLIMATE CHANGE: INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND MULTILATERAL REFORM By Cecilia Jastrzembska, Co-Editor

‘Now more than ever, we need to reinvigorate our pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, invest in green transitions, and maintain diplomatic momentum to push for low carbon economies’

n an ever more internally fo- are dying from climate change1. ment found that “nearly one quar- Icussed, nationalistic and individ- Meanwhile, food security and safe ter of all deaths globally in 2012 ualist world, the challenge to find drinking water have been compro- could be attributed to modifiable global solutions is greater than mised, conflict has increased, and environmental risks, with a dispro- ever. The COVID-19 crisis is but a extreme weather events and en- portionately high amount occurring drop in a rapidly acidifying ocean suing epidemics have killed hun- in populations in developing coun- compared to the ramifications we dreds of thousands.For one exam- tries”.3 This makes climate change will face if we fail to make use of the ple, witness the cholera outbreak a human rights issue; from a legal crucial narrowing window we have which followed Cyclone Idai in Mo- perspective, “a right to a healthy to mitigate the deleterious effects zambique in 2019. environment in various formula- of anthropogenic climate change. tions is recognized by the consti- Rising global temperatures have With the US set to withdraw from tutions of 118 nations around the expanded mosquito habitats, ex- the Paris Agreement on constrain- world”. posing more people to diseases ing global warming by 4th Novem- for which they are vectors, includ- The UN Intergovernmental Panel ber, the climate change movement ing dengue, chikungunya and zika on Climate Change recently stat- is severely under threat. in Australia. When these elements ed that humanity now has eleven Emissions reduction targets have converge, they cause ecological years left to avoid the worst effects been repeatedly missed, docu- cascade effects and co-extinc- of climate change, and tropical ments referring to climate change tions. We have also lost indefen- deforestation alone is currently redacted, environmental fines ig- sible amounts of biodiversity, with responsible for around 8% of the nored as reported by the BBC on the species extinction rate at 100- world’s annual emissions4. In order the top UK polluters recidivating, 1,000 times faster than times with- to achieve real progress on the cli- and many companies responsible out the presence of humans2. This mate crisis and to realistically pre- for unprecedented levels of de- is only going to increase, and is vent as much damage as possible struction do not even have envi- likely to precipitate the sixth mass within the tiny window we have, ronmental policy frameworks. As extinction event. there are five concrete policies a result, 250,000 people a year that progressives need to imple- Demonstrating the intersectionali- as a very conservative estimate ment.  ty of climate change, UN Environ-

4 The Urgent Need to Recognise and Record: To Extend Life, We Must Understand Death he first issue is the existence government policy on lockdowns. riously hinders the ability to under- Tof a data gap. As with any This is based on death certificates stand the scope of mortality rates problem, accurate information acknowledging COVID-19 infec- and to make informed decisions5. needs to be collated to generate tions, which enable scientists to A far more holistic approach needs applicable decisions which can track infection hotspots and an- to be taken when looking at caus- tackle it. alyse transmission trajectories. es of death, and non-biomedical However, the lack of identification causes such as climate change For example, during the pandem- of climate change as a cause (even must be not only recognised but ic, predictive modelling is contin- if indirect) on death certificates se- recorded.  uously being used to determine From Anonymity to Accountability: Identification Is Key

econdly, companies which ation. We discussed the future of demonstration of cognitive dis- Sfund projects that significant- environment policy, the future and sonance, he denied causing any ly contribute to the climate crisis, role of the UK’s DEFRA (Depart- harm and made clear that the fines and therefore to global deaths, ment for Environment, Food and were inconsequential. Rural Affairs) and global decarbon- must be legally required to iden- In terms of holding these people ac- isation efforts. I posed questions tify individuals responsible for countable, suggestions from both predominantly about how to estab- their projects which have signif- speakers were similar. Individual lish accountability for companies icantly harmed the environment people must be named and their and individuals that significantly (and consequently led to avoid- reputations put on the line when Anonymity is one of contribute to the climate crisis. able deaths). they decide to profit from ecolog- the strongest facilitators of crime, As an example, I asked about ical devastation. Just as money and the greatest defence against Crispin Odey, one of the largest launderers, thieves, drug traffick- an invisible enemy is to label it. In Conservative party donors who ers, and criminals in every category June, I chaired a discussion be- has invested more than £140m into are exposed and put on trial, those tween two key figures in the UK SLC Agricola6, one of Brazil’s most who choose to act as accelerants climate movement: Luke Pollard damaging agribusinesses that to, rather than trying to ameliorate, MP, Shadow Secretary of State has been deemed responsible for a phenomenon which has already for Food, Environment and Rural widespread deforestation of the claimed hundreds of thousands of Affairs, and Jo Blackman, Labour Amazon, despite receiving several lives must also be made known. councillor for Redbridge and Head environmental fines from nation- Their reputations need to be at of Forests Policy and Advocacy for al governments. In response, Jo stake and legal frameworks must Global Witness. Global Witness is Blackman noted the fact that when be established where infractions a high-profile international NGO Global Witness contacted Mr. Odey have clear consequences without which exposes fossil fuel funding about the fines and the destruc- loopholes.  trails and cases of illegal deforest- tion he was funding, in a textbook

The War on Wording: Reframe to Redress

“Not only can framing have an impact on how an issue is perceived but on whether and how policy is made on the issue.” - Hong Vu, Assistant Professor of Journalism at University of Kansas7

here is also a significant case temperature increases as a result a change in paradigm rapidly re- to be made for a centralised of climate change are reported as treats. T ‘hottest summer on record’, rather international political effort to A second obstacle is the deliber- than as ‘heat deaths set to rise as push back against three key el- ate dissemination of misinforma- Firstly, de- temperatures soar in global warm- ements within media. tion. Science denialism also needs structive media framing. The public ing effects’. If news outlets are not to be tackled with force. Climate isn’t going to feel a sense of crisis covering the issue with commen- change conspiracy theorists need if changing weather patterns or surate urgency, the possibility of

5 to have their platforms taken away cutable offence, so must there be one of the greatest threats to hu- and donations to them by fossil punitive measures for those who mankind. fuel companies made sanction- actively contribute to this narrative. Chris Hayes, editor for The Nation able. For example, Amazon still Finally, lack of reporting at all. tweeted “every single time we’ve sells books such as ‘The Global Some newspapers like the Guardi- covered [climate change] it’s been Warming Hoax’ by Larry Bell, and an have taken an active role in pro- a palpable ratings killer. So the in- YouTube refuses to take down vid- moting a sustainable climate agen- centives are not great”10 and yet eos by deniers such as Senator da by adding it to the campaign television has forgotten its Paul Re- James Inhofe, chair of the Senate text on every article published, vere responsibilities – it has an ob- Committee on Environment and but many outlets barely cover the ligation to air programmes that are Public Works, who received some issue whatsoever. Major American in the public interest, irrespective £2m in political fossil fuel dona- broadcast networks such as ABC, of rating performances. Users re- tions from corporations such as CBS, NBC and Fox spent just 142 sponded noting the rating quash- ExxonMobil and the Koch Brothers minutes covering climate change ing argument was the reverse of in an effort to block any substantial last year, according to the progres- that used during the 2016 US pres- government initiatives which could sive Media Matters group9. Com- idential primary campaign, when contribute to a green energy tran- parably, the pandemic has been corporate media justified gifting sition8. covered incessantly by the media Donald Trump £4.4m in free air time When denial means danger to around the globe, with live inter- because ‘it was good for ratings’11. public health and the obstruction national death tolls, constant brief- Media outlets need to be called of policy changes means deaths ings and condemnations of lock- out for avoiding the issue or for in the hundreds of thousands, not down flouters. The exigency of the pandering to pro-fossil fuel agen- to mention species extinctions, the climate crisis, and those actively das and the standard needs to be consequences for encouragement exacerbating it, needs to be cov- raised in terms of both the volume of that denial needs to reflect the ered as the emergency it is. Chal- and the quality of coverage.  gravity of its effects. Just as the lenges need to be brought against glorification of violence is a prose- justifications for lack of reporting to

Counteracting Greenwashing

ountries need to establish that it was transitioning to renewa- false advertising, including decep- Cclear sanctions to counteract ble energy when in fact, more than tive messages and leaving out im- greenwashing, whereby compa- 96 percent of its annual capital ex- portant information. Greenwashing nies disseminate disinformation penditure is still on oil and gas12. is the epitome of what this outlaws, and should be met with penali- to present an environmentally ExxonMobil has also just dismissed sation, as well as all government responsible image of themselves a shareholder proposal13 calling support for companies doing so whilst continuing environmentally for the company to disclose how it rescinded. Green claims must be destructive business as usual be- plans to align its business with the For example, independently verified for compa- hind a green veneer. Paris Agreement climate targets, British oil company BP (formerly nies to be able to make them, and going so far as to call the proposed British Petroleum) launched a mul- to receive environmental certifica- report ‘materially misleading’14. The timillion pound global advertising tion.  Consumer Protection from Unfair campaign, its largest in a decade, Trading Regulations criminalises to mislead customers into thinking

Destruction to Equal Divestment

n France, there is a law that here. The Intergovernmental Pan- can be traced to just 25 corporate if one walks past someone in el on Climate Change found that and state producing entities15. I emissions from fossil fuels are the grave danger and distress but Some of the biggest names in dominant cause of global warm- does nothing to assist them, one global finance are far more than ing, to the tune of 71% of global can be charged as if one was an accomplices; they are fully com- The prov- emissions. Over half of those emis- accomplice to a crime. plicit in environmental destruction. erb ‘The standard you walk past is sions since human induced climate Well-known companies such as the standard you accept’ applies change was officially recognised Barclays, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, 6 Santander, JP Morgan, Goldman sector must take responsibility for Thus, divestment campaigns can Sachs, and Morgan Stanley are the impact of their financing and be a potent force. The Tate Mod- funding companies which are ei- investments on forests and the ern recently severed ties after 26 ther directly or indirectly causing climate’17. Government subsidies years with BP over climate protests deforestation in some of the larg- must be pulled from environmen- and now feature climate activists in est rainforests in the world. The tally destructive companies that its exhibitions. Direct action group average person’s nest egg is more fail to meaningfully strike for a Extinction Rebellion have now set than likely to be contributing to green transition. Divestment cam- their sights on Barclays, who re- the destruction of the world’s most paigns need to target guilty banks cently invested £85 billion in fossil precious ecosystems, due to a sys- and corporations, and shareholder fuels, making it Europe’s biggest temic failure of accountability in activism needs to become the next benefactor to environmentally de- the financial system16. consumer protest. Climate action is structive companies19. Awareness no longer confined to the direction not only needs to be raised in terms At our event, Luke Pollard MP re- given by policy makers – it is now of financial institutions dodging re- marked that even parliamenta- a social movement, commanded sponsibility, but also of who the ry pension funds have shares in by both economic and ethical im- top climate criminals are, including companies involved in ecocide, peratives. Investors in fossil fuel those directly committing ecocide showing just how entangled the companies carry influence over on an international level.  investment webs are. As asserted one fifth of industrial greenhouse by Global Witness, ‘the financial gas emissions worldwide18.

7 Next Steps: Rejecting 'Business As Normal' usiness as normal just doesn't to company profits to effectively on the US to remain a signatory to cut it anymore. Corporations deter violations. A human rights the Paris Agreement, because the Binvesting in projects that ultimately charity would not allow a serial consequences if it leaves are un- kill hundreds of thousands of peo- human rights abuser to sit on their thinkable. Not just from the dam- ple and wipe out whole species is board of trustees, as it would ob- age it will cause but the danger of not normal. We need a vastly dif- viously be contradictory, inappro- other countries following suit. Clear ferent, new normal. Progressives priate and completely counterpro- frameworks for disclosure, due can take practical steps to tackle ductive. In the same vein, fossil diligence, and thresholds above the devastating consequences of fuel companies cannot be allowed which environmental sanctions the climate emergency, including a seat at the table at international apply need to be established and changing death certification to in- climate summits such as the Paris recourse to accountability must be clude climate change as a cause, Agreement any longer, as sponsor- created. and comparing death data against ship deals stymie the progress of The media must play its role by environmental data to facilitate risk environmental agendas. comprehensively covering the is- and impact assessments. The pandemic is indisputably a sues of climate change, and by ex- To establish transparency, disclo- tragedy that has brought about posing aspects such as payments sure of environment affecting pro- huge suffering, economic devasta- by multinational corporations to jects in line with the Financial Sta- tion and the destabilisation of inter- climate change deniers, and rais- bility Board’s (FSB) Taskforce for national development. However, it ing awareness of key figures per- Climate-Related Financial Disclo- may inadvertently pave the way petuating ecological destruction. sure (TCFD) or a similar framework for a schema of substantially more As economies rebuild, inviolable must be made mandatory, and sustainable living, and coronavirus conditions must be attached to specific people held responsible can in fact be a catalyst for long- government support packages, for for specific projects. Due diligence term change if we act decisively. example, as recommended by the obligations must be enacted for Young Fabians Environment Net- Now more than ever, we need to companies financing any kind of work to the 2020 Labour National reinvigorate our pursuit of the UN ecological destruction to account Policy Forum Consultation. There Sustainable Development Goals, for all risks involved, and multilat- is an increased impetus for global invest in green transitions rather eral cooperation facilitated to pe- cooperation as countries emerge than resuscitating the fossil fuel nalise countries with bases in the from the pandemic and they must industry, and maintain diplomatic countries involved which continue not waste the opportunity to act momentum to push for low carbon to significantly harm the environ- collaboratively by investing in economies. Organisations who ment. sustainable transformations. Let’s commit ecocide must be held to make a new, sustainable ‘business It is vital that definitive destruction account, individuals identified, and as usual’ where we put ourselves, thresholds over which sanctions deaths recorded accurately to re- and our planet first. apply be established, and those flect the risk climate change poses. sanctions be made proportionate International pressure must be put

8 Policy Recommendations • Changing death certification name specific people to hold forms to expunge science to include climate change responsible for projects denialists as a cause, actively looking • Increasing cooperation be- • Exposing routes of multina- to connect relevant external tween international NGOs tional corporation payment to contributory factors and national governments climate change deniers • Comparing death data through information ex- • Raising awareness of key fig- against environmental data- change and sharing of best ures funding and perpetuat- sets to facilitate risk and im- practices to tackle each coun- ing ecological destruction pact assessments try specific issue, for example in Brazil; deforestation, and in • Rescinding government sub- • A clear framework to be set the UK: runway building sidies and support for envi- out for environmental de- ronmentally destructive com- struction disclosure, similar • Quantifying and defining panies which refuse to set to Gender Pay Gap Reporting unambiguous, definitive out green transition plans. with unlimited fines (or at the thresholds of environmen- Decarbonisation commit- minimum, proportionate to tal destruction above which ments must have hard time- net company profits) if data is sanctions apply frames, e.g. net zero by 2024 not published. This data must • Facilitating multilateral coop- with recouping/proportionate be accessible to the public eration between countries financial sanctions if they fail for transparency so that con- to penalise companies with to meet those commitments. sumers may choose to divest bases in member countries or invest as they wish. This • A frequent flyers tax to be which are continuing to sig- should be in line with the Fi- established to de-incentiv- nificantly harm the environ- nancial Stability Board’s (FSB) ise the use of planes and in- ment Taskforce for Climate-related stead incentivise eco-friendly Financial Disclosure (TCFD) • Lobbying governments to in- tourism. The revenue to be crease climate related policy reinvested in sustainable ini- • Enacting mandatory due dili- content in manifestos tiatives, for example to build gence for companies financ- more charging stations for ing ecological destruction to • Ramping up financial and le- electric cars. account for all risks involved gal sanctions for violations • The prevention of the sub- • Closing loopholes which al- • Disallowing fossil fuel com- sidisation of extractive and low companies to refrain panies a seat at the table at carbon-intensive industries from disclosing plans that international climate summits by revoking the back door may significantly detrimental- such as the Paris Agreement case-by-case-basis evalua- ly impact the environment to prevent sponsorship deals tion of fracking company ap- influencing and delaying en- • Establishing clear individual plications and reinstating the vironmental agendas accountability by making it blanket ban. mandatory for companies to • Pressuring social media plat-

9 References/Bibliography

1. Experts Warn Climate Change Is Already Killing 7. Hong Vu, How media around the world frame Climate Risk https://www.climateliabilitynews. Way More People Than We Record: https:// climate change news, https://www.sciencedaily. org/2020/01/29/exxon-shareholder-request-cli- www.sciencealert.com/official-death-records- com/releases/2019/08/190813130431.htm, mate-chevron/, Sept 2019 are-terrible-at-showing-how-many-people-are- August 13, 2019 dying-from-the-climate-crisis Carly Casella,, 25 14. Heather Iqbal, Ed Davey, Revealed: Major banks May 2020 8. Simon Bower, Climate-sceptic US senator given and investors including Barclays, JPMorgan funds by BP political action committee https:// Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, 2. The Human Cost of Anthropogenic Glob- www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/22/ Blackrock are pouring money into global al Warming: Semi-Quantitative Prediction climate-sceptic-us-politician-jim-inhofe-bp-politi- destruction https://www.globalwitness.org/ and the 1,000-Tonne Rule, Richard Parncutt cal-action-committee, 22 March 2015 en/press-releases/revealed-major-banks-and- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ investors-including-barclays-jpmorgan-chase- fpsyg.2019.02323/full, Front. Psychol., 16 Octo- 9. Emily Holden, The media is failing on climate goldman-sachs-morgan-stanley-blackrock-are- ber 2019 change – here's how they can do better ahead pouring-money-global-forest-destruction/, Sept of 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/envi- 23, 2019 3. ibid. ronment/2019/apr/30/what-will-it-take-for-the- media-to-focus-on-climate-change-in-the-2020- 15. Ibid. 4. S. Kravchenko. 2007. Right to carbon or right to elections Tues 30th April 2019 life: human rights approaches to climate change. 16. Climate Liability News, 2019 Vt. J. Environ. Law 9, 513–54 10. ibid. 17. Climate Liability News, 2019 5. The Lancet Planetary Health, Heat Mortality 11. Mark Hertsgaard, Kyle Pope, The media are Report https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ complacent while the world burns: https://www. 18. Dr Paul Griffin, Carbon Majors Report, CDP & lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(20)30100-5/fulltext cjr.org/special_report/climate-change-media.php Climate Accountability Institute: https://www. Thomas Longden, Simon Quilty, Philip Haywood, April 22, 2019 cdp.net/en/articles/media/new-report-shows- Arnagretta Hunter, Russell Gruen just-100-companies-are-source-of-over-70-of- 12. Sandra Laville, Lawyers lodge complaint over emissions 6. Fiona Harvey, Tory donor Crispin Odey invest- BP's 'misleading' ad campaign: https://www. ed in firm linked to Amazon deforestation, theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/04/activ- 19. Bank Track, Fossil Banks: https://www.banktrack. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/ ists-call-for-bp-adverts-to-carry-climate-damage- org/download/annual_general_meeting_share- mar/03/tory-donor-crispin-odey-invest- warning, 4 Dec 2019 holder_briefing_barclays/barclays_digital. ed-in-firm-linked-to-amazon-deforestation, 03 pdf#:~:text=Since%20the%20Paris%20Agree- March 2020 13. Climate Liability News, Exxon, Chevron, Chase ment%20was,environment%20and%20warm- Reject Shareholder Requests to Address ing%20the%20climate.

Author and Co-Editor Cecilia Jastrzembska, Climate Change: International Accountability and Multilateral Reform Fabian Involvement: Event Officer, Young Fabians Environment Network. She also writes for the Tech Net- work Pamphlet and is an organiser for the International Policy Group Committee. Bio: Cecilia is a Parliamentary Policy Advisor, former leader of two international NGO outreach programmes and founder of public speaking coaching network We Speak International. Her work on algorithmic bias in AI was shortlisted for the Outstanding Contribution to Tech Regulation Award by Cog X, global tech and AI leadership summit. She is part of the 50:50 Parliament Ambassador Programme. She has written for the Oxford Political Review, Antics Magazine and this piece has been published by the think tank Policy Network.

10 IMPROVING EDUCATION & TRANSPARENCY AROUND THE CLIMATE CRISIS THE NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION TO TACKLE DISINFORMATION AND SHAPE A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL NARRATIVE By Laura Cunliffe-Hall, Co-Editor The climate crisis is the defining issue of our time - an enormous challenge threatening the future of our planet. We face the fight of our lives to solve environmental degradation and climate breakdown before it is too late.

020 has been a year of turbu- we need to ensure increased trans- effectively in schools across the lence. School climate strikes, parency and the delivery of strong- world from a young age. Subse- 2devastating wildfires across Aus- er education around the climate quently, we will need to utilise so- tralia, the COVID-19 pandemic and crisis. This education needs to be cial media, technology and sophis- the #BlackLivesMatter movement focused on the intersectionality of ticated contemporary methods of have exposed the inequalities and the issues that mean the crisis we communication to tell a more nu- dissonance across the globe that are facing will hit women, people anced story about climate change prove our previous political, envi- of colour and poorer communities and why immediate action is neces- ronmental, cultural and social sys- the hardest. sary. Finally, we will need to create tems were not fit for purpose. concrete routes to accountability One of the most valuable tools in for both each other and politicians We need a more egalitarian future, the fight against climate change on addressing the significance of with an international commitment is education. First and foremost, climate as an issue that can engen- to tackling both climate and racial we need to introduce education- der clearer education in the future justice, as you cannot achieve one al reform to ensure environmental and a long term-shift in attitudes without the other. In order to do so, issues are taught and articulated towards the climate crisis.  Climate in the Classroom: Educational Reforms

n effective, comprehen- such as the UK Student Climate ues. Instead, rather than focusing Asive programme of public Network and their campaign Teach on the past, children need to be education around the climate the Future UK are student-led1, taught about how they can posi- emergency is essential to tackle seeking to reorient the education tively influence the future. Com- disinformation and promote un- system around the climate emer- pulsory climate emergency classes derstanding of the shared role gency, with equivalent organisa- need to be introduced – teach- we all have to play in tackling this tions such as the Sunrise Move- ing us about how the crisis came global issue. This needs to begin ment in the US and Fridays for about, its impact and most impor- in schools. Future Uganda, similarly working tantly, how this can be mitigated to raise awareness of the climate through high-impact measures Young people are key political ac- crisis and demand action. like living car-free and reducing air tors in the fight against the climate travel. It is the collective responsi- crisis. Already, the younger gener- To help these young people of the bility of international governments ation has shown incredible lead- future across the world, the educa- to work together to transmit this ership on climate as an issue, with tion system needs to reflect what knowledge effectively. Summits Greta Thunberg’s school strikes in- they have been telling us: we must such as COP26 must be used as stigating a world-wide movement take climate more seriously. For springboards for change, where where young people have held too long, education has been fo- governments can utilise interna- older generations to account and cused on the insular – each nation tional collaboration to improve confronted them with the reality describes its own version of history how children are taught about the of the climate crisis. Organisations and inscribes a specific set of val- environment.  11 Biodiversity, Flooding & Food Systems: Understanding the Planet

ncreased education around both these issues in the first place. We our in poorer communities, who Ibiodiversity and food is funda- can’t repeat the mistakes of the are the least likely to benefit from mental. As UNESCO states2, the past. We need to work towards a the appropriate resources to tack- loss of biodiversity is humanity's better future by being open about le environmental impacts on their main battleground for sustain- the errors that have led to the cli- lives. To cite the US as an exam- ability, alongside the challenge mate crisis; this will allow us to ple, more than half of the 9 mil- of climate change. More detailed move forward in the most efficient lion people living near hazardous education around biodiversity is way. waste sites are people of colour5, therefore required. This should with black Americans three times Food systems, and the people who highlight the importance of the more likely to die from exposure to depend on them, are profound- need for biodiversity net gain, air pollutants than their white coun- ly threatened by climate change.4 leading to a long-term international terparts. This is unacceptable, and Improved and more holistic ed- commitment to protecting biodi- education is key to raising aware- ucation around food will encour- versity in different countries and ness of the need to redress these age students to experience and will also illustrate the intimate con- drastic inequalities. understand how nature sustains nection between biodiversity and life, through lessons around re- Our collective responsibility for the cultural diversity3. sponsible production, farming, environment needs to be placed Moreover, as floods, droughts, waste management and food sup- at the heart of international educa- wildfires and similar natural dis- ply chain systems. International tional curriculums. This will ensure asters continue to cause devasta- governments need to work with that the climate crisis will remain tion as the climate crisis worsens, community and volunteer groups, at the forefront in the minds of the increased education is needed schools and other youth services next generation, rather than the af- on the adaptability and resilience to reposition how environmental terthought it has been viewed as required to combat these issues. impacts are taught. all too often by previous genera- Education is also necessary to pre- tions. Education on climate issues We need to teach that we cannot vent the continuation of negative can’t just exist; it needs to be pro- talk about environmental issues behaviours, such as the reckless portionate, regularly updated and without environmental justice. Cur- extraction of natural resources above all, intersectional.  rently the people most likely to be through the felling of trees and impacted by climate change are building on flood plains, that led to disproportionately people of col-

12 Access to Educational Resources on Climate

OP26 is an important zeit- • Marine Conservation Society: https://www.mcsuk.org/coolseas/ geist; to ensure further trans- C • NASA Global Climate Change: https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/ parency around climate, countries education/ need to work together to build a consensus on climate education • Oxfam Climate Challenge: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/ for the future of the planet. resources/stories-of-climate-change A series of useful resources and in- • UC Climate Change Learning Partnership: https://www.uncclearn. itiatives around climate education org/learning-resources/integrating-climate-change-education- are provided here. These resourc- primary-and-secondary-level-interactive es need to be added to mainstream • World Wildlife Foundation (WWF): https://www.wwf.org.uk/get curriculums and disseminated involved/schools/resources/climate-change-resources more widely following international agreement on the best forms of community education at COP26:

Communicating with Clarity: Managing the Media ducation is vital to increase media also has a vital role to play mate and creating a conversation Etransparency around the cli- in communicating the truth about that brings people into the envi- mate crisis and to prevent ‘fake the climate crisis. ronmental movement. We need to expand the reach of these and news’ filling international air- As it has become increasingly evi- An ongoing similarity be- make them mean more to more waves. dent that the adverse climate con- tween the COVID-19 pandemic people. Targeted funding pots for ditions humans have both created and the climate crisis has been the improved communications and and exacerbated could lead to fur- disinformation surrounding both, graphics would enhance the reach ther pandemics, now more than distorting messaging and making it of these campaigns and massively ever is the time to do things differ- harder to tackle the issues that mat- increase their effectiveness. The ently and create a clear and easily ter. Rumours circulating that drink- facts about the dangers to our digestible narrative around climate ing bleach can cure the virus and planet are out there – we need to change. Through modern tech- that global warming is part of the make people take notice of them. nology, we have access to more Earth’s ‘naturally occurring’ climate The lack of media reporting, or de- information than ever before. Nev- cycles are more than ill-informed structively framed media reporting, ertheless, governments need to – their potential to reach vulnera- around the climate crisis means work in tandem with social media ble audiences is dangerous. Media that the reality of what is happen- networks, corporations and envi- publications such as the Daily Mail ing to our planet is not connecting ronmental activists to disseminate and Mail on Sunday continue to with enough people with enough the right messages that communi- perpetuate false studies and rheto- impact. Ultimately, only through cate the reality of the climate crisis ric around a ‘hiatus’ in global warm- telling a more compelling story and provide tangible ways of how ing6, whereas The Guardian and around the climate emergency on people can play their part to help. Al Jazeera are reporting the facts a global scale, can we reach a wid- around the crisis and have dedicat- Thus far, initiatives like #WorldEn- er audience and impress the scale ed environment-specific coverage. vironmentDay and #Internation- of this issue to a greater number of This needs to be the norm in media alDayofBiodiversity play a crucial the world’s population.  rather than the exception. Social role in drawing attention to cli-

13 Shifting Attitudes: Talking About Climate Issues Outside of Established Circles

inally, it is important that indi- ation7, we can ensure that we hold management. Sometimes even the Fviduals and green campaigns, both each other, as well as the biggest problems can be tackled charities, organisations and polit- powerful (governments and major by something as simple as a con- ical parties step outside of their corporations such as Amazon and versation. Google), to account to recognise comfort zone when talking about If the following policy recommen- We cannot be preaching our role as social actors living in climate. dations, outlined in detail below, to the converted; more people the climate crisis. In doing so, we were adopted at COP26, we can need to challenge poorly formed can use our voices to force others create a more sustainable future beliefs and continue to hold envi- to take action. By coming out of our where we are transparent with ronmentally damaging behaviours silos, we can shape and influence ourselves and the next generation and opinions to account. more environmentally focused about the scale of the climate chal- policies, such as those promoting Humans are social animals – by lenge facing us.  conservation and improved land taking social factors into consider-

ow is the time for interna- the environment and commit to fecting change requires hard work Ntional collaboration to deliv- challenging others and stepping and a commitment to changing er global leadership that takes a outside of leftist echo chambers. previously accepted behaviours and narratives about climate. A serious and long-term approach Subsequently, we can use this in- Ed- shared international commitment to tackling the climate crisis. creased personal accountability to ucation and communication need to facing and telling the truth about demand further accountability from to be at the heart of this, trans- the climate crisis needs to start governments, businesses and the forming the way future generations now for us to stand a chance of media. If this accountability and are taught about climate and how passing the environment on to the scrutiny is continually applied, it current societies view the crisis. next generation in a better state will lead to policy development We need to act decisively now, than we found it.  and mitigation measures that can encouraging active learning about restore and protect the planet. Ef- Policy Recommendations • Compulsory climate emer- • Intersectional climate-crisis • Co-ordinating messaging gency education classes material added to curricu- to clearly communicate the lums which focus on environ- scale of the climate emer- • Improved education around mental and racial justice gency biodiversity and the need for biodiversity net gain, includ- • Consensus on educational • Increased funding for promo- ing providing further access environmental resources and tional initiatives celebrating to nature wider dissemination of these the planet such as #WorldEn- resources vironmentDay and #Interna- • Increased education about tionalDayofBiodiversity food, including responsible • Pressuring media and social production, farming, waste media organisations to pre- • Raising awareness of the management and food sup- vent the promotion of studies climate crisis through in- ply chain systems and theorists denying the ex- creased publicity and profile istence of the climate crisis for green-friendly policies.

14 References/Bibliography

1. Judith Burns. 2020. “Climate change: Schools org/ark:/48223/pf0000213313 6. Bob Ward. 2018. “‘The Mail on Sunday’ admits failing us, say pupils.” BBC News. https://www. publishing more fake news about climate bbc.co.uk/news/education-51492942 4. Ulrich Hoffman. Trade and Environment Review change.” London School of Economics. http:// 2013: Wake Up before It's Too Late. 2013. www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/news/the-mail- 2. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul- United Nations Conference on Trade and Devel- on-sunday-admits-publishing-more-fake-news- tural Organisation (UNESCO). 2020. “Biodiversi- opment. p. 20. about-climate-change/ ty and Education.” UNESCO. http://www.unesco. org/new/en/natural-sciences/special-themes/ 5. Zoë Schlanger. 2017. "Race Is The Biggest 7. D. Kahan, E. Peters, M. Wittlin et al. 2012. biodiversity/biodiversity-education/ Indicator In The US Of Whether You Live Near A “The polarizing impact of science literacy and Toxic Waste Site". Quartz. https://qz.com/939612/ numeracy on perceived climate change risks.” 3. UNESCO Biodiversity Initiative. 2011. “UNESCO race-is-the-biggest-indicator-in-the-us-of-wheth- Nature Climate Change 2. p 732–735. https:// - Why has UNESCO launched a Biodiversity er-you-live-near-toxic-waste/ doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1547 Initiative.” UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.

Author and Co-Editor: Laura Cunliffe-Hall, Improving Education & Transparency Around the Climate Crisis Fabian Involvement: Communications Officer, Young Fabians Environment Network Committee Bio: Laura works for a communications consultancy, specialising in stakeholder engagement and public affairs. Laura is a longstanding advocate for climate justice, social mobility and educational outreach.

15 THE UNITED NATIONS SHOULD COMMIT TO 1.5ºC

By Amy Dwyer he UN COP Summit has been tra 0.5oC increase in global warm- ble impact on various habitats and Tpostponed until November ing would expose poverty-stricken ecosystems2. It is estimated that at 2021, but this does not mean communities in Africa and Asia to 2oC we would lose 18% of insects, that we can afford to put climate even scarcer resources across en- 16% of plants and 8% of verte- change mitigation on hold until ergy, food and water sectors2. brates, compared to 6% of insects, 8% of plants and just 4% of verte- then. If we are to prevent further It is widely acknowledged that the brates at 1.5oC warming2. Various climate change and limit a rise in probability of an ice-free Arctic o news outlets have reported that the earth’s temperature to 1.5 C, Ocean is substantially increased if effective action does not take then we need committed and con- with a 2oC temperature increase, place, climate change may cause sistent action from every country. which has potentially catastroph- This means that we cannot base up to one in three species of plants ic consequences for low-lying is- climate change commitments off and animals to become extinct4. land states2. Several island nations political agreements, and they have already declared a climate Alongside this, it is seen that wa- must be science-backed. crisis at the Pacific Island Devel- ter scarcity would increase signifi- The Report from the Intergovern- opment Forum (PIDF) Summit and cantly if temperatures rose by 2oC, mental Panel on Climate Change it has been estimated that around which could easily further inflame established that an additional in- 1.7 million people could be dis- tensions in areas where access crease of just 0.5oC creates con- placed in this region by 20503. This to water is already scarce. There siderable damage to our global demonstrates the importance of is the strong potential for several ecosystem1. This is the logic behind restricting our emissions as much hundred million people to be less targets being set at 1.5oC and not as possible and highlights why we susceptible to poverty and cli- 2oC. Although this damage might should not take an easier approach mate-related risks if we are able to not be felt to the same extent by at 2oC, which would cause sea lev- stick to this target. Given that clean every country, it is imperative for els to rise by 0.1m more than at water, no poverty, zero hunger the international community to 1.5oC2. Understandably, this could and climate action are three of the work together on this issue. It is es- be fatal for those low-lying nations UN’s 17 Sustainable Development timated that limiting global warm- and highlights the need for political Goals, these need to be put above ing to 1.5oC rather than 2oC would commitments to be based on sci- any political alliance and ensure limit global flooding and tropical ence. that any targets and agreement are cyclones, which are seen to be based solely on science.  The risk of extinction of a variety much more commonplace if we of species are also much higher at choose to set limits at 2oC2. Addi- 2oC due to the resulting considera- tionally, the Panel found that an ex-

1.5oC Increases the Chance That Humanity Can Retain Control

n addition, if the UN sets the tar- this. An extra 0.5oC would create comes even warmer6. This is clear- Iget at 2oC this would significant- significantly more melted ice and ly a dangerous situation, which ly increase the risk of negative cli- therefore even higher sea levels. needs to be avoided if at all possi- mate feedback loops, compared This, in turn, results in darker wa- ble. The best way for the UN to en- to 1.5oC. As the world warms, ter in these regions, as opposed to sure this is avoided is to set a clear global ice caps melt which cre- reflective ice. Darker water will ab- roadmap to a 1.5oC maximum rise ates problems for the ecosystems sorb more heat and therefore en- in temperature, not 2oC. of the North and South Poles but sure that the ocean water here is A similar feedback loop is seen also the communities within the warmer5. Therefore, this creates a through permafrost melting, which Arctic Circle. Sea levels rising have loop; targets at 2oC means warmer is releasing methane into the at- a wide impact across the world, oceans and so warmer ice, which mosphere. Methane has a signifi- but it is the low-lying island na- then creates a situation where the cant impact on climate change as it tions that will be most affected by ocean absorbs more heat and be- produces 21 times as much global 16 7 warming as CO2 . If the UN set tar- these targets, as it is not impacted man responsibility of global warm- gets at 2oC, more permafrost would by past emissions and only new ing. As a result of these factors our melt and more methane would be levels of emissions2. While reach- task of mitigating climate change released into the atmosphere, thus ing and sticking to these targets is daunting and requires serious worsening climate change consid- will still require significant meas- and fundamental shifts in the way erably. As a result, reducing the ures, this arguably puts states on we approach the issue. Tackling amount of methane in our atmos- a more level playing field. A glob- climate change should be hard, if phere needs to be a central priori- al transformation is required by all it is not then we are not doing it ty, which further supports the need states to prioritise climate change properly. It will demand significant for climate change mitigation to be action to meet these targets, that is changes to our current lifestyles, set at 1.5oC. unquestionable. but it needs to be a change that all states accept and push for. It is Furthermore, the level of 1.5oC as a However, it is clear that the glob- their responsibility to do so, to en- target has been established, as it is al community has historically been sure the environment is protected believed that past emissions alone incredibly inactive on climate for future generations.  are unlikely to raise global temper- change, partially due to several atures to this level. This means that leaders around the world who con- states should be able to commit to tinue to deny the existence and hu-

We Must Act on the 2015 Paris Agreement

n order to achieve the target of continued effort towards these tar- where there seems to be a reason- 1.5oC warming, the UN notes gets10. ably broad consensus, albeit with I some important challenges, that that greenhouse gas emissions Since 2015 there has been some climate change needs to be prior- need to be halved by 2030 and hit backpedalling on the Paris Agree- 8 This itised. This offers a unique scope net zero emissions by 2050 . ment from various countries, includ- was introduced in the Paris Agree- to establish science-based goals ing the United States11. Inevitably, ment in 2015, which was signed and it is a situation that must be this creates significant problems by 175 countries9. Nonetheless, it taken advantage of. If we stick to for the global effort to address the is important that countries do not them, then science-based targets issue. There can be no room for see the signing of this agreement are clearly the most effective way omissions in the international are- in itself, as an effort towards meet- to mitigate climate change across na for states to deny or neglect the ing this target. These targets will the world, whilst also ensuring that issue of climate change. It is there- be challenging, they need to be, countries are unlikely to be alien- fore incredibly important for other and so it is important that they are ated due to the apolitical nature of states to challenge this opposition followed through with equally de- these targets. and potentially introduce sanctions manding action. The inclusion of for lack of action towards the Paris The science tells us that the inter- updates every five years should Agreement targets. national community is not doing hopefully increase transparency enough to tackle climate change and ensure that countries do make We have an opportunity at present, and while national governments 17 may prefer to claim that they are, serves to demonstrate the serious- rise in global warming that is con- the scientific evidence is clear. ness of the issue and is the only doned. More measures should be If national governments were to way to guarantee that states are established to ensure that carbon choose the targets that were set, working towards measures that emissions do peak by 2030 and it is likely that they would be much will be able to stop climate change. that all states that have signed the more achievable. But this is not Agreement are completely carbon The UN needs to rise to the chal- what we need. These targets are neutral by 2050, with policies im- lenge of ensuring that the commit- based on what is just within our plemented to deter states from ments made in the Paris Agree- reach, if we fully commit to the failing to meet the targets that they ment are upheld. A rise of 1.5oC cause. This is not scientists being agree to.  should be the absolute maximum unrealistic and naïve but instead References/Bibliography 1. UN Global Compact. 2019. "Business Ambition cost the world millions of dollars.” National Ge- sciencebasedtargets.org/business-ambition- For 1.5°C | UN Global Compact". UNglobalcom- ographic. lhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/ for-1-5c/ pact.Org. https://www.unglobalcompact.org/ environment/2019/04/arctic-climate-change- take-action/events/climate-action-summit-2019/ feedback-loops-cost-trillions/ 9. UN Sustainable Development. 2016. "Paris business-ambition Agreement Signing Ceremony - 22 April 2016". 6. The Climate Reality Project. 2020. “How UN Sustainable Development. https://www. 2. IPCC. 2020. "Global Warming Of 1.5 ºCp: Special Feedback Loops are making the Climate Crisis un.org/sustainabledevelopment/parisagreemen- Report". IPCC. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ worse.” The Climate Reality Project. https://clima- t22april/ terealityproject.org/blog/how-feedback-loops- 3. Joe McCarthy. 2019. "Pacific Island Nations are-making-climate-crisis-worse 10. UN Climate Change. 2018. “What is the Paris Declare Climate Crisis, Ask For Support". Global Agreement.” UN Climate Change. https://unfccc. Citizen. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/con- 7. BBC. 2020. “Climate Change from the BBC int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/ tent/pacific-island-nations-climate-crisis/ Weather Centre: Methane.” BBC. http://www.bbc. what-is-the-paris-agreement co.uk/climate/evidence/methane.shtml#:~:tex- 4. Allen Kim. 2020. "Climate Change May Doom t=Contact%20Us-Methane,as%20much%20 11. Carbon Trust. 2018. “Why do we need sci- 1 In Every 3 Species Of Plants And Animals In warming%20as%20CO2.&text=Methane%20 ence-based targets on climate change.” Carbon The Next 50 Years". CNN. https://edition.cnn. remains%20in%20the%20atmosphere,than%20 Trust. https://www.carbontrust.com/news-and- com/2020/02/21/weather/species-extinction-cli- most%20other%20greenhouse%20gases. events/insights/why-do-we-need-science-based- mate-trnd/index.html targets-on-climate-change 8. Science Based Targets. 2020. “Business Ambi- 5. Stephen Leahy. 2019. “A warming Arctic could tion for 1.5°C.” Science Based Targets. https://

Author: Amy Dwyer, The United Nations Should Commit to 1.5ºC Fabian Involvement: Amy is the Women’s Officer for the North West Young Fabians. Bio: Amy is currently studying for a Masters degree in Politics and is a campaign ambassador for 50:50 Par- liament, an organisation which liaises with multiple political parties to work towards a gender balanced and inclusive Parliament.

18 STRENGTHENING SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BODIES & COMMUNICATION TO PUT COP26 BACK ON TRACK

By Holly Smith ffective and trustworthy sci- namics of denying, misconstru- gy Minister Claire Perry O’Neill hit Eence communication has been ing, or downplaying scientific ev- out at Boris Johnson, claiming he more crucial than ever in the last idence. Although the general rate told her he "doesn't really under- few months. Earlier in the corona- of climate denial in the UK is low stand" climate change, adding: "He virus crisis, the World Economic and falling4, the Government is still doesn't really get it, is what he said, Forum warned that misinformation routinely criticised for downplaying but others around him do."6. would contribute to panic and dis- the severity of the oncoming crisis Science communication and use of trust, harming the public health re- and failing to respond with the am- science in policy is a complex is- sponse to the crisis1. bition and urgency required. sue, with more potential solutions Similarly, we have seen certain For example, the IPPR thinktank and pitfalls than this article has governments grappling with how recently revealed that the Govern- space to cover. I have selected two to interpret and apply complex and ment’s recent £2bn investment in areas where the Government and fluid science in their coronavirus decarbonising homes offers just other organisations could act fair- responses, leading to inconsisten- one-third of the action needed to ly quickly, and which could have a cy across nations, for example over be on track for net zero-carbon by significant impact on the success how far apart people need to be 2050, and its plans to install heat or otherwise of COP26. This arti- to ‘social distance’2. Perhaps most pumps will deliver less than 2% of cle will make the case for strength- sinister has been the attempts by the number required5. ening the Government’s climate Donald Trump and others to deny change advisory body and climate There is cause for concern about and “distort scientific facts”, ac- education, to help get COP26 back this Government’s understanding cording to the editor-in-chief of the on track by better embedding sci- and appreciation of the severity leading journal Science3. entific communication and under- of the climate emergency in terms standing in policy.  Those of us involved in campaigns of their approach to COP26. After to tackle the climate emergency her sacking as President of the are all too familiar with these dy- COP26, former Climate and Ener- Strengthening the Committee on Climate Change irst, the Committee on Climate • Conducting independent anal- both a feasible and ambitious tar- FChange (CCC) should have its ysis into climate change sci- get for emissions reduction, its powers and remit strengthened. ence, economics, and policy recommendation to aim for net zero-carbon by 2050 was adopted The CCC was established by the • Engaging with a wide range of into legislation8. Although many last Labour Government under organisations and individuals Its campaigners would argue this is the Climate Change Act 2008. to share evidence and analysis principle role is to advise the UK not a sufficiently ambitious target, Government on tackling and pre- Although the Chair and Board it is nonetheless a success for the paring for climate change which, Members are appointed by gov- CCC that it was adopted by the according to its website, includes ernment, the CCC is operation- government. the following four priorities7: ally independent, meaning that, However, as referenced earlier in although the government can ask • Providing independent advice this piece, the government is way it to investigate certain topics, on setting and meeting carbon off track in meeting its own target. the recommendations produced budgets and preparing for cli- The CCC can call this out, in the should be independent of govern- mate change media and in its regular reports to ment influence. The CCC has had Parliament on carbon emissions, it • Monitoring progress in reduc- some major policy successes via has no tangible power to hold the ing emissions and achieving its ‘soft power’ influencing. For ex- government to account. This al- carbon budgets and targets ample, when it was asked by the lows Ministers to repeat the state- Government to assess what was 19 ment that they have adopted net the goals and outcomes of the and take action against companies zero by 2050 into law despite a summit – using science to guide failing to reduce their emissions in relative lack of action. policy. line with Government agreements. Another criticism of the COP sys- The CCC could be hugely influ- Furthermore, we know that one of tem is that it fails to address emis- ential at COP26, but only with ad- the downfalls of the Paris Climate sions by corporate entities: the ditional powers and the remit to Agreement is the lack of account- Climate Accountability Institute re- hold the government to account ability for governments failing to ports that 63 percent of the carbon on delivery. The delay to COP26 meet the requirements contained dioxide and methane emitted in the could be an opportunity for the within it9. Within the UK, the CCC last 250 years is attributable to just CCC to investigate and report on could provide the necessary ac- 90 companies, including Chevron, their recommendations for actions countability, by assessing and Peabody and Shell10. International at COP26, well in advance of the challenging Government decisions agreements that fail to address this timetable setting process. A gov- according to whether they meet proportion of emissions are only ernment serious about listening to the latest climate agreements. tackling half the problem.  scientific expertise would then use A more powerful CCC could also these recommendations to guide be given the remit to investigate Education is Critical to Tackling Fake News & Understanding Science

ooking forward to COP26 and Department for Education working The UK does not appear to have a Lbeyond, we need to embed ac- with schools and campaign groups significant problem with explicit cli- curate and proportionate under- to develop resources for teachers mate change denial. However, our standing of the climate emergen- to use with their classes. politics and culture suffer from the threat and severity of the climate cy into our education and culture. Climate education can also help emergency being downplayed and According to UNESCO: to tackle the spread of ‘fake news’, underestimated, which contributes but social media companies should to a lack of ambitious Government also have an obligation to tackle Education is an essential element action. In order for COP26 to be climate fake news on their plat- of the global response to climate successful at agreeing ambitious forms. Some progress has been change. It helps young people goals and seeing these realised made, for example with Twitter understand and address the im- in the years to come, the Govern- now tagging content as ‘mislead- pact of global warming, encour- ment’s climate change advisers ing’ where appropriate. In the ab- ages changes in their attitudes need to have a far more power- sence of Government regulation, and behaviour and helps them ful role in setting the agenda and companies have taken to boycott- adapt to climate change-related holding them accountable for de- ing Facebook for its failure to re- trends.11 livery. We also need far greater move hate speech12, which could climate change education in the also prove an effective tactic to curriculum, as well as balanced, ac- force Facebook and others to take In the lead up to COP26, effec- curate reporting across the media. action over fake news. tive climate change education This should help the government and media communication could Finally, media organisations should and the public alike recognise the help build a national consensus take responsibility for effective- climate emergency as the most on the need for the summit to end ly reporting on the climate emer- significant existential threat we with ambitious and legally bind- gency. The Guardian has provided face.  ing emissions reductions commit- leadership in this area, by setting ments. If the climate strike move- out a series of ‘climate pledges’ in ment has taught us anything, it is late 201913. These pledges include that children and young people are using language that reflects the engaged and mobilised to take ac- severity of the crisis and reporting tion on the climate crisis. COP26 on how climate collapse is already is an opportunity for children and affecting people worldwide. These young people, particularly in Glas- pledges help to make the climate gow but also across the country, emergency a tangible, immediate to get involved with the summit, in issue for readers, and should be the process learning about interna- adopted widely by media compa- tional cooperation, climate change nies. and the UN. I would like to see the 20 References/Bibliography 1. World Economic Forum. 2020. “Accurate 5. Jonathan Webb, Joshua Emden, and Luke Tamas, Arthur Dahl, Marie Harder, and Graham science communication is key in the fight Murphy. 2020. “All hands to the pump: A home Hassall. 2018. “Entry into force and then? The against COVID-19.” WEF COVID Action Platform. improvement plan for England.” IPPR. https:// Paris agreement and state accountability.” https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/sci- www.ippr.org/research/publications/all-hands- Climate Policy 18 (5). p 593-599. ence-communication-covid-coronavirus/. to-the-pump. 10. Climate Accountability Institute. 2019. “Carbon 2. The Economist. 2020. “The science behind 6. Stephanie Cockroft. 2020. “Sacked UN summit Majors.” Climate Accountability Institute. https:// social-distancing measures.” The Economist chief Claire Perry O'Neill in scathing attack on climateaccountability.org/carbonmajors.html Explains. https://www.economist.com/the-econ- Boris Johnson over climate change.” Evening omist-explains/2020/06/20/the-science-be- Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/pol- 11. UNESCO. 2020. “Climate Change Education.” hind-social-distancing-measures. itics/claire-oneill-sacked-boris-johnson-climate- UNESCO. https://en.unesco.org/themes/educa- change-letter-a4352776.html. tion-sustainable-development/cce 3. James Crump. 2020. “Coronavirus: Scientific journal slams Trump and says he is in 'denial'.” 7. Committee on Climate Change. 2020. “Our 12. Alex Hern. 2020. “Third of advertisers may The Independent. https://www.independent. Role.” Committee on Climate Change. https:// boycott Facebook in hate speech revolt.” The co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/corona- www.theccc.org.uk/about Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technol- virus-us-trump-science-journal-covid-19-death- ogy/2020/jun/30/third-of-advertisers-may-boy- rates-a9396026.html. 8. Committee on Climate Change. 2019. “Net cott-facebook-in-hate-speech-revolt Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global 4. Oliver Milman and Fiona Harvey. 2019. “US is warming.” Committee on Climate Change. 13. The Guardian. 2019. “The Guardian's Environ- hotbed of climate change denial, major global https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/net-zero- mental Pledge.” The Guardian. https://www.the- survey finds.” The Guardian. https://www.the- the-uks-contribution-to-stopping-global-warm- guardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/ guardian.com/environment/2019/may/07/us-hot- ing/ oct/16/the-guardians-climate-pledge-2019. bed-climate-change-denial-international-poll. 9. Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen, Maya Groff, Peter

Author: Holly Smith, Strengthening Scientific Advisory Bodies & Communication to Put COP26 Back on Track Fabian Involvement: Young Fabians Environment Network Committee Bio: Holly is an environmental policy researcher, currently working for the London Assembly Labour Group and about to embark on a law conversion course. Her main interests in environment campaigning are reducing air pollution and promoting sustainable housing.

21 FAIRLY ASSIGNING RESPONSIBILITY BASED ON HISTORICAL IMPACT

By Alexander Naile

ext year, when COP26 final- allocate responsibility based on lion and so their per capita impact Nly happens, the world’s dip- current or historical emissions or is much lower, on top of the fact that lomats and leaders will be faced do we allocate it by the production they’ve only industrialised within with the same question that faces of goods, or by the consumption of living memory. China’s industriali- any attempt at large-scale co-op- those goods? sation only really began in 1953, at a time when much of Western Eu- eration. China is the world’s largest produc- rope and the US had been indus- ‘Whose responsibility is it?’ er of greenhouse gas emissions, trialised for generations. They’ve at approximately 27%, so there’s Even aside from quibbles on the been emitting tonnes since 1953, a clear argument that they should importance of various elements, but that’s nearly 200 years later shoulder a significant share of the there are two straightforward is- than the beginning of Britain’s con- responsibility1.This seems fair but sues that need addressing: Do we tributions.  China has a population of 1.393 bil- Historical Emissions Centre Around the North Atlantic

ince records began one quar- surprising countries like Belgium, ample of industrialised states was ter of all CO that has been Estonia and Czechia, small but in- in fact deliberate colonial policy to S 2 emitted has been by the USA, and dustrialised European countries, maintain export markets for manu- 22% by the EU (including Britain’s as well as the resource rich but facturers. sparsely populated steppe and 5.8%, even if our inclusion is a The legacy of our dirty industrialis- tundra of Kazakhstan, Russia and touchy data point), compared to ing past is still in the atmosphere, 2 Given that China has Canada. The US does, however, China’s 13% . still causing just as much harm as over four times the population of take the bronze medal in this ig- it did last year, and the year before the US and around three times that nominious competition, almost as that, for decades and centuries. If of the EU, the per capita emissions historically dirty as us3. That’s a we are to take genuine responsibil- are even more starkly centred very literal almost, a single tonne ity for our contributions to climate around the North Atlantic. While it’s per capita, while a hundred tonnes change, we will need to take this not quite so simple as every mol- above fourth place Belgium3. multiplier effect into considera- ecule of CO having been in the 2 So, with five of the (formerly) G8 in tion. 5.8% of historical emissions atmosphere since it was emitted, it the top 10 for historical emissions are British, and a lot of those are is self-evident that a tonne that has per capita, political expediency among the oldest industrial emis- been circulating for a century has would point away from using it as sions worldwide3. So, at the very trapped more heat than a tonne a metric for judging who should least, we should be shouldering that has only just billowed from a bear the costs of what needs to 5.8% of the cost of cleaning up the power plant. be done. This would be cowardice mess that we’ve made, and likely As we sit here in the UK, with his- though, as these countries have more than that, given the age of torical emissions per capita second risen to economic and diplomatic many of our emissions. Just be- only to Luxembourg, a tiny nation power off the back of poisoning cause we have, relatively speak- that would rather tellingly prefer the planet. Where would the Brit- ing, cleaned up and outsourced to be known as a tax haven than ish Empire have reached without our emissions does not mean we a steel dominated carbon emitter, coal shipped out of Newcastle? can pass the buck for our actions. it is much more palatable to talk Without that early industrialisa- To wipe clean the records of ad- about China’s vast swathes of fac- tion powering colonial exploitation vanced economies, and shift the tories than our own long history of would the wealth of the world have responsibility for cleaning up their dark satanic mills3. These rankings flowed into London and funded all mess onto developing economies are for production, which is much the ‘clean’ wealth of our modern would be historically illiterate and easier to track historically, leading service sector? What kept much of adding insult to injury.  to the remainder of the top ten Africa and Asia from industrialising being filled out by perhaps when exposed to the ideas and ex- 22 Tracking Consumption, Not Production

he second debate is more cur- economy and shifting the blame that outsources dirty businesses Trent, perhaps more pressing onto the developing world, who and greenwashes the rich world and definitely more tied into the can’t afford to outsource the less and the blame is transferred to global nature of the global econo- savoury parts of maintaining their developing countries who haven’t my. A pair of Nike shoes are made lifestyles. the financial stability or influence to in China, and sold in Britain by an defend themselves. High income countries, making up American company, so is the car- 16% of the global population, pro- Choosing to share responsibili- bon emitted in the manufacture of duce 39% of the world’s CO , al- ty on the basis of historical emis- them Chinese, British or American? 2 ready an outsized contribution. If sions and by goods consumed has Currently, the standard is that the we look at the emissions produced the distinct advantage of placing country of production is the re- to provide their level of consump- the burden onto states best able sponsible one, but this does not tion, it rises to 46%, a much more to bear it. Britain is more able to seem like a fair allocation of that damning figure. The lifestyle of the pay the price of carbon, and more responsibility. rich world is unsustainable on a lev- culpable for the climate crisis than The world economy is a complicat- el that is difficult to comprehend4. South Africa and should therefore ed global mesh of trade in goods be the one paying that price. If everyone on the planet con- and services, and often the life of sumed at the rate of the richest 16%, Carbon markets are a touchy issue, a manufactured object is just as then we would have triple our cur- but putting a price on consuming international as its environmen- rent emissions, which are already rather than on producing encour- tal impact. There is a comforting far too high. To put it another way, ages the actual behaviour shift that idea that by passing laws requiring think about having about a third as is needed, while making sure that clean air and high environmental much stuff, including holidays and the cost burden is put on trans-con- standards we can fix everything, travel, as the average European tinental holiday-makers rather than and implicitly sacrifice nothing. This does now. If everyone on the plan- starving slum-dwellers. has worked, as far as it was meant et had that much (or, compared to to, in that the developed world has It wouldn’t be feasible to put a price our current lifestyle, that little), then cleaner air and water, and a slowing on decades or even centuries old we would be in the exact same of growth in produced emissions. emissions, but it would serve as boat of overconsumption, overpro- It only works though because we an excellent metric for each state’s duction, and over-emission. can still get all the cheap plastic tat share in supporting the institutions and manufactured goods that we Developing countries do not pro- that will be necessary for a carbon always could, but from Shanghai duce dirty goods for the developed market, or for research investment not Sheffield. world because they do not care in clean options across the econo- about the environment. In fact, in my. Even better, and only marginal- Aside from the economic impact many cases the developing world ly more difficult, would be if this is on industrial areas in the devel- will be hit hardest by the impact weighted to account for the extra oped world, it’s a shell game, play- of global heating. We have delib- impact of older emissions.  ing hide the carbon with the world erately created a global economy References/Bibliography

1. Climate Action Tracker. 2019. “China”https://cli- 3. The Guardian. 2011. “Which nations are most Emissions” https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and- mateactiontracker.org/countries/china/ responsible for climate change” https://www. other-greenhouse-gas-emissions# theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/21/coun- 2. Our World in Data. 2019. “CO2 and Greenhouse tries-responsible-climate-change Emissions” https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and- other-greenhouse-gas-emissions# 4. Our World in Data. 2019. “CO2 and Greenhouse

Author: Alexander Naile, Fairly Assigning Responsibility Based on Historical Impact Fabian Involvement: Young Fabians Environment Network Committee Bio: Alexander is a London Scot, keen gardener and works in the Green Energy Sector.

23 ALIGNING RESPONSIBILITY WITH CONSUMPTION

By Helen Clarke

hen we talk about going other countries. budget (an allowance of carbon they can use to keep the glob- carbon neutral in the UK, Globally, large parts of the world W al temperature down; or through we often talk about reducing our have agreed to act on the climate working together with other na- carbon emissions, a goal that has crisis and 175 parties were pres- tions, they can look at the global been set by the UK government ent to sign the Paris Agreement2 problem of carbon consumption. to bring all greenhouse gas emis- in 2016, promising to keep a rise in 1 What sions to net zero by 2050 . global temperatures to below 2°C, If the aim of reducing our carbon we talk about less often is reducing above pre-industrial levels. Achiev- usage is to protect those most at our carbon consumption, this being ing this goal can be done in one risk of fatalities and disruption to the amount of carbon we consume of two ways: either each country daily life from the climate crisis, through the products we produce looks to reduce their carbon emis- then why is reducing emissions and practices that emit carbon in sions separately using their carbon alone not enough?  The Need for Accountability t is well known that more devel- compared to Canada’s emissions other countries. The project took Ioped countries are responsible (currently 15.1 tonnes per capita). into account who was responsible for more carbon emissions than So, the solution seems to be for for the production of carbon and developing countries, with China, developed countries in the West to argued that “The global effort of the US and Europe being amongst drastically reduce their emissions reducing emissions – can be divid- the biggest contributors. Mean- for the benefit of countries in the ed among all countries according while, developing countries are up Global South; but, what about con- to their responsibility (for causing to ten times more likely to experi- sumption? the problem) and capacity (to help ence climate disasters than devel- deal with it).”4 This led to the pro- Carbon consumption looks at oped countries. These developing duction of their infographic ‘Fair the amount of the global carbon countries have considerably less Share’ which explores decarbon- budget that is spent in one country finance and infrastructure to build ising initiatives both domestically for the benefit of another. For exam- resilience against events such as and internationally. ple, if India produces carbon emis- flooding, food insecurity and ex- sions producing goods for Ameri- However, while this research looks treme heat waves caused by the ca, the carbon used in energy from at responsibility for leading to the effects of climate change. the factory producing those goods climate crisis through the produc- If developed countries are causing and the fuel in the plane delivering tion of emissions, it does not take the most emissions and develop- them is part of the emissions for In- consumption into account. We can- ing countries are suffering the con- dia but the consumption for Ameri- not have a true picture of collective sequences, there needs to be ac- ca – as America’s actions have led responsibility for the detrimental countability for this responsibility. to the production of that carbon. effects of climate change if we study emissions alone.  If developing countries such as The Climate Equity Reference Pro- Rwanda reduce their emissions ject recently looked at the UK’s tar- (currently at 0.1 tonnes per cap- get to reduce global warming and ita3), it is still a drop in the ocean how this would work in relation to 24 Rebalancing Our Carbon Budget

ith this in mind, it is neces- ing produced in that country historic patterns in weather Wsary that the 175 signatories as a result of the UK paying for and any unexplained, sudden of the Paris Agreement should be that service and apportion an changes which climate scien- doing more to look at consump- amount of responsibility for that tists believe to be linked to the tion and rebalancing our carbon carbon to the UK. amount of carbon being produced. This is the evidence we budget goals. This could be 0.02 tonnes, with would use to create a Carbon Therefore, these goals should take the rest of the carbon produced Effects Scale, with those coun- the following three factors into ac- going towards the country's tries most affected at the top – count: emissions, for example 0.04 which would likely be those in tonnes. We would then have 1. The total amount of carbon a the global south, such as Myan- a new ‘carbon responsibility' country produces both directly mar and Pakistan. total for each country and we and indirectly could create the first of three 3. Lastly, we would explore the 2. The scale of the effects of cli- scales – the Carbon Respon- resilience of each country in mate change in that country sibility Scale. This would likely relation to climate change. So, 3. The countries’ ability to devel- see more developed Western if the United Kingdom were to op resilience to those effects countries such as the UK at the experience extreme flooding top. which we have seen in recent This would then give us a truer months; how likely are we to be 2. After the creation of the Car- picture of who is causing the most able to combat this issue? This bon Responsibility Scale, the damage to the environment both at research wouldn’t look at what adverse effects of climate home and abroad. We would then we have done in the past – for change on each country could be able to better plan for the future example if councils and de- then be reviewed and gener- success of the Paris Agreement as volved administrations haven’t ate a report similar to the Cli- we are seeking that international been allocated enough money mate Risk Index. solution while also looking at fac- from central government to de- tors such as financial resilience We know some of the worst ef- velop flood defences, it doesn’t and infrastructure. fects to be flooding, damage to mean that the UK doesn’t have Taking the United Kingdom as an land and crops and therefore the ability to do so. food insecurity as well as the example, the proposed model Where developing countries destruction of homes. These would look like this: such as Uganda and Yemen problems vary in scale from may not have yet established 1. We would seek out an inde- country to country. If we look sufficient flood defences, but pendent research body such as at the forest fires of Australia or may lack the GDP and infra- the United Nations Framework the droughts in Kenya in 2018 structure to do so, they would Convention on Climate Change that left more than a million be less resilient than the UK to track carbon consumptions people on the brink of famine, who could easily allocate funds of all 175 countries. When the we can see that not all coun- for this work. This measure- UK imports goods from other tries are affected equally. countries, the regulatory body ment would be known as the would look at the carbon be- We would look at recent and Resilience Scale.  A Global Partnership

nly when the three scales tion to combat climate change and least resilient to the effects of have been created and globally. climate change. This would aim to O offset the carbon of the more de- cross-referenced would we have If the research indicated that on veloped Western countries. a true picture of which countries balance, more developed Western have the most effect on climate countries were in the top 30% of This could be done by the Western change; along with which coun- countries more responsible, least countries providing education on We would tries suffer the most. affected, and most resilient; we topics such as renewable energy, know with whom the responsibility would pair them with a country on solar power, reusing rainwater or for climate change sits, and what the other end of the scale. This building for heavy weather; or this steps need to be taken to realign being those countries who were could be in the form of grants to our carbon budgets and take ac- least responsible, most affected, companies who operate in climate 25 science in those countries such least 50% of the energy in the fac- responsibility. We need countries as producing wind farms or tidal tory be renewable or 50% of lights to look at who is causing the dam- plants. to use LED/energy saving bulbs. age and who is being affected by it, who can make a difference to Then, if these first countries want For this system to work effective- those countries and who is simply to produce goods in the second ly we need countries, starting with being taken advantage of in this group of countries, it could be the 175 parties of the Paris Agree- situation.  agreed that they needed to meet ment to look at their consumption, certain standards such as having at not just their emissions, and take Why COP26?

OP26 aims to bring togeth- are getting the support needed to However, recommending as I have Cer countries from around the tackle extreme weather and hard- done here, that we use a three- world to agree on a global solu- ship through collaboration with scale model to assess our actions tion to climate change, the scales other more powerful countries. and consequences, I believe, is a vital step to balancing the scales of mentioned here can be a part of This is not a simple problem and This would carbon usage internationally and that global solution. therefore taking into account our also serve to give a voice to those reducing our detrimental effect on global consumption and emis- countries who may not dominate human life.  sions will not be a simple solution. as much airtime, and ensure they

Author: Helen Clarke: Aligning responsibility with con- References/Bibliography sumption 1. Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP. 2019. “UK becomes Fabian Involvement: Member of the Young Fabians first major economy to pass net zero emissions law”. Gov.Uk https://www.gov.uk/government/ Bio: Helen Clarke is the Vice Chair of the North West news/uk-becomes-first-major-economy-to-pass- net-zero-emissions-law Young Fabians and Environmental Officer for her CLP in Bury North. She is passionate about reducing the effects 2. Connect4Climate. 2016. “List of 175 Signato- ries to Paris Agreement”. Connect4Climate. of climate change and leads on campaigning for the Bury https://www.connect4climate.org/publication/ Climate Action Group. list-175-signatories-paris-agreement 3. Tejvan Pettinger. 2019. “Top CO2 polluters and highest per capita”. Economics Help. https:// www.economicshelp.org/blog/10296/economics/top-co2-polluters-highest-per-capita/ 4. Christian Aid. 2020. “The UK’s Climate Fair Share To Limit Global Warming to 1.5°C.” Chris- tian Aid. https://www.christianaid.org.uk/resources/about-us/uks-climate-fair-share 26 CLIMATE MIGRANTS: GAINING INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENT TO SHARE COSTS & ADAPT

By Alex Chitty

he international community’s unavoidable and “locked-in”. Sea principle. It is within its scope that first climate duty is to devote level rises and increased rapid-on- climate migrants fall. T set climate events have been set its resources towards reducing Climate migrants are people who, in motion by and will continue to emissions through decreasing due to “sudden or progressive The key fo- increase, as will droughts, regard- polluting activities. changes in the environment as a cus of climate change policy is, less of how our behaviour changes result of climate change that ad- and must remain, prevention. This now. These impacts fall under the versely affect their lives or living is the only way to stop climate ca- category of 'loss and damage'; the conditions”, are forced to, or choose tastrophe. negative effects of climate change to leave their habitual homes, ei- that people have not been able to However, the unhappy fact is that ther temporarily or permanently. cope with or adapt to1. Loss and it is already too late to undo some The World Bank estimates that by damage can be large or small of the harm that has been done. 2050, there will be 143 million cli- scale, but as the impacts of climate Some of the impacts of man-made mate migrants from the regions of change escalate so too will the climate change up to this point Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa importance of debate around this are already happening or are now and Southeast Asia alone3.  A Global Responsibility

e must acknowledge that state’s commitment to uphold the gions are the least polluting and Wthere is an international Universal Declaration of Human yet most affected by loss and dam- shared responsibility to mitigate Rights where they have pledged to age, those developing countries the impacts of climate change on promote the rights, not only of their and regions have an obligation to these people who are being worst own population but of all people4. pay the costs associated with cli- affected, and specifically to pro- Loss and damage have a direct mate migration. impact on these established rights tect those who are forced by cli- There is a resounding moral argu- and so it is in the international com- mate change to migrate. ment that those who have done munity’s duty to take action. The arguments for why we hold this little or nothing to contribute to responsibility are plentiful. We can International responsibility also climate change must be protected look at the international communi- stems from the Polluter Pays prin- from its worst effects by the inter- ty’s duty to protect climate change ciple which states that the polluter national community.  migrants from a rights-based per- should bear the cost of pollution5. spective, as part of each member As developing countries and re- Missing Protections he current glaring holes in in- equal international commitment mate migrants will be accepted by Tternational commitments to from states to accepting migrants countries when they are fleeing protecting climate migrants are driven away by disaster. This was disaster, their lack of status means rights protections for cross-bor- established in January 2020 by the that they are at risk. Whilst those der migrants and an economic UN Human Rights Committee, who escaping conflict may be granted commitment to alleviate the bur- set a precedent stating that coun- refugee status, at present there is den of regions which are dispro- tries may not deport immigrants no equivalent designation for those portionately affected by climate who face climate change-induced escaping natural disaster. The change that forces internal migra- conditions that violate the right to rights of climate-induced migrants tion. life6. should fundamentally be protected by State law in their new host state Regarding rights protections for However, this commitment does under the guidance of international cross-border migrants, there is an not go far enough. Although cli- 27 protocol7. Current international pol- endanger their right to life, but also to concrete rights in the same way icy towards climate migrants is in- a plethora of other rights. A work- as refugees from conflict are. adequate in that impacts of climate ing international protocol on cli- change do not only immediately mate migrants would entitle them Missing Support

he second area where inter- patterns of migration the greatest who have moved internally or into national commitments do burden of the costs and practical- neighbouring states. T ities of facilitating climate migrants not go far enough is in terms of Furthermore, when climate mi- also falls on developing countries economic support for affected re- grants choose to migrate to limit Those being displaced by and regions. The Asian Tsunami gions. the impact of climate change on disaster and those seeking eco- of 2004, for example, displaced them this does not just impact the nomic opportunity following the over 400,000 people. Those peo- individual that chooses to migrate degradation of their agricultural ple were largely not displaced to but also those that remain and re- economy follow a pattern of migra- OECD countries. Instead the local ceive remittances for them after tion which overwhelmingly takes region overwhelmingly bore the they migrate. This allows those place internally, not cross-border. burden of displacement and that remaining in impacted areas to However, cross-border climate of providing for evacuees9. There- divest from agriculture, mitigating migration will increase alongside fore, although in theory there is an the impacts of climate change on slow-onset events which impact equal international commitment a wider community. Climate migra- larger areas, for example, low lying to accept climate migrants, for the tion due to slow-onset events that islands and territories. But even as vast majority of climate migrants make agricultural work unsupport- these events increase it is likely this commitment does not come able drives a pattern of migration that migrants will still follow a simi- into play. The guiding principles on from rural areas to urban areas lar pattern in that they do not travel internal displacement mean that and urban economies. These ur- further than necessary, and so will all states must facilitate climate mi- ban economies need stimulation mainly migrate into neighbouring grants within their borders, but this in order to provide work for climate countries where they may have ex- is being put into practice far more migrants and thereby support both isting relationships8. often in certain regions10. Those for themselves and for those left states that are facilitating climate At present the greatest impacts behind to whom they send remit- migrants need financial support of climate change are on devel- tances.  to support these climate migrants oping countries, and due to these

28 Coronavirus: Fire to the Flame

his is especially pertinent in each exacerbate the effect of the of remittances through supporting Tthe light of COVID-19. Whilst other on the lives of those impact- jobs in urban economies or replac- there has been a great deal of ed by both. Taking the case study ing this climate adaptation strategy research into the links between of Bangladesh, those moving due with another. to drought and salination in the climate change and migration This will pay the costs of build- Delta region move to Dhaka to patterns, there now has to be a ing infrastructure for communities work in the garment industry. Yet new consideration, as for the next which must permanently migrate the pandemic may force these fac- few years these events and pat- due to slow-onset events. This can tories to close or they may close terns will develop in the context only be carried out through the UN due to a drop in demand in the of a pandemic and the knock-on because this may take place inter- west due to lockdown measures effects of this on the interna- nally or cross-border but will al- The coronavirus enforced there. Putting these cli- tional economy. ways be contained to the smallest pandemic opens an opportunity mate migrants out of work not only possible radius for those escaping to build an interdependent interna- puts them in a precarious situation climate change events. Therefore, tional health and climate policy as but also disrupts the flow of remit- the financial commitment must be it has exposed holes in migration tances back to the Delta region. run through an international organ- policy and shown where we must This flow of remittances is an ad isation which takes money from build resilience against future pan- hoc climate adaptation strategy11. polluters and funnels it into regions demics as well as climate change. There must be an international or states which are in need.  commitment to protecting this flow The pandemic and climate change

Time for Concrete Change

his must be introduced in scope. It is not good enough to prioritise awarding work to those at through the existent Warsaw base calculations off production of risk of loss and damage. T CO2 within borders. It must take International Mechanism on Loss This pot must be funnelled down It acknowledges account of all greenhouse gases and Damage. to the individual, household and that "loss and damage associated being produced and of importation community level. It must be used to with the adverse effects of climate and exportation of product. protect and support those support change includes, and in some cas- Liability and compensation must services for the people trapped es involves more than, that which take the form of concrete financial without the means to migrate to can be reduced by adaptation”12. commitments. Contributions must avoid climate change induced Its mandate involves many areas be collected in a pot to be appro- events as well as those who have including improving coordination priated by the UN, IMF or World migrated to urban slums, facing between stakeholders, enhancing Bank. It must be allocated at a re- social and economic deprivation knowledge and capacity-building13. gional and state level for displace- and discrimination. In both circum- However, it falls short of provisions ment aid due to rapid-onset events stances their right to livelihoods for liability or for compensation for and also for medium- and long- and economic well-being are at loss and damage. The Paris Agree- term relocation of communities, as stake, and so need support for ment upheld the Warsaw Mecha- would be required of island nations their socioeconomic development. nism but states that this is only on due to sea-level rise. It must also the basis that it "does not involve In conclusion, COP26 is an oppor- be used for climate migrants who or provide a basis for any liability or tunity for the international com- have migrated with agency due compensation"14. munity to address the two glaring to slow-onset events. Climate mi- holes in the protection of climate This simply is not good enough. grants need income and the com- migrants. The COVID-19 pandem- At COP26 the Warsaw Mechanism munities they leave behind need ic has exposed the global lack of must be upheld and it must be up- the flow of remittances to survive. preparedness and resilience in the dated to involve both liability and By providing them with work on face of disaster. Through learning compensation for Loss and Dam- climate adaptation infrastructure the lessons from this we can pre- age. However, the liability and com- building this protects them as ur- pare for the unavoidable growth pensation must be taken on based ban economies are set to collapse in climate migration. The UNCFCC on the polluter-pays principle. due to the pandemic. Existing UN must address this through two This principle must also be broad work on adaptation strategy must channels. The first is through bol- 29 stering human rights legislation compensation for loss and damage regions which are worst hit by cli- for climate migrants by expanding based on the polluter-pays princi- mate change, where cross-border the rights of cross-border climate ple. It is only through concrete le- migration will be taking place, with- migrants, allowing them to claim gal and financial commitment from out support in the form of financial refugee status. The second is UN member states that we will pro- aid from member states in other through the expansion of the War- tect climate migrants of the pres- regions.  saw International Mechanism for ent and future. The two channels Loss and Damage. It must be up- must be implemented together so dated to involve both liability and that the burden does not fall on the

References/Bibliography

1. K. van der Geest and K. Warner. 2013. ‘Loss migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcom- org/uk/protection/idps/43ce1cff2/guiding-princi- and damage from climate change: local-level pact/A_CONF.151_26_Vol.I_Declaration.pdf ples-internal-displacement.html evidence from nine vulnerable countries.’ Int. J. Global Warming. Vol. 5, No. 4, 367. https://col- 6. Ohchr.org. 2020. ‘Historic UN Human Rights 11. A. Randall. 2020. ‘Climate change, migration and lections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:2096/warner_van- Case Opens Door To Climate Change the coronavirus pandemic.’ https://www.youtube. dergeest_2013_loss_and_damage.pdf Asylum Claims.’ https://www.ohchr.org/en/ com/watch?v=2XI0CvEHsfQ&feature=youtu.be> NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx- 2. R.Black, D. Kniveton, K. Schmidt, and C. Smith. ?NewsID=25482&LangID=E 12. Unfccc.int. 2013. ‘Report Of The Conference 2008. ‘Climate Change and Migration: Improving Of The Parties On Its Nineteenth Session, Held Methodologies to Estimate Flows’. p31. 7. Center for Participatory Research and Develop- In Warsaw From 11 To 23 November 2013’. p.6. ment. 2015. ‘Climate-Induced Displacement And https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2013/cop19/ 3. K. Rigaud, A. de Sherbinin, B. Jones, J. Berg- Migration: Policy Gaps And Policy Alternative.’ eng/10a01.pdf mann, V.Clement, K.Ober, J.Schewe, S. Adamo, 10-11. https://unfccc.int/files/adaptation/groups_ B. McCusker, S.Heuser and A. Midgley. 2018. committees/loss_and_damage_executive_com- 13. Unfccc.int. 2020. ‘Warsaw International Mech- ‘Groundswell’. https://openknowledge.world- mittee/application/pdf/briefing_paper_climate_ anism For Loss And Damage Associated With bank.org/handle/10986/29461 induced_displacement_and_migration.pdf Climate Change Impacts.’ https://unfccc.int/ topics/adaptation-and-resilience/workstreams/ 4. UN General Assembly, ‘Universal Declaration of 8. International Organization for Migration. 2008. loss-and- Human Rights.’ 1948. https://www.refworld.org/ ‘Migration And Climate Change.’. Geneva: Inter- docid/3ae6b3712c.html national Organization for Migration. p.21. 14. Unfcc.int. 2015. ‘Report of the Conference of the Parties on its twenty-first session, held in Paris 5. United Nations Conference on Environment 9. Ibid.: p.23. from 30 November to 13 December 2015.’ p. 8. and Development. 1992. ‘Rio Declaration on https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/ Environment and Development.’ p.3. https:// 10. United Nations Office for the Coordination of eng/10a01.pdf www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/ Humanitarian Affairs. 2001. ‘Guiding Principles On Internal Displacement.’ https://www.unhcr. Author: Alex Chitty, Climate Migrants: Gaining International Commitment to Share Costs & Adapt Fabian Involvement: Member of the Young Fabians Environment Network. Bio: Alex Chitty is a Parliamentary Staffer and a student of Politics and Parliamentary Studies at the Univer- sity of Leeds.

30 OPEN-SOURCE SOLUTIONS TO FIGHT DEFORESTATION

By Sebastian Castedo

e need to focus on conserv- and 20152. Without a concerted Well-planned tree planting projects Wing the forests that we al- effort to curb deforestation in the have an important role to play, ready have before attempting to world, neither the UN Sustainable however, problems arise when tree replant on a grand scale. The key Development Goals nor the Paris planting is promoted to the det- to conserving the planet’s forests Agreement targets are likely to be riment of more holistic solutions. is to be able to hold countries, law reached. Tree planting is not a silver bullet enforcement and companies to ac- and initiatives addressing the main The positive news is that there are count. Using open-source data and drivers of environmental degrada- ongoing efforts internationally to satellite technology, we can fight tion must be prioritised5. In the af- try and tackle the issue: The UK this environmental destruction. termath of the 2019 Amazon fires, along with many countries have media attention rarely focussed on Forests are an essential part of launched initiatives aimed at boost- why forests are being lost. Instead, our planet, providing a host of ening tree planting; £50 million was it led to one-dimensional approach- vironmental and social services. put aside to plant 11 million trees by es such as the World Economic Fo- Nearly 1.6 billion people depend 20223 and a “northern forest” pro- rum’s promise to plant one trillion on the world’s four billion hectares ject to plant 50 million trees has trees within a decade6. of forest for their livelihoods1. The been launched4. It has even turned benefits of conserving forests are into a bit of a cultural movement There is merit in reforesting parts wide reaching not only for the peo- when in response to the 2019 Am- of the UK, but our attention should ple dependent on it for income but azon fires, a Youtuber who goes be broader and redirected towards also for the health of the planet. by the name of “Mr Beast”, start- protecting standing forests in trop- However, forests are being de- ed an internet campaign that got ical regions.  stroyed at an unprecedented rate the likes of Elon Musk and several with around 314 million hectares large Youtubers to crowdfund the of tree cover lost between 2001 planting of 20 million trees. Our Focus is Wrong he scientific consensus sug- protection7. That is why proposing air and water systems worldwide8. Tgests that we should first fo- one size fits all solutions like ‘we Although reforesting temperate cus on protecting standing forests need to plant x number of trees in forests (like those found in the UK) and only then consider restoring the UK’ should be avoided. offer several benefits, their value Reforesting initiatives are compared to that of a rainforest is forests. It should also be noted that not only truly useful when a country very small; reforesting in tropical all forests are created equal. The has its deforestation under control, areas is around three times more three great tropical rainforests of as is the case with Costa Rica and effective at reducing warming than the Amazon, Congo Basin and In- Vietnam. Unfortunately, the fact is in colder climates9. If we want to donesia are vital to the planet’s that today 72 out of 100 tropical tackle deforestation, we need to survival. They contain 30 million countries are still in phases of rap- shift our focus from temperate to plant and animal species and are id deforestation and require our tropical forests.  instrumental in the purification of

31 Causes of Deforestation

he main cause of tropical de- we have to come to terms with the half to three quarters of industri- Tforestation is expansionist and fact that the majority of deforest- al inputs returned to the environ- extractive commodity production: ation is being carried out by large ment as waste within a year10. We 73% of deforestation worldwide multinational commercial actors for can improve some aspects of the is caused by agriculture, with the consumption of international current system, but in the end, the commercial agriculture alone ac- markets. The western world is far destruction will continue unless we counting for 40%. Other drivers from innocent in tropical deforesta- transition the economy away from include mining (7%), infrastructure tion and for real change to happen, capital interests to a world where (10%) and urban expansion (10%)7. a concerted international effort is people and planet live in harmony. Deforestation is primarily the result needed. Now, proposing a “transition to of clearing land for commodities At the core of the western world socialism” at the next COP in Glas- such as palm oil, soy, beef, and pa- lies a system obsessed with unin- gow is unlikely to be productive. per which require large amounts of hibited economic growth. Current But there are steps that we can open land. levels of deforestation are a con- take today to minimise and curtail Although some blame needs to sequence of a system that treats some of the worst excesses that be placed on the governments of nature as an unlimited resource this system creates.  Brazil, Indonesia and Congo for which one can endlessly exploit. A inaction and poor policy choices, study from 2000 reports that one

Solutions to Protect Tropical Forests o, how can the internation- which have been shown to achieve cial incentives for local farmers Sal community come together this include expanding protected and companies to produce more and tackle this? Since clearing for areas like national parks, giving sustainably and reduce the eco- commodity production is the larg- more land to indigenous commu- nomic incentives for forest con- est cause of tropical deforestation nities, and adopting moratoria on version. This can be done through there is widespread agreement forest conversion. Examples of this the expansion of initiatives like that the following solutions all have can be seen in Indonesia’s Morato- the Reduced Emissions from De- an important role to play2 11: rium on Forestry12 and Brazil’s ‘Am- forestation and forest Degradation azon Region Protected Areas’13. (REDD+) scheme and removing First, we must implement policies counter-productive agricultural to protect more forests. Policies Second, we must introduce finan- subsidies. 

32 Current Solutions do Not Work Because of the Lack of Data; Open-Source Would Solve This

he challenge with these poli- Governments are often incapable as well as under-resourced moni- Tcies, however, is that although of upholding the very laws they en- toring mechanisms. Weak institu- they may exist, they are not work- act. tions cannot stand up to corruption Most countries due to a lack of transparency and ing as they should. Partly to blame is a lack of informa- on the frontier of forest conserva- a lack of data. Governments are tion for NGOs and international or- tion, such as Brazil and Indonesia often reluctant to publish national ganisations to use to hold govern- already have financing measures, data on forest stocks, agricultural ments accountable. Current efforts forest codes and areas of protect- permits, and the location of new to protect the forest are not effec- ed land in place. Yet a crippling industrial sites for fear this infor- tive because the areas which have lack of resources, lax enforcement, mation will be used against them. the most valuable forests (Amazon, and corruption, mean that these Reports from the Environmental Congo Basin, and Indonesia) also measures often are not effective. Democracy Index show that most have the weakest institutions and In Indonesia, despite a ban on for- countries do not require the re- high levels of corruption – resulting estry, the rate of deforestation in lease of environmental information in poor enforcement of regulations, the country doubled in the 2000s14. to the public15.  The Open-Source Solution

n open-source, accessible da- completely verified, the open- efforts by opting to receive alerts Atabase on the world’s forests source nature means that the data on illegal deforestation in near would combat the lack of verifia- becomes democratic, constantly real time. Completely transpar- ble information. Open-source data cross checked and arguably more ent open-source data means that refers to information that anyone reliable as it relies on multiple there is no longer the secrecy sur- can use, access, or distribute with- sources instead of just one. rounding what a government is do- out any mechanisms of control or ing. Global Forest Watch is also a Not only is open-source data dem- “owners” – think Wikipedia. Data helpful tool for governments when ocratic and fast, it also tackles chal- on forests has traditionally been implementing sustainability pro- lenges related to capacity; forests within the domain of governments, grammes. The information provid- cover four billion hectares of the who control and often restrict ac- ed by GFW is helping to improve surface of the world and govern- cess to that data. A free, open- the moratorium on new forest ment agencies have limited ability source system, on the other hand, concessions in Indonesia, and the to monitor. With open-source data, allows information to be accessed Democratic Republic of Congo is anyone with an internet connec- by individuals, the media, NGO’s, using GFW to determine “deforest- tion can access and contribute, and universities, as well as the gov- ation taxes.”18. massively increasing the scale of ernments themselves. available data. Data from GFW has been cited in An open-source platform allows over 1500 stories on deforestation. One of the most promising open- much of the currently held data on In this way, GFW’s data has allowed source data solutions is Global forests to be utilised. It usually takes NGOs to target their campaigns Forest Watch (GFW): a free, online institutions like the UN and nation- more effectively with access to forest monitoring and alert system al governments several years to more and better data. Journalists that uses the Google Earth engine turn their data into a usable re- can demand accountability from to provide interactive maps, forest source (the UN’s Global Forest Re- private enterprises and govern- statistics and infographics17. It uses sources Assessment is only pub- ments: in Peru, two journalists used satellites to monitor forest cover lished every five years16) because Global Forest Watch to find a clear- from above and ground-level data it takes time for even well-funded ing in a protected rainforest that is provided by anyone from a local departments to validate their data. was later identified to have been farmer to a university. By the time it is published, the data caused by United Cacao. Exposure is usually out of date. The power Global Forest Watch has the poten- from this story stopped the forest of an open-source model is that it tial to hold governments account- clearing and the company was lat- allows anyone to verify the data, able and gives local governments er delisted from the FTSE stock ex- meaning that information would be the information they need to en- change19. published practically in real time. force laws. National governments Finally, since commercial agri- And whilst the data can never be can target their law enforcement 33 culture is responsible for 40% of al Forest Watch provides special ests that they promised to protect. deforestation, it is vital to co-op- dashboards that give companies Examples of use in the private sec- erate with the private sector. For- detailed information so they can tor include the Roundtable for Sus- tunately, many companies have ensure their supply chains are tainable Palm Oil and pulp/paper come up with corporate sustain- clean. Business managers who buy firms APP and APRIL18.  ability goals to make sure they commodities can also use GFW to become deforestation free. Glob- see if suppliers are clearing the for-

Next Steps otwithstanding its promise, release of its Landsat archives to tional pressure on countries to be NGlobal Forest Watch is an the public. It is also necessary for more open and transparent with underused and under-resourced satellite capable countries to es- their data and COP resolutions tool. To unleash their potential, tablish standard imaging specifica- could be a way to facilitate this. open-source solutions such as tions and co-ordinate complemen- Similarly, there should be more GFW should be scaled up and tary satellite launches to ensure pressure on companies to release democratised further. COP26 in continuous coverage of our for- detailed maps of production areas Glasgow is the moment to set in ests20. and government allocated land to motion an expansion of the open- commit businesses to sustainable Governments who do not have sat- source model. supply chains. ellite capabilities should release The more information we make more surface level data such as in- At COP, the UK should propose a available on these open-source re- formation on land planning and bi- resolution, for all attending nations positories, the better they will work. odiversity change. This ground lev- to sign, to commit to increasing the The leading countries in satellite el data is just as vital and will help use of open-source data and pro- imagery should add their data to a these systems provide a better viding the necessary funding to en- global open-access database mir- understanding of realities on the able this expansion.  roring the US Geological Survey’s ground. We must increase interna-

34 References/Bibliography

1. UN-REDD Programme, "Forest Facts," 2019. developing countries," Environmental Research sias-rate-of-deforestation-has-doubled-un- https://www.un-redd.org/forest-facts. Letters - IOP Science. der-the-moratorium/. 2. R. Chaturvedi, C. Hanson, H. Ding and F. 8. Rainforest Concern. 2020. "Why are Rainforests 15. World Resources Institute. 2013. "Environmental Seymour. 2019. "Public-Sector Measures to Important." https://www.rainforestconcern.org/ Democracy Background," https://www.environ- Conserve and Restore Forests: Overcoming forest-facts/why-are-rainforests-important. mentaldemocracyindex.org/node/2728.html. Economic and Political Economy Barriers," The Food and Land Use Coalition. 9. V. K. Arora and A. M. Montenegro. 2011. "Small 16. Food and Agriculture Organization of the temperature benefits provided by realistic United Nations. 2020. "Global Forest Resources 3. Department for Environment Food & Rural Af- afforestation efforts," Nature Geoscience. Assessments."http://www.fao.org/forest-resourc- fairs. 2019. "Government launches new scheme es-assessment/en/. to boost tree-planting." https://www.gov.uk/ 10. J. G. Speth. 2008. The Bridge at the End of the government/news/government-launches-new- World: Capitalism, The Environment, and Cross- 17. Global Forest Watch, World Resources Institute, scheme-to-boost-tree-planting. ing from Crisis to Sustainability, New Haven, CT, 2014. https://www.globalforestwatch.org/. USA: Yale University Press, p. 56. 4. Department for Environment Food & Rural 18. World Resources Institute, "More Actors Use Affairs. 2018. "New Northern Forest gets Gov- 11. D. Boucher, P. Elias, J. Faires and S. Smith. 2014. Global Forest Watch to Improve Forest Man- ernment backing," https://www.gov.uk/govern- "Deforestation Success Stories," Union of Con- agement," 2015. https://www.wri.org/our-work/ ment/news/new-northern-forest-gets-govern- cerned Scientists. top-outcome/more-actors-use-global-forest- ment-backing watch-improve-forest-management. 12. T. Diela. 2019. "Indonesia president makes mor- 5. K. D. Holl and P. H. S. Brancalion. 2020, "Tree atorium on forest clearance permanent." https:// 19. O. Payne and S. Alix Mann, 2015. "Zooming In: planting is not a simple solution," Science, reut.rs/2YyD0zs. “Sustainable” Cocoa Producer Destroys Pristine 580-581. Forest in Peru," https://blog.globalforestwatch. 13. World Wide Fund for Nature. 2014. "The Amazon org/data-and-research/zooming-in-sustain- 6. R. Pomeroy. 2020. "One trillion trees - World Region Protected Areas program is the single able-cocoa-producer-destroys-pristine-for- Economic Forum launches plan to help nature largest tropical forest conservation program in est-in-peru. and the climate." https://www.weforum.org/ history." https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/ agenda/2020/01/one-trillion-trees-world-eco- issues/summer-2014/articles/the-amazon-re- 20. M. A. Wulder and N. C. Coops. 2014. "Satellites: nomic-forum-launches-plan-to-help-nature-and- gion-protected-areas-program-is-the-single-larg- Make Earth observations open access," Nature. the-climate/. est-tropical-forest-conservation-program-in-his- 30–31. tory. 7. N. Hosonuma, M. Herold, V. De Sy, R. S. De Fries, M. Brockhaus, L. Verchot, A. Angels- 14. C. Lang. 2013. "Indonesia’s rate of deforest- en and E. Romijn. 2012. "An assessment of ation has doubled under the moratorium." deforestation and forest degradation drivers in https://redd-monitor.org/2013/12/11/indone-

Author: Sebastian Castedo, Open-Source Solutions to Fight Deforestation Fabian Involvement: Member of the Young Fabians Bio: Sebastian is currently studying Physics at the University of Manchester

35 THE RISE OF ECO-FASCISM: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CASE FOR TAKING A TOUGHER STANCE AGAINST ONLINE HATE

By Louis Dean

Eco-Fascism: Ideology, Manifestations & Origin co-fascism is the ecological overpopulation, from ‘developing’ manifesto online proclaiming “I am Ewing of the contemporary ‘Alt- countries, is the leading cause of an Ethno-nationalist Eco-fascist. Right’, a term coined by prominent climate change, with immigration Ethnic autonomy for all peoples white nationalist and Neo-Nazi from these countries into the west with a focus on the preservation Richard Spencer to articulate a causing, what white nationalists of nature and the natural order”3. loose set of extreme-right ideals call, ‘white genocide’. This is a con- Just five months later in August of centred on white identity and the spiracy theory purporting that non- 2019 Patrick Crusius, the ‘El Paso preservation of western civilisa- white immigration into the west shooter’ killed 23 people, predom- tion1. is causing the death of the white inantly Latino, also positing a polit- race. In short they blame climate ical manifesto to the online forum Of growing prominence in North change on ethnic and religious mi- 8chan stating; “There is no Green America, Europe, Scandina- norities, specifically Muslims, Jews, future with never ending popula- via, Australia and New Zealand, people of colour, and the left more tion growth, the ideal green world eco-fascism is a combination of broadly. cannot exist in a World of 100 bil- these white nationalist beliefs, held lion, 50 billion, or even ten billion within a “growing acceptance, of In March 2019 self-proclaimed people. Continued immigration the unavoidable reality of climate eco-fascist Brenton Tarrant, into Europe is environmental war- change and economic degrada- dubbed the ‘Christchurch shooter’, fare and ultimately destructive to tion” especially among young peo- massacred 49 Muslim worshipers nature itself.”4.  ple2. The core tenant of the ideolo- in Christchurch, New Zealand. Pri- gy is a Neo-Malthusian belief that or to the attack he also published a Growth he growth of eco-fascism fol- is in spite of countless protocols It is therefore of paramount impor- Tlows more broadly the recent and world summits pledging to tance that states at COP26 collec- growth of the far-right global- tackle climate change over the last tively realise the threat of this ide- ly. Yet specifically this ecological 30 years. This generational divide ology. In addition, it is crucial that component can be attributed to over the climate crisis is also begin- those at COP acknowledge their the general consensus amongst ning to appear in far-right circles. previous failings and inaction are the vast majority of young people The rift is evident in the youth wing largely responsible for its growth, that climate change is real and is of Germany’s far-right ‘Alternative and should strive to take account- a global threat. In addition to this for Germany’ party, who has called ability for the manifestations of belief is the disillusionment that on the party to rethink its climate these failings. In a warning of the young people have in the current scepticism over fears it will lead to continued rise of eco-fascism Blair structures, global institutions and loss of support amongst youth. The Taylor, Program Director of the In- in short, liberal democracy to ef- youth wing also suggested the na- stitute for Social Ecology states, fectively deal with the climate cri- tional outfit back a one child policy “as social and ecological crises sis. This disillusionment is not unin developing countries to “counter continue to deepen, and with few founded with greenhouse gases one of the greatest climate prob- emancipatory political alternatives continuing to rise, now over 60% lems, overpopulation.”6 in sight alt-right ecology is likely to above 1994 levels5. This growth keep growing.”7. 

36 The Role of Social Media

ny meaningful attempt to The 62-page report highlights how olent Neo-Nazis” which is “fuelling Acounter this ideology must extreme right wing groups are uti- terrorism by sharing vast quantities focus efforts on where it is lising smaller, less established, so- of easily accessible, extreme and spreading, online. In addition to cial media sites to radicalise and violent images and posts on social a common ideology, the terrorists recruit, with the report exposing media platforms.”8 mentioned above were all radical- the content on their online net- Therefore, to tackle the rise of ised online, primarily through so- works message boards. The re- eco-fascism, the solution must be cial media sites. On social media port focuses on social media sites to eradicate these far-right online they would consume propaganda where these online networks are networks. Governments at COP26 and conspiracy theories, while all prevalent namely Gab, Telegram, must take accountability and em- being reinforced through their in- BitChute and 4chan. Some of the brace a multilateral and bold ap- teractions with the wider alt-right most extreme findings from these proach that requires taking a ho- online community. sites were videos showing and listic view to the consequences of glorifying the live streaming of the A recent report from the Com- the climate crisis, one which ac- Christchurch attack and several munity Security Trust (CST) titled knowledges the political, cultural videos made by or in support of the ‘Hate Fuel: the hidden online world and radicalising impact it is having neo-Nazi terrorist group National fuelling far right terror’ provides a in fuelling far-right attacks across Action. The report concludes that comprehensive analysis of con- the world.  there exists a “global network of vi- temporary far-right online activity.

Current Social Media Regulation

he country at the forefront its obligations. Twitter has 50 staff report highlights, is where the far- Tof tackling online extremism who exclusively work on process- right are predominantly operating. is undoubtedly Germany with ing NetzDG complaints, with Face- In addition, those in far-right on- NetzDG, or the Network Enforce- book having 65 and YouTube 100 line circles have become adept at ment Act. Passed in 2017, the leg- who work exclusively on NetzDG using coded language to shroud islation, which covers social me- complaints9. their white supremacist beliefs dia networks and media sites with proving extremely difficult for mod- However, while the NetzDG act is more than two million members, erators and automated flagging a crucial step, multiple inefficien- obliges these networks to publish programmes to recognise. Lastly, cies still exist which greatly reduc- bi-annual reports if one hundred to tackle such a transnational issue es the act’s ability to be effective. or more complaints are received, isolated state efforts have to give Firstly, the scope of the NetzDG is with fines of up to €50million for way to global or at least regional, too narrow, not including smaller violations of the act including the solutions. platforms which, as the Hate Fuel negligent or intentional violation of

37 Solutions: Multilateral Effort egulation must be a multilat- all pledge, in a combined effort, form a rapid response to contain eral effort. One of the conclu- to take steps which will effectively the viral spread of terrorist and vio- Rsions from CST’s Hate Fuel report tackle the spread of far-right mate- lent extremist content online11. Gov- is that due to far-right radicalisa- rial online. The European Union has ernments at COP26 should look to tion posing a global threat “gov- already realised the importance of this model to establish a coordinat- ernment’s law enforcement and a multilateral effort to fight against ed and multilateral effort to tackle technology platforms must coop- the far right online. In 2019 the EU the far-right online networks.  erate internationally to combat the Internet Forum committed to an propaganda that fuels it.”10 Govern- EU Crisis Protocol, to allow mem- ments at COP26 therefore must ber states and online platforms to

Human Moderators nother key solution is to ex- and the Southern Poverty Law tivity of far-right groups online. On Atensively employ human Centre already have an extensive the issue of training moderators, moderators who have a deep and knowledge of far-right online activ- the Centre for American Progress contemporary understating of far- ity and their expertise in extremism states that the training needs to be right online activity. Yet while this and online hate will prove useful. created and administered by those may take some time, an initial step who have an “expertise on hate, However, for this approach to then for governments at COP should be such as those who have peer-re- be expanded, large scale em- to ensure that social media compa- viewed publications and solid ac- ployment of moderators with spe- nies are engaging and utilising civil ademic credentials”12. Employing a cialised training is crucial. There and human rights organisations to vast network of well-trained human needs to be a large network of assist in the flagging and monitor- moderators is at the heart of any moderators who are provided with ing of problematic content. successful social media regulation. comprehensive and tailored train-  Many of these organisations such ing programmes which specialise as The Anti-Deformation League in the language, imagery, and ac-

Apply to All Social Media Platforms

o be effective, regulation must en from the NetzDG act. For social there is an exodus of users from Tapply to all social media plat- media companies with annual rev- traditional sites is illustrated by Ju- forms, no matter how small. As enues of approximately 500,000 lia Ebner in the book ‘Post-Digital shown from CST’s Hate Fuel report euros the expense of implement- Cultures of the Far-Right’ where it is the smaller social media sites ing NetzDG was only 1% of the she states that “these virtual mi- such as Gab and BitChute where site’s total revenue, expelling the gration streams demonstrate that the majority of far-right material is myth that regulation and red tape a static, linear perspective will fail being circulated. Examples of how would financially cripple new start to reflect the changes in the fast- to introduce regulation to platforms up social media platforms13 The paced online universe of far-right outside of the big three (Facebook, importance of regulating smaller extremists”14.  Twitter and Instagram) can be tak- social media sites at a time when

38 Utilising 'Hash Technology' nother crucial step to identi- Facebook along with Google, Twit- database, it will instantly alert the Afy and eliminate eco-fascist ter and Microsoft have created The platform and be taken down swiftly. material would be for all social Global Internet Forum to Counter Governments at COP should insist media sites to utilise and develop Terrorism (GIFCT), in order to share that the use of ‘Hash technology’ ‘hash technology’ to quickly iden- best practices for developing their to flag extremist material be made tify and take down content. ‘Hash automated systems and to also op- a mandatory practise of all social technology’ is used by mainstream erate a ‘hash database’ of terrorist media sites. It would allow smaller social media sites such as Face- content, where digital fingerprints sites to utilise existing databases book who, in the aftermath of the of illicit content (images, video, au- such as from (GIFCT) to quickly flag Christchurch shooting, used the dio and text) are shared16. Thereby and takedown the harmful content. technology to block around 1.2 mil- if an image or video is uploaded  lion videos of the shooting being which has previously been flagged uploaded to its platform15. as terrorist content in the shared Conclusion The impact of the climate crisis is text where an eco-fascist ideology focused where the radicalisation is being felt across the globe and as has grown, facilitating devastating occurring, online. Governments at the rise of eco-fascism shows, in far-right terrorist attacks. COP26 therefore should pledge to take multilateral action, assisting ways which conventional thinking Therefore, COP26 must realise this all social media sites in becoming on climate change has not antici- threat, the part they have played in Decades of inaction and the safer platforms for their users, by pated. allowing it to spread and embrace previous failings of international taking a tougher stance against the innovative solutions to combat it. agreements has produced a con- spread of far-right material.  These innovative solutions must be References/Bibliography

1. Southern Poverty Law Centre, Alt-Right, Environmental Turn, Dissent. https://www. detail/en/IP_19_6009 Southern Poverty Law Centre. 2020. https:// dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/the-europe- www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ an-far-rights-environmental-turn 12. Centre for American Progress. 2018. Model ideology/alt-right Internet Companies, pp 8, Centre for American 7. Blair Taylor. 2020. Alt-Right Ecology. The Far Progress. https://cdn.americanprogress.org/ 2. Blair Taylor, Alt-Right Ecology. 2020. The Far Right and the Environment, Routledge. p288. content/uploads/2018/10/24111621 Right and the Environment, Routledge, p276. 8. CST. 2020. “Hate Fuel: The Hidden Online World 13. William Echikson and Olivia Knodot. 2018. CEPS. 3. Bernard Forchtner. 2019. Countering the Radical Fuelling Far Right Terror”. p3. Germany’s NetzDG: A Key Test for Combating Right, Open Democracy. https://www.opendem- Online Hate/ ocracy.net/en/countering-radical-right/ 9. William Echikson and Olivia Knodot. 2018. CEPS. Germany’s NetzDG: A Key Test for Combating 14. Julia Ebner. 2019. Post-Digital Cultures of the 4. Ibid. Online Hate, p9. Far Right. Bielefeld. p176. 5. Chandra Bhushan. 2019. Climate Home News. 10. CST. 2020. “Hate Fuel: The Hidden Online World 15. Robert Gorwa, Reuben Binns and Christian “ After 25 years of failure we should abandon Fuelling Far Right Terror”. p 4. Katzenbach. 2020. Algorithmic Content the UNFCC.” https://www.climatechangenews. Moderation, Big Data and Society Vol.7(1). Sage com/2019/03/27/25-years-failure-abandon-un- 11. European Commission. 2019. Fighting Terrorism Publications. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/ fccc/ Online: EU Internet Forum Committed to an full/10.1177/2053951719897945 EU-Wide Crisis Protocol, European Commission. 6. Kate Aronoff. 2019. The European Far Right’s https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/ 16. Ibid.

Author: Louis Dean, The Rise of Eco-Fascism; The Environmental Case for Taking a Tougher Stance Against Online Hate Fabian Involvement: Member of the Young Fabians Bio: Louis has a BA Hons in Modern History and Politics from the University of Southampton. He currently works for the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureau as a Project Officer on the Help to Claim project for Universal Credit. Next year he will be starting an Environment and Development MSc at Kings College London.

39 NOTES

40 CLIMATE CHANGE ACCOUNTABILITY YOUNG FABIANS ENVIRONMENT NETWORK COP26 REPORT Revealing How to Improve Transparency, Assign Responsibility & Implement Science-Backed Solutions to Solve the Climate Crisis