ActionAid – which supports communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis – is joining with other climate organisations at COP30 to demand governments agree to climate action that prioritises people and takes a just transition approach.
It says the current approach is systematically ignoring Global South communities, with new research by the charity revealing less than three percent of climate finance is supporting just transition approaches that prioritise the needs of workers, women and communities when tackling the climate crisis*.
Teresa Anderson, Global Lead for Climate Justice at ActionAid International, said: “Climate action might be taking place, but the needs of people at the heart of these transitions are being ignored, and communities are being left out of decisions that acutely impact them.
“None of us can hide from the fact that the climate crisis is escalating year on year. What we need to see from governments is a commitment to move away from fossils fuels and industrial agriculture and towards renewables and agroecology but not at the expense of people’s lives and livelihoods. Cutting emissions shouldn’t mean cutting corners.”
ActionAid is calling for COP30 negotiations in Belém, Brazil to agree to coordinate just transition globally. A ‘Belém Action Mechanism’ would ensure a global approach to coordination, shared learning and support for implementation on just transition. This is essential so that local people can shape plans that might affect them, and get the support, new job opportunities or training they need to ensure climate action benefits them and doesn’t accidentally push them into poverty.
Anderson added: “Without a just transition plan – we don’t have a robust, global approach to the problem and the situation is haphazard and disorganised.”
Alongside this demand, ActionAid is urging wealthy polluting countries to do their fair share and provide trillions of dollars in grant-based climate finance each year to Global South countries.
Anderson said: “Disappointingly, last year’s COP29 in Baku didn’t deliver the climate finance that the world needs to properly tackle the global crisis. We’re another year on and the situation is desperate. Why can’t governments see that the more finance is pushed in the form of loans, the further vulnerable countries are being pushed into debt?”
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Spokespeople are available for comment.
Please contact Steph Wulf, Senior Communications Manager, ActionAid Australia: [email protected], +61 (0)456 952 836
About ActionAid
ActionAid is a global women’s rights organisation, working with women on the frontlines of injustice – including the climate crisis, conflicts, and humanitarian emergencies. We work with more than 41 million people living in over 70 countries, supporting women to transform their lives and their communities.