The COP29 (Conference on the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) was recently held, in which the industrially advanced nations have agreed with difficulty to allocate annually 300 billion dollars for developing countries. But this tiny sum of contribution triggers enormous discontent on the side of the latter group of countries.
CLIMATE CHANGE REPRESENTS GRAVE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Natural disasters attack developing nations
Reportedly, the average atmospheric temperature of the world this year has recorded the highest in the history since the statistics were made. Global warming has been brought by the exhaustion of greenhouse effect gas due to the use of fossil fuels by the so-called advanced countries since the days of their industrial revolutions. Vulnerable nations suffer from heavy rainfalls, draughts and surging sea levels, which have become more and more acute these days.
Funds to spend on the steps to cope with climate change in the developing countries should be appropriated to reduce greenhouse effect gas, to build up preventive infrastructure and to alleviate damages inflicted in the agricultural production from a stance of historic responsibilities of the industrially developed nations.
The COP20 was held in Azerbaijan in November when a group of developing countries sought funds over 1 trillion dollars on the yearly basis. Consequently, the current input by the advanced nations amounting 100 billion dollars was agreed on a level of 300 billion dollars every year (approximately 46 trillion yen) until 2035. But dissatisfactions remain bolstered among the developing nations, and some African nations criticized that ‘the sum was insufficient to delay preventive measures.’
Climate change threatens base for survival
A vital point in understanding the climate change issue lies in a notion that ‘it is a grave violation of the human rights that threatens the survival basis’. ‘Relevant deaths due to climate change in the world’ count at least over 250 thousand every year; heat stroke among the elderly, hard labor in excessively high temperature, infection of malaria and malnutrition of children.
These deaths are found intensely in the developing countries. The Nichibenren, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, adopted a declaration in the convention in 2021, saying that ‘survival basis of generations of today and the future are threatened by climate crisis. Urgent and sufficient steps must be taken.’
International cooperation is essential
One more important point is international cooperation as climate change cannot be solved by a single nation. Joint efforts by all countries in the world are essential. Thus, in 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted in order to reduce greenhouse effect gas through an international framework, and now the world makes efforts to limit the temperature increase to less than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
However, the collaboration faces a gloomy prospect; in the United States Mr. Trump is an elected President, who again talks about departure from the Paris Agreement, insisting on using more fossil fuels. The US, the second-largest greenhouse effect gas exhauster following China, asserts a self-complacent doctrine, which may lead to climate collapse.
Abandon nuclear energy development!
Meanwhile, the government of Japan is planned to re-start the suspended nuclear power plants and build new ones, finding an excuse in coping with global warming. But as you know, uranium contaminates environment, infringing the human rights, from excavation up to operation, decommission of reactors and disposal of wastes. Nuclear power development and the humankind cannot live together.
気候変動枠組み条約第29回締約国会議（ＣＯＰ29）は、先進国から途上国への気候対策資金を年３０００億ドルで辛うじて合意した。だが、額の少なさに途上国には強い不満が残ったままだ。
途上国を覆う災害
今年の世界の平均気温は統計史上最高になるという。地球温暖化は、産業革命以降での先進国の化石燃料使用による温室効果ガス排出がもたらした。脆弱な途上国は、豪雨と干ばつ、海面上昇など極端化する自然災害に苦しんでいる。
途上国へ気候対策資金は、先進国側の歴史的責任の下、途上国の温室効果ガス削減や災害対策、さらに農業被害軽減などに使用するもの。
アゼルバイジャンで11月に開催されたＣＯＰ29では、途上国側は年１兆ドル以上の対策資金を要求。最終的に先進国側の拠出を現状の年１０００億ドルから２０３５年までに年３０００億ドル（約46兆円余）とすることで合意した。だが途上国の不満は強く、アフリカのグループは「不十分で対策を手遅れにする」と強く指摘した。
生存基盤を脅かす
気候変動問題の理解で大切なのは、「生存基盤を脅かす重大な人権問題」として捉えること。温暖化に起因する世界の「気候変動関連死」は、今や控えめに数えて年間25万人を超える。高齢者の熱中症、過度の暑さの下での労働、マラリア感染、子どもの栄養不足などだ。
そして、気候変動関連死もまた途上国に大きく偏る。日弁連は21年、「気候危機により、現在及び将来世代の生存基盤が脅かされている。…速やかに十分な対策をとらなければならない」との大会宣言を採択した。
国際協調が不可欠
もう一つ大切なのが、気候変動問題は一国で解決しえず国際的な共同努力が不可欠なこと。だからこそ、温室効果ガス削減に向けた国際的枠組み「パリ協定」が２０１５年に採択され、世界は産業革命前からの平均気温上昇１・５度未満をめざしている。
だが世界の協調に暗雲で、再選されたトランプ米次期大統領がパリ協定再離脱を掲げ、化石燃料拡大を主張している。中国に次ぐ温室効果ガス排出国である米国の独善主義は、気候崩壊すら招く。
原発推進の阻止を
一方、日本政府は温暖化対策を口実に原発の再稼働・新設を目論んでいる。だが、原発はウラン採掘から運転・廃炉、廃棄物処分に至るまで環境を汚染し人権を侵害する。原発と人類は共存することはできない。
英訳版↓
No. 1382 At the Occasion of COP29
The COP29 (Conference on the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) was recently held, in which the industrially advanced nations have agreed with difficulty to allocate annually 300 billion dollars for developing countries. But this tiny sum of contribution triggers enormous discontent on the side of the latter group of countries.
CLIMATE CHANGE REPRESENTS GRAVE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Natural disasters attack developing nations
Reportedly, the average atmospheric temperature of the world this year has recorded the highest in the history since the statistics were made. Global warming has been brought by the exhaustion of greenhouse effect gas due to the use of fossil fuels by the so-called advanced countries since the days of their industrial revolutions. Vulnerable nations suffer from heavy rainfalls, draughts and surging sea levels, which have become more and more acute these days.
Funds to spend on the steps to cope with climate change in the developing countries should be appropriated to reduce greenhouse effect gas, to build up preventive infrastructure and to alleviate damages inflicted in the agricultural production from a stance of historic responsibilities of the industrially developed nations.
The COP20 was held in Azerbaijan in November when a group of developing countries sought funds over 1 trillion dollars on the yearly basis. Consequently, the current input by the advanced nations amounting 100 billion dollars was agreed on a level of 300 billion dollars every year (approximately 46 trillion yen) until 2035. But dissatisfactions remain bolstered among the developing nations, and some African nations criticized that ‘the sum was insufficient to delay preventive measures.’
Climate change threatens base for survival
A vital point in understanding the climate change issue lies in a notion that ‘it is a grave violation of the human rights that threatens the survival basis’. ‘Relevant deaths due to climate change in the world’ count at least over 250 thousand every year; heat stroke among the elderly, hard labor in excessively high temperature, infection of malaria and malnutrition of children.
These deaths are found intensely in the developing countries. The Nichibenren, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, adopted a declaration in the convention in 2021, saying that ‘survival basis of generations of today and the future are threatened by climate crisis. Urgent and sufficient steps must be taken.’
International cooperation is essential
One more important point is international cooperation as climate change cannot be solved by a single nation. Joint efforts by all countries in the world are essential. Thus, in 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted in order to reduce greenhouse effect gas through an international framework, and now the world makes efforts to limit the temperature increase to less than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
However, the collaboration faces a gloomy prospect; in the United States Mr. Trump is an elected President, who again talks about departure from the Paris Agreement, insisting on using more fossil fuels. The US, the second-largest greenhouse effect gas exhauster following China, asserts a self-complacent doctrine, which may lead to climate collapse.
Abandon nuclear energy development!
Meanwhile, the government of Japan is planned to re-start the suspended nuclear power plants and build new ones, finding an excuse in coping with global warming. But as you know, uranium contaminates environment, infringing the human rights, from excavation up to operation, decommission of reactors and disposal of wastes. Nuclear power development and the humankind cannot live together.
December 11, 2024