ENVIRONMENTAL advocates and other civil society groups in the country joined in another call for climate and economic justice as global leaders and policy makers met in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and Bali, Indonesia for the COP27 climate summit and G20 summit.

“The majority of peoples and communities in Asia bear the brunt of the worsening climate crisis. This is on top of the multiple crises we face such as the food, social service, and health crises. We demand from COP 27 and the G20 summit the delivery of adequate, grants-based, and accessible climate finance, the establishment of a loss and damage fund, as well as reparations for the climate debt owed by rich countries to the Global South,” said Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), on Monday, November 14, 2022.

In a joint statement, Nacpil lamented the "failure of governments of rich countries to deliver climate finance."

Lawyer Aaron Pedrosa of Sanlakas said world leaders gathered at COP 27 and the G20 summit "must deliver a commitment to rapid, just, and equitable transition to 100% democratic and renewable energy systems and low-carbon development."

Based on the 2022 Adaptation Gap Report, which was released ahead of the COP27, annual adaptation needs are between $160 billion to $340 billion by the end of the decade, and up to $565 billion by 2050.

Ian Rivera, national coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ), urged the governments of rich countries, multilateral banks, and corporations “to immediately stop funding and supporting fossil fuel projects.”

“We really have to end fossil fuels now. There must be no more new oil, gas or coal if we are to save humanity. Shift those financing to clean energy,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ka Leody de Guzman, national chairperson of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), called for “a wealth tax to cover the cost of climate change impacts and support the poor facing multiple crises and unjust taxation.”

“This is among the many necessary steps towards achieving economic redistribution, and eventually, the much-needed system change that prioritises people over profit,” he said.

Advocacy groups who joined the call include Oriang Women's Movement and Freedom from Debt Coalition, among others.

On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, the groups will also join the march for the Asian Day of Action for Climate and Economic Justice to express their demands to governments of rich countries at COP27 and Bali Summit.

Simultaneous actions will be held in almost 30 cities across 6 countries in Asian regions. (SunStar Philippines)