It’s not just about what we say: it’s about who is listening

by Andrea Fontana First day at COP23. Having the chance to address the opening plenary of the Subsidiary Bodies at COP23 we frantically put together a statement on behalf of the coalition Climate Justice Now. Focusing on Loss and Damage and requesting developed countries to live up to their commitments to developing countries (don’t worry – nothing too radical here, just trying to have...

Civil Society Demanding Urgent Action to Ensure Protection and Justice for Climate Migrants under the UNFCCC

by Andrea Fontana On Thursday November 10th, civil society mobilized with a series of events to ask for legal protection and immediate action for climate migrants. The call to action was sparked from the fact that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change does not offer legal protection for the average 21.5 million people that are displaced every year by the adverse impacts of climate change....

Why do I [want to] work for climate justice?

Guest blog by Rebecca Haydu When I ask myself this, I am met with more questions than answers. Where does positive change actually come from, and who decides what that looks like? What does it mean to engage in an international space like the United Nations as compared to working at home? Where does the movement for climate justice begin and end? How does someone like me fit in all of this?...

A Message Home to the US: What Actually Happened at COP21

  by Morgan Heckerd Over the past two weeks 196 governments have spent hours within consultation rooms and plenary halls in efforts of reaching an agreement. They are here in Paris because they know that the era of emissions need to come to an end. The urgency of climate change is no longer a concept that they can deny. But– the developed countries have fallen short in adopting the...

A Long Term Goal in the Paris Agreement: A Failure Without Differentiation & Equity

By Paige Nygaard We are getting closer and closer to the end of COP21. Anticipation is growing to seeing what disaster will unfold within the text. Will it be slightly bad? Absolutely terrible? How much will the United States be able to shift the burden of climate change to other countries while also blaming them for any bad deal in Paris? As every draft text gets released, it favors the...