With destructive bushfires raging across Australia and record warm winter temperatures in Europe, climate rightly remains high on the news agenda as 2020 gets underway. But as the climate crisis continues to escalate, it is more vital than ever that civil society across the world mobilises to ensure that those on the front line – many of whom live in the Global South – have their say on how we grapple with this monumental global challenge.
In Scotland, there is real opportunity to help bring voices of the most marginalised to the fore this autumn, with arrival the UN’s annual climate talks to Glasgow. Given the failure of December’s climate talks in Madrid to step-up global climate action or deliver climate justice, this seems all the more important.
To this end, 36 Alliance members came together in late December to begin planning how best they can work together in the coming months to make sure that the voices of those they represent are heard when COP26 comes to Glasgow in November.
Those present at the meeting included representatives of organisations who work with partners in a wide range of countries that are extremely vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis.
From discussions at the meeting, it is clear that there is both a need and willingness for the Alliance and its members to work together on this issue in the coming months and years with wider civil society coalitions in Scotland and beyond.
Civil society is always stronger when it unites. As an existing Alliance of civil society fighting for a fairer world, that is one of the principle reasons we exist as an organisation.
The broad and diverse Alliance membership is also uniquely placed in Scotland to amplify the voices of communities overseas affected by the climate crisis given it operates in over 100 countries across the world.
However, to do so we will need to act quickly and build on the momentum of our December meeting. There are urgent questions about what we will do, who will do it and when.
Check out notes from our December meeting here.
Want to get involved?
If you are an Alliance member, please join us for our second meeting on 23rd January either online in person. Sign up to the meeting here or email Lewis if you would like to join online.
For more info on COP25 in Madrid, check out the following links:
- Rich Nations, After Driving Climate Disaster, Block All Progress at UN Talks: https://theintercept.com/2019/12/18/un-climate-cop25/
- The Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice blogs: https://demandclimatejustice.org/
- Stop Climate Chaos Scotland Coalition blogs: https://www.stopclimatechaos.scot/news/
- Climate Home News: https://www.climatechangenews.com/category/un-climate-talks/
- TWN briefings on the key issues in the negotiations: https://twnetwork.org/meeting/madrid-climate-change-conference-dec-2019