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On Sunday, Catholic aid agencies launch climate change campaign in defense of world's poorest

80 Bishops, relief agencies call for urgent action and moral responsibility

POZNAN, 5 December 2008 - Bishops and representatives of more than 170 Catholic groups are calling on the UN climate summit to reflect needs of the poor in developing countries. They are gathering on Sunday, December 7 at the site of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks in Poznan, Poland, to launch a worldwide campaign on climate change demanding urgent action. The campaign is spearheaded by Caritas Internationalis, a network of Catholic charities, and CIDSE, an alliance of Catholic development organisations.

"Communities in the developing world have been hardest hit by climate change - despite doing least to cause it", said René Grotenhuis, president of CIDSE. "We have a moral obligation to make sure countries receive the financial and technical assistance they need to adapt to climate change and to build better lives and livelihoods for their people."

As part of the campaign kick-off, more than 80 Bishops from the global North and South addressed a letter to the negotiating governments. The letter calls for solidarity with the world's poorest and for swift, sustained action on climate change by industrialised countries. The full text is available here: http://images.skem1.com/client_id_941/A_Call_for_Climate_Justice.pdf

"People in countries such as Bangladesh are totally dependent on the weather. Our agriculture, and hence our whole culture, is based on water from the rains and rivers. Changed rainfall patterns, harsher storms and longer droughts are already costing lives and livelihoods." Said Bishop Theotonius Gomes C.S.C, President of Caritas Bangladesh: "We have seen a rapid increase in the need for relief efforts and emergency food supplies over the past few years. It is estimated that within the next 10 years there will be 200 million climate refugees, of which 25%, 50 million, is estimated to be from Bangladesh."

Industrialised countries are responsible for 70% of carbon dioxide emitted since the start of the industrial era. Developing countries have the least capacity to cope and are most vulnerable to changes in weather patterns, catastrophic storms and other effects of climate change.

"Billions of dollars are being made available to alleviate pressure on financial markets. This is important, but we must not forget that if we fail to address climate change now, the price to be paid in the years to come will be of a human and financial scale we cannot yet comprehend," said René Grotenhuis.

The campaign will bring together hundreds of thousands of Catholics to call on their governments to negotiate a socially just post 2012 climate agreement. This should include the provision by industrialised countries of sufficient and secure support for developing countries to help them adapt to the impacts of climate change. It should also include the commitment by these countries to at least a 30-40 % cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, based on 1990 levels.

Note to the editor:

- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets in Poznan, Poland, 1st to 12th December 2008 to spell out the responsibilities of developing and developed countries on climate change (unfccc.int).

- More information about the campaign can be found on www.cidse.org and www.caritas.org

- CIDSE (www.cidse.org) is an international alliance of 16 Catholic development agencies in Europe and North America. It promotes cooperation among its members in their efforts to eradicate poverty and establish global justice.

- Caritas Internationalis (www.caritas.org) is the biggest network of Catholic charities in the world. Caritas Internationals works through its 162 national members to combat poverty and injustice.

CONTACT:

Florian Eisele
florian.eisele@ampersandglobal.com
+32.473.23 95 77