Distressed that the governments of South Asia have not collaborated to present a united position at COP-26 in Glasgow, the participants of this discussion on combating the climate crisis in South Asia, organised by South Asia Peace Action Network on Oct. 31, 2021, passed a resolution.
They urged the world leaders at COP26 to pay heed to the challenges faced by South Asia, a region home to a quarter of humanity.
The resolution said, “Countries that have been the biggest polluters must bear the onus on action regarding emissions reductions
The development trajectories of billions who seek to be lifted out of poverty and deprivation must not be in contradiction to their aspirations
We urge governments to roll back reliance on fossil fuels as a contributor to growth and wealth generation
The Global North must commit the finance and technology transfer promised to the nations of the Global South to enable unified action towards limiting the rise of global temperature below 1.5 degrees.
We will continue urging our governments to keep channels of communication and cooperation open between the South Asian nations to seek solutions to challenges posed by climate change.
We express our solidarity with the peoples of South Asia who are facing the climate crisis together. We await similar cooperative actions from the governments, shedding their divisive policies
South Asian nations must consider our fragile ecosystems and shrinking habitats a shared responsibility and preserve, promote and scale the indigenous knowledge of our communities that can provide crucial solutions in fighting the impacts of climate change
We will continue to urge our governments to promote the exchange of knowledge and information about meteorological phenomena, and disaster risks.
We see key issues like glacial melt, sea level rise, rising heat vis-a-vis urban resilience, air quality and water resource management as regional issues. Urge our nations to view these issues as such and take a regional approach towards them.
We believe cooperation on species’ protection, natural resource protection and climate justice for climate migrants,indigenous peoples communities, and other vulnerable groups must transcend boundaries.
We will continue to support and encourage advocacy and activism to engage with decision-makers to ensure that cooperative protocols that have been developed are not rolled back.
Voices raised in unison from South Asia must be heard and heeded at global forums like the CoP26 starting now.
The human capital of the South Asian region has the potential to lead us towards climate sanity. We urge our governments to collaborate towards this. The world needs to provide the leverage.”
