Christian Aid have responded to the events at the UN climate summit in Poland where the USA, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait blocked the other 193 assembled countries from ‘welcoming’ the recent IPCC report, even though the report had been requested by COP21 in Paris in 2015. The United States had even rejected the science itself, standing alone among all the world’s countries in refusing to endorse the findings of the report.
Mohamed Adow, Christian Aid's International Climate Lead, said: “Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kuwait and especially the United States are rogue nations. These four major fossil fuel producers are working together against the interests of the rest of the world and jeopardising the chances of a safe climate. They show disregard for the wellbeing of the most vulnerable people on the planet. Climate change even threatens the future of their own people and yet they act to suppress scientific warnings.
“I had hoped that Saudi Arabia was undergoing reform and this was their chance to demonstrate it. But they have shown they don’t care about human rights, people or the planet. These nations are climate villains and they must be opposed by the rest of the world. Instead, they have found a steadfast ally and co-conspirator in the world’s most powerful country, the USA.
Regarding the US pro-coal side event taking place on Monday he added: “With great power comes great responsibility, and yet the USA has failed to take this responsibility seriously. President Trump’s actions threaten the lives of many of the poorest people around the world. The scientists of the IPCC have shown that coal is the cause of our climate crisis and needs to be left in the ground, not touted at meetings designed to solve the suffering it has caused. The fact President Trump’s America is holding a pro-coal event at the climate summit underlines his utter ignorance and recklessness.”
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