20 years ago, environmental issues took central stage as governments from industrialized and developing countries, alongside NGOs and civil society, met to discuss the future of our planet in Rio de Janeiro. At the so-called “Earth Summit”, the concept of Sustainable Development was officially defined, urging countries to cease their unsustainable economic growth patterns and to work collectively to reduce the human impact on the environment and natural resources. Several environmental agreements emerged out of the Earth Summit in 1992. Among them the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international treaty which aims at stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent interference with the climatic systems. Each year, the Conference of Parties (COP) is being held to assess the progress of countries in combating climate change to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol, a non binding treaty, and how to reach a legally binding agreement in which countries commit to reducing their greenhouse gases emissions.
This year, the 18th Conference of Parties (known as COP18) is being held in Qatar at a very significant time for the negotiations. Firstly, it is being held in a Gulf country with the highest emissions footprint globally, reaching a soaring 55.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person. To put this in perspective, this is 3 times higher than the United States. The rest of the Gulf and Arab countries are not doing any better, with a doubling of their carbon emissions in the past 20 years. This puts Qatar under tremendous pressure to pledge a considerable reduction to its footprint. But it is also an opportunity to take a leading role in climate change negotiations. Qatar is an Arab member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), an infamous obstructer of any veer in use of polluting fossil fuels. Qatar, nevertheless, has vast natural gas resources that contribute to its economic growth and are considered the cleanest of all fossil fuels, in addition to the untapped solar energy. With its ambitious environmental and sustainability plans, Qatar has much to prove during the COP18 with all the eyes of the world anticipating the results of these negotiations.
Secondly, the climate negotiations are at a very critical point. The Kyoto Protocol is in the course of being amended to include the second commitment period, which will ensure reduction targets will be quantified by countries that ratified the protocol. For a success in the negotiations must finally reach a fair and legally binding agreement by 2015. The Doha conference will shift alliances and its decisions will expose whether the world will be reaching the global emissions peak before 2020.
Thirdly, the political unrest sweeping over the Arab world has created a window for social change, youth engagement and political activism. The COP18 is hosting many young delegations, including the Arab Youth Climate Movement , a group of Arab environmental activists on climate change, taking part in the negotiations and carrying out actions and side events trying to influence the position of the Arab government in the negotiation processes and beyond. The Arab world has not yet put climate change on its political agenda, although the threats of climate change are starting to be a recurring phenomena; with droughts, decreased precipitation, and floods directly affecting most Arab countries. Many young activists are strengthening their call on their governments to introduce adaptation strategies to combat and reduce climate change impacts.
Where are Palestine and the Arab world when it comes to Climate Change?
According to several studies, Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip emit the lowest of carbon emissions in the Middle East and North Africa region, which is estimated at 0.6 tonnes per person per year. This is neither surprising nor reassuring, as the Palestinian economy has limited growth due to the belligerent Israeli occupation and the development of industrial, agricultural, and business sectors has been very limited. In the future and with the declaration of a viable Palestinian state, these emissions are likely to multiply. This poses a big challenge in developing alternative sources of energy production and advocating for energy independence and sustainable economic growth. Palestine today is not allowed a position in the negotiations, as it attends the UNFCCC events with an Observer status. The current political upheavals happening in the Arab world will hopefully veer the position of Arab governments from obstructers or observers to more progressive and assertive roles that will influence the region as a whole, including Palestine.
The Arab countries today are sensing the grave impact of climate change, making the ‘business as usual’ attitude destructive in the short and long run. More pressure must be exercised on Arab governments to develop national adaptation and mitigation plans, and develop regional strategies to reduce emissions by investing in renewable energy, enhancing institutional building, and increasing energy efficiency. It is high time that Arab civil society, activists, and negotiators take this opportunity of increased world attention on our region to push for climate change policies and agendas that will have a positive influence.
I am going to COP18 to witness first-hand the buzzing negotiations that occur every year to reach a fair and binding agreement that will ensure climate action will be achieved to reduce the rise in the global temperature. The tension is rising in Qatar, as many delegates are starting to arrive and the negotiations will commence in the next few days. Being an insider in the negotiations will provide a unique opportunity to take part in decisions that are shaping the future of many countries, especially the least developed and most vulnerable, who are facing the biggest share of climate change impacts. While decisions are made by governments in these conferences, the communities in vulnerable countries and regions are paying the price. It is the role of civil society, non-governmental institutions, and activists to give a voice and a platform for the ‘voiceless’ in many regions. Their involvement in such events is crucial to put pressure on governments and remind them that people all over the world are the ones paying the price for governments’ inability to reach a binding agreement that will initiate practical steps to halt climate change in their regions.
Finally, building experiences in lobbying, campaigning and advocacy is enhancing skills that young Arab activists need to possess in order to influence not only climate negotiations but also many social, political and economic negotiations occurring in their perspective countries. Taking part in such international negotiations events will definitely assist us in understanding the dynamics of talks, the complexity of reaching agreements and the challenges the world is facing in acting collectively to abate one of the biggest threats of our times.