The Chilean Government just announced that they are suspending this year’s UN Climate Talks that were scheduled to take place in Santiago this December.
They have blamed this on the protests that have been happening in the country’s streets for the past few weeks. But instead of derailing it, the protests get at the very heart of what global climate talks should be addressing: the huge and expanding gap between the rich and poor, the fact that so many people are denied their basic rights, and an economy that prioritizes big business and polluters over the needs of everyday people.
BREAKING: Chile pulls out of hosting Cop25 climate talks amid civil unrest https://t.co/ZnREw48R3P
— Climate Home News (@ClimateHome) October 30, 2019
Inequality fuels the climate crisis, which fuels inequality. It’s a vicious circle that must be broken.
Today more than ever, what we need is a People’s Climate Summit. Call on the UN to kick the polluters out of the climate talks and give them back to the people.
The only ones celebrating this decision are the big polluters. For far too long, governments have put the voices of big business and polluters above those of everyday people in decisions on climate. So we have an official climate agreement — but it doesn’t guarantee support for people being harmed by climate change or even mention the words “fossil fuels”.
The UN should kick the fossil fuel industry out of the climate talks and make more space for the voices of the people. Only then can we begin to develop real solutions to this joint crisis of inequality, injustice, and the climate emergency.