The Climate Vulnerable Forum Virtual Summit (CVF) on November 22, 2018 is the first of its kind. It’s an opportunity for national leaders to stand with those most vulnerable to the growing impacts of climate change, and to reinforce efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. And it’s all happening entirely online.
Heads of government will join the nearly zero-emissions summit with live-streams or pre-recorded video messages. Participants will include governments, global companies, cities, states, civil society, and media, interacting using online tools. The event will include plenary statements and thematic discussions on key topics each convened by leading organizations.
Over 100 Marshallese activists rallied with traditional vessels in the capital, Majuro, to demand that leaders of developed nations dramatically upscale their plans to limit global warming. Photo: Greenpeace
The summit is being convened by the Marshall Islands, a country where climate change is not some distant danger but happening right now. The islands are already threatened by rising sea levels, flooding, and contamination of freshwater supplies.
Right now at almost 1˚C of warming, all of the 48 Countries that make up the CVF already deal with grave climate impacts, from sea-level rise that causes deadly flooding and ravages property and homes, to devastating heat waves, droughts, monster hurricanes and other forms of extreme weather. In India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, torrential rains have triggered landslides and flooding killing more than 1,000 people and affecting 41 million more. The secondary impacts of these devastating events include forced displacement, disease, and economic devastation.
“The IPCC report released in October was a wake-up call for our governments and the rest of the planet. The only way to prevent the world from warming over 1.5°C will be through a very rapid phase-out of all fossil fuels, coupled with an equally rapid uptake of renewable energy and, ultimately a systemic shift in our societies. We stand with the Marshall Islands and we are calling on all of you to stand with us too.” – Pacific Climate Warriors
Photo: Greenpeace
The 2018 CVF Summit has been organized as part of the Talanoa Dialogue, an agreed mechanism to promote enhanced national action from all nations that took part in the 2015 Paris Climate summit. Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and across parts of the Pacific to reflect a process of collaborative, inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogues. The purpose of Talanoa is to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions for the collective good. The CVF 2108 summit is building on this.
350.org along with its local and global partners are campaigning fiercely to keep fossil fuels in the ground to make staying at 1.5˚C possible and to avoid irreversible and catastrophic climate change. From Bangladesh to Kenya, the US to Italy, campaigners across the globe are stopping millions of tonnes of carbon emissions from going into the atmosphere and contributing to rising temperatures.
“Having identified 16 countries on the African continent as being climate vulnerable, and with the increasing investment of fossil fuels into Africa, this is a real cause for concern. Coal fired power stations, and their emissions are the primarily responsible for climate change. As we ponder the dichotomous relationship between development and access to energy, we urge governments to consider to dire implications that real people face when disaster strikes.” – Landry Nintereste, Africa Team Leader, 350.org
#ThriveSurvive and #1o5c are the hashtags we are using to show our solidarity. Make your own post on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Stand with the Marshall Islands and call on our nations’ leaders to stand up and take bolder action on climate change now.