Fossil Awards to Egypt for a weak cover text and Israel for greenwashing

The Fossil awards on Solutions Day go to not one, but two countries.

Both Egypt and Israel were nominated for being the worst today. Egypt for its extremely weak first drafts of the Cover text: the decision of the COP. While Fossil of the Day Ceremony was ocurring, COP27 Presidency and UN Secretary General were reading the 'riot Act' to negotiators with so many areas left unresolved. BUT Egypt is responsible for pulling together the COP cover text and the current version is very weak. See Early Draft Cop27 cover decision fails to call for ‘phase-down’ of all fossil fuels (The Guardian)

Israel has it's first pavillion at COP, and while addressing water scarcity and adaptive agriculture is important, the elephant in the room is the human rights abuses to the Palestinian people. Greenwashing by Israel at their pavillion needs to be called out. Their is no climate justice without human rights.

Read the full press release here:

Egypt wins Fossil of the Day award for no protesters allowed but a warm welcome to a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists

No surprise that Egypt wins a Fossil award, the second award at this COP. 

Suppression of human rights and prevention of Egyption civil society in participating has been highlighted in the lead up to this conference. Read the Human Rights Watch report on how Egypt has undermined environmental activism and the UN Human Rights (UNHR) news item  - Egypt: UN experts alarmed by restrictions on civil society ahead of climate summit. 

Or take note of Fossil Fuel Polluters/Lobbyists taking over the COP. An analysis of registrations found 636 fossil fuel lobbyists have been registered to the COP27 climate talks, affiliated with some of the world's biggest polluting oil and gas giants. This is an increase of over 25% from COP26 says a Global Witness analysis

Or refer to the civil society intervention in the opening plenary. There can be no climate Justice without Human rights.

No climate Justice without Human rights - Intervention by Tasneem Essop during the COP27 Opening Plenary

Egypt is one of the most repressive nations in the middle east and human rights is an enormous issue. 

Tasneem Essop, Exective Director of CAN International chose in her 1 minute intervention at the opening plenary of the UN climate Change Conference COP27 to shine a spotlight on repression in Egypt, and that there is no climate justice without human rights.

I understand Egypt's President Abdelfattah El  Sisi squirmed a little in his seat during this speech.

Guest Post: Australia violated the rights of Torres Strait Islanders by failing to act on climate change, the UN says. Here’s what that means

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Guest post by Kristen Lyons, The University of Queensland via the Conversation.

In a landmark decision, a United Nations committee on Friday found Australia’s former Coalition government violated the human rights of Torres Strait Islanders by failing to adequately respond to the climate crisis.

The Torres Strait Islanders ‘Group of Eight’ claimed Australia failed to take measures such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and upgrading seawalls on the islands. The UN upheld the complaint and said the claimants should be compensated.

This decision is a breakthrough in Indigenous rights and climate justice, including by opening up new pathways for Indigenous communities – who are often on the frontline of the climate crisis – to defend their rights.

Clean, healthy and sustainable environment now designated a human right by UN Human Rights Council

The UN Human Rights Council at its 48th session recognised, for the first time, that having a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right. The Human Rights Council also established the position of Special Rapporteur on Climate Change.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in a statement called on Member States to take bold actions to give prompt and real effect to the right to a healthy environment.

“The Human Rights Council’s decisive action in recognising the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is about protecting people and planet – the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. It is also about protecting the natural systems which are basic preconditions to the lives and livelihoods of all people, wherever they live,” the High Commissioner said. “Having long called for such a step, I am gratified that the Council’s action today clearly recognises environmental degradation and climate change as interconnected human rights crises.”

Reflections on memory, human rights, the Chile Coup, and implication for climate action

So today I went along to Todas las Mujeres Contra todas las Violencia (All women against all violence) Hosted by Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (Museum of memory and human rights) in Santiago, Chile. It made me reflect on the human rights of all the people that will obliterated by accelerating climate change, unless we all act, and act fast.

Are human rights being included in Paris Agreement rulebook at COP24?

Civil society organisations fought hard at the United Nations Climate Change conference COP21 in Paris in 2015 for human rights obligations to be included as part of the Paris Agreement text. This was an important recognition of social justice in addressing climate change.

However, it appears there has been little mention or discussion of inclusion of human rights obligations in negotiations this week in Katowice, Poland at the current United Nations climate change conference, COP24. Time is fast closing and final draft texts are nearing completion before the ministerial meetings of the Conference of Parties takes place early next week.

It is highly important that human rights obligations are included in relevant portions of the Paris Agreement rulebook presently being negotiated.