In response to the latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) synthesis report published yesterday, Nafkote Dabi, Climate Lead at Oxfam, said:
“Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, we now see revealed a damning indictment of the collective failure of global leaders to address the climate crisis. The richest and most polluting countries have betrayed the people being hit the hardest by climate disasters, particularly those in low-income countries, Indigenous people and women.
Countries’ climate plans will reduce global emissions by just 10% by 2035, far short of what is needed. Science is clear: emissions must fall by at least 60% from 2019 levels in order to avoid climate breakdown. The EU has failed to even submit a new NDC while the US has withdrawn totally from the Paris Agreement and is slashing its already minimal climate finance.”
Oxfam Aotearoa’s Climate Justice Lead, Nick Henry, added: “”Despite the global need to strengthen climate action, New Zealand is not even on track to meet our existing commitments. We need our leaders in Government to show us a plan for real action to keep their promises and reduce emissions.”
Nafkote Dabi continued, “China’s first emissions reduction target of 7-10% from peak levels by 2035 is a step forward but still falls short of aligning with global climate goals. Brazil, host of COP30, despite being a climate leader, continues to approve new oil exploration in the heart of the Amazon – a contradiction that undermines its credibility.
The COP30 Summit next month must put humanity onto a safer path by insisting that world leaders deliver much bolder and more equitable NDCs than the inconsistent and inadequate collection that currently sit on its table. Central to any progress must be the tackling the extreme carbon pollution of the super-rich: the emissions of the 1% alone are predicted to cause 1.3 million heat-related deaths by the end of the century, and blow through the world’s remaining carbon budget.
The richest countries and richest people are locking the world into a catastrophic trajectory which COP30 must arrest.”
Notes to editors:
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s highest court, has confirmed that countries have a legal obligation to reduce emissions enough to protect the universal rights to life, food, health, and a clean environment.
Research by Oxfam International and CARE Climate Justice Centre finds that two thirds of climate finance is currently in the form of loans, increasing the debt burden on poor countries, which stands at $3.3 trillion. The $100 billion annual commitment agreed at COP15 remains unmet, and the $1.3 trillion needed for mitigation and adaptation has also not been delivered.
Research by Oxfam International finds that the energy consumed by the wealthiest 1% – predominantly in the Global North – alone would be enough to meet the basic energy needs of people without electricity access seven times over.
Research by the United Nations finds that emissions cuts of 42 per cent are needed by 2030 and 57 per cent by 2035 to get the world on track for 1.5°C.
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