Press Release
12/12/2009

On the occasion of the “International Demonstrations on Climate Change”, 12th December, Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust joins civil society organizations from over 107 different countries in voicing its concern on Climate Justice.

According to various reports from international organizations that work in poverty related issues people that live in poor countries will be effected the first and the hardest due to adverse effects of climate change.

“While people in rich countries think that climate change is an important issue, they don’t see it as an immediate threat. The same cannot be said for people who live in poor countries who are closer to the natural elements than people in rich countries are” said Gregory Ellul, a board member of Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust.

Climate Change and Natural Disasters

Rich countries have the necessary infrastructure and financial resources to respond to natural disasters while poor countries often do not. Climate change intensifies weather extremities such as hurricanes and flash floods, hospitalizing people while making others homeless. Whereas rich countries have the abilities to shelter homeless within very short periods of time and are able to respond to a far greater amount of medical emergencies, poor countries do not have the resources to do so. Victims of natural disasters that are intensified by Green House Gases, who live in poor countries, have a much lesser chance of survival than people in rich countries.

Climate Change and Food Security

Considering that the majority of people in poor countries are agrarian workers and their livelihood depends on their own agricultural produce, climate change poses them a far greater security threat. Changes in seasonal cycles, droughts and heavy rainfall increase the risk of starvation for people that directly sustain themselves. The same cannot be said for farmers in rich countries that enjoy an economic system that will shelter them even if their produce fails due to environmental effects brought about by climate change.

Increase in food prices as a result of the adverse climate change effects poor populations far worse than others. People who live on 1 or 2 dollars a day (2.7 billion persons live on just 2$ a day: World Bank, 2007 ) already find it very difficult to afford a nutritious and well-balanced diet. Increase in food prices due to food shortages attributable to climate change will increase the amount of people who find their daily meal a luxury.

Climate Injustice

Ironically those that have contributed the least to the problem will be affected the most. On this basis the claim that rich countries are indebted towards poor countries that so far have emitted a far lesser amount of Green House Gases, is well founded.

In Copenhagen world leaders should take urgent and concrete action to prevent catastrophic destabilization of global climate. Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust hopes that the outcome of UN Climate Change Conference is a strong emissions reductions treaty,
which is both equitable and effective in minimising dangerous climate change.