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Hey everyone, welcome back to the Climate Warrior newsletter,

During the first week of June, I was able to go to the Stockholm+50 UNEP Climate Conference. This conference happened 50 years since the first UN Conference environment. According to its website, the 1972 conference on the Human Environment “first made the link between environment and poverty and placed it at the forefront of the international agenda.” It was also after this conference that June 5 became World Environment Day.

But what has happened in those 50 years? Yes, there have been great steps forward but nowhere near what we need. We are still in a climate crisis. Emissions are still rising especially from the Global North. There are still no concrete mechanisms for climate finance and technology transfer for a just transition. The Global South is still being left behind and exploited. We are still in a system that prioritizes profit over the people and the planet.

Where is the leadership? Where is the international collaboration? It has been 50 years. Will it take another 50? We do not have that time. On the last session of the formal Leadership Dialogues of the conference, on behalf of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, I spoke from the plenary and these were my questions. I spoke about the need for climate justice, the criminalization of climate activists, the tyranny of fascists and dictators, and the need for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.

In those Leadership Dialogues, there was a strong emphasis from civil society and countries already impacted by the climate crisis on climate finance and the phaseout of fossil fuels. Finally, on the last day, we saw the key recommendations that came out of the conference and they look promising. Particularly, under recommendation three, “adopt system-wide change in the way our current economic system works to contribute to a healthy planet.” Never before has a UN conference clearly recommended the “phase out of all fossil fuels while providing targeted support to the poorest and most vulnerable” and recognized the need for “financial and technical support towards a just transition.”

The clear messaging and emphasis on “all fossil fuels” are so crucial. This shows that more and more key stakeholders and politicians are starting to realize what has been clear to scientists and civil society. We can no longer allow the fossil fuel industry to burn us all. We need to stop all new fossil fuel expansion. We need to phase out existing fossil fuel production starting with the Global North and ensuring that just transition.

The “just” part of the transition includes financial and technical support for Global South countries and the poorest sectors of society especially. This means that Global South countries that are still dependent on fossil fuels and cannot afford to transition yet into renewables are not met with the same standards as Global North countries that have historically caused the climate crisis and who can already afford to transition now immediately. This means that Global North multinational companies and fossil fuel industries need to pay reparations to the Global South so our countries can adapt, manage the loss and damages we’ve already experienced, and transition into a sustainable energy system. This “just” transition also means that workers and communities that have been getting their income from the fossil fuel industries are not left behind and left jobless.

The recommendations are still insufficient and we still need strong and more detailed language on ending fossil fuel expansion and enhancing international cooperation on the just transition. So now it’s time for us to make sure that these words don’t just stay as words. This needs to be put into action and turned into policies in our countries – especially in the Global North. We need finalized and concrete mechanisms to measure drastic emission cuts and facilities to ensure climate finance. It is up to us to hold leaders accountable for their promises.

We will not accept empty promises. 

Mitzi's dispatches

While that was happening inside the conference, activists and civil society across the world were connecting and building collective power outside. Throughout the week of the conference, there were several side events and summits where people talked about justice and the need for change. On June 3, tens of thousands of people went out on the streets on the last day of the Stockholm+50 conference. 

For too long there has been a lack of political will and a lack of political courage. Politicians need to move at speed and need to move at scale with courage. Within the climate movement, I see that courage. I see true international collaboration and leadership. There is a powerful feeling when you are surrounded by people who are fighting for the same thing that you are.

When people ask me what climate justice looks like, I talk about reparations, emission cuts, and fossil fuel phaseouts. But when they ask me what climate justice feels like, I tell them that it feels like love and joy. It sounds like laughter. It smells like a sunny day or a rainy day – whichever is your favorite. It tastes like your favorite food. It is community.

Climate justice is fighting for a world where you, your friends, the people you care about, and everyone in the world feel safe. No more nightmares about typhoons and floods, no more thoughts of droughts and fires. It’s knowing that the people in power will prioritize the people and the planet, not profit. It’s up to us to build that better world together – one without fossil fuels, sustainable, built on justice, and where no one is left behind. 

Stat of the week

152,000

53 cities and subnational governments. 1,300+ organizations. 152,000+ individuals. 
These are the numbers that have endorsed the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. Join them and endorse at fossilfueltreaty.org

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