Friday marked the end of the German Presidency of the UN Security Council. After being in the grip of the Corona crisis for months, this was an important opportunity to draw the world's attention to another global crisis that should not be forgotten despite the pandemic: climate change.
That' s why we have focused our climate campaign on pushing Germany to promote the recognition of climate change as a threat to peace in the UN Security Council and to consequently propose the declaration of a global climate emergency.
This demand has not only met with a broad public response - the open petition was signed by thousands of people - but was also supported by numerous German politicians on all levels. An open letter to Chancellor Merkel demanding that she presents our proposal was signed by dozens of politicians, from embers of the Bundestag and local politicians to MEPs
While the German government did not publicly commit to call for a Global Climate Emergency in the UN Security Council during their presidency in July, we welcome:
- That the German government decided to address the issue of climate and security in an open debate on Friday the 24th of July, with the goal of improving the UN system’s operational response to climate-related threats.
- The level of dedication with which the politicians behind our campaign have committed themselves to the fight against climate change. Here you can hear some of them explain why they have endorsed our campaign for a global response to climate change.
- The new direction that the UN Security Council is taking by declaring that climate change is a threat to peace.
We, however, want to emphasize that addressing the existence of the threat is merely the first step. To mitigate the effects of climate change on the planet and on human lives, we need a global resolution and binding measures applying to all member states.
While the focus of our campaign draws to a close with the end of the German Presidency, we will continue to:
- Push for a declaration of a Global Climate Emergency by the UN Security Council, by lobbying each government that will take the presidency.
- Work with politicians across the world to ensure that our demands are met.
- Condemn nationalistic approaches to global crises: only together can we solve existential challenges!
Let’s continue to work towards a Global Climate emergency, and ensure that we stop the climate catastrophe. Join us in this battle, together we can win it!
Thank you,
The NOW! Team