Governments must build back better, low carbon, economies in the wake of the coronavirus to avoid fuelling the climate crisis, warned Oxfam today ahead of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on 27 – 28 April. The virtual meeting will bring together government ministers from across the globe to discuss international climate action.
Jan Kowalzig, Senior Climate Policy Advisor at Oxfam said:
“Tackling the health crisis must be the priority, but governments cannot afford to ignore the escalating climate crisis wreaking havoc across the globe.
“Poor countries, struggling to cope with the devastating impacts of climate change, must now deal with the coronavirus as well. Severe drought is fuelling hunger across Southern Africa and Central America, while vulnerable people from Bangladesh to Vanuatu face increasingly destructive storms. It is more important than ever that rich polluting countries deliver on their promises to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poor countries cut emissions and adapt to a changing climate.”
“Ministers must also ensure that economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic does not supercharge the climate crisis. They must build back better – more resilient low carbon economies - that deliver a safer and more secure future for all."
Notes to editors
The Petersburg Climate Dialogue is an annual Ministerial gathering. It will be hosted by Germany and the UK which is hosting the next UN climate summit in 2021. The Dialogue is designed to advance negotiations on global climate action, including on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Due to the Corona pandemic, the 2020 Dialogue will be held virtually from 27-28 April. Thirty-five countries have been invited including wealthy polluting nations, regional groupings such as the European Union, and vulnerable countries such as Small Island States.
The agenda will be focus on the need for more ambitious national carbon reduction targets - Nationally Determined Contributions - under the Paris Agreement, and how to ensure that post-corona recovery packages support the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient development. There will be an informal meeting on climate finance.
Contact information
Anna Ratcliff: anna.ratcliff@oxfam.org or mobile: +44 7796 993288
For updates, please follow @Oxfam.
The Petersburg Climate Dialogue is an annual Ministerial gathering. It will be hosted by Germany and the UK which is hosting the next UN climate summit in 2021. The Dialogue is designed to advance negotiations on global climate action, including on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Due to the Corona pandemic, the 2020 Dialogue will be held virtually from 27-28 April. Thirty-five countries have been invited including wealthy polluting nations, regional groupings such as the European Union, and vulnerable countries such as Small Island States.
The agenda will be focus on the need for more ambitious national carbon reduction targets - Nationally Determined Contributions - under the Paris Agreement, and how to ensure that post-corona recovery packages support the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient development. There will be an informal meeting on climate finance.
Anna Ratcliff: anna.ratcliff@oxfam.org or mobile: +44 7796 993288
For updates, please follow @Oxfam.
