Impact of Climate Change
Sea level rise

Drowning ... the impact of sea level rise ... the need to make this issue known at the Paris climate change summit

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Drowning ... the impact of sea level rise

Dear friends,

I just received shocking news -- there will be an army of fossil fuel lobbyists at the global climate talks in Paris, while small, drowning island nations on the front lines of climate change can't afford more than a handful of delegates!

But if we come together now, we can help bring a powerful team to fight for their peoples' survival.

Time and again, we have seen how big polluter countries dominate climate conferences, blocking action and stalling the deals we need to save our planet. But it often takes the moral voice of countries on the frontline, already suffering mega typhoons and losses to sea-level rise, to bring the world's attention back to what's at stake and the urgency of action.

This is the last meeting of its kind to get a global climate deal. Without their voices in the room in Paris we, and all future generations, will lose.

We can do it -- our movement has the scale to raise what's needed to bring delegations to the summit, and empower their voices with a dedicated campaigns team. All we each need to do is chip in the cost of one night out to help ensure these countries don't pay the ultimate sacrifice. Click to contribute -- let's make sure their cries for survival echo through Paris:

YES, I'LL DONATE $2 YES, I'LL DONATE $4 YES, I'LL DONATE $8 YES, I'LL DONATE $16 YES, I'LL DONATE $32 To donate another amount, click here.

These island states are literally beginning to submerge beneath the waves, and it's utterly unjust -- they have polluted way less than the rest of the world. Unless we act now, they could be wiped from the map forever, and their people will face the daunting choice of drowning or abandoning their lands.

The Paris talks are a tipping point -- what our leaders agree to will determine if this scenario is inevitable or if we can stop it. Getting representatives from these communities to the talks, and boosting their voices to raise the alarm, is crucial. If each of us donate here's what we could do:

Embolden official teams -- Provide funding for official delegates to travel to Paris to represent the most vulnerable countries so they can stand up to polluters.

Bring in powerful voices -- Bring community leaders to tell their stories -- from Pacific Islanders whose countries could be lost, to indigenous leaders protecting the Amazon.

Drive a strong deal and thwart the blockers -- Fund a rapid-response Avaaz team at the summit to launch real time campaigns for an ambitious deal, and run a daily media event to name and shame the countries threatening the agreement.

There's no doubt that Paris could be the last chance for many of these vulnerable countries. The government of Kiribati has already bought land in Fiji so its people have somewhere to flee to when their island home is swallowed by the sea. But climate catastrophe is not inevitable if the voices of the vulnerable are heard.

Experts say there's more chance now than ever that the world could agree to a deal to get off fossil fuels for good. But to ensure success we need those that know what is coming to be heard loud and clear.

Chip in now to help give these countries a voice, and help save them from climate oblivion: YES, I'LL DONATE $2 YES, I'LL DONATE $4 YES, I'LL DONATE $8 YES, I'LL DONATE $16 YES, I'LL DONATE $32 To donate another amount, click here.

We've brought indigenous leaders together to fight for the Amazon, stood up for victims of climate disasters in the Philippines, and helped Maasai people defend their ancestral homeland. Now, if we come together, we can help get a deal that will stop the destruction of entire countries! If we do this now, this summit could set the world on course for a safe future powered by clean energy, and that'll be the biggest step we've ever taken towards a better world.

With hope and determination,

Alice and the entire Avaaz team

Sources:

Besieged by the rising tides of climate change, Kiribati buys land in Fiji (Guardian) http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/01/kiribati-climate-change-fiji-vanua-levu

Everything you need to know about the Paris climate summit and UN talks (Guardian) http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/02/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-paris-climate-summit-and-un-talks

Climate change negotiations in Warsaw result in a timeline for agreement in 2015 (Brookings) http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2013/11/27-climate-change-warsaw-cop19-timeline-hultman

U.N. climate talks begin divided, but with hope for Paris accord (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/31/us-climatechange-summit-talks-idUSKCN0R01HT20150831

G7 leaders agree to phase out fossil fuel use by end of century (Guardian) http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/08/g7-leaders-agree-phase-out-fossil-fuel-use-end-of-century