by The Climate Center & Mike Sandler
The Climate Center and the Foundation for the
Economics of Sustainability (based in the UK and Ireland) are co-sponsoring a
side event at the international climate change conference in Paris hosted by
the United Nations known as COP-21.
The side event will introduce CapGlobalCarbon (www.capglobalcarbon.org), a citizen’s
movement calling for the creation of a Global Climate Trust to set a limit on
global carbon pollution, auction permits to upstream fossil fuel companies, and
return all the revenues back to people on an equitable basis. This would be an international version of the
Cap & Dividend model.
“The global community must address climate change while we
still can. It is clear we must leave
two-thirds of fossil fuels in the ground,” said Mike Sandler, co-founder of the
The Climate Center and a steering committee member of
CapGlobalCarbon. “We can either ban it [fossil fuel extraction] or introduce an
escalating carbon price that helps business and communities plan for the
transition,” he said.
“Countries will not suddenly agree to this without a citizen
movement demanding it. That is why we are going to Paris, and why we invite
interested stakeholders and the media to attend our side event,“ said
Sandler.
Details on the CapGlobalCarbon
event in Paris:
What: “Climate Justice: Coal and Human Rights in the
South, Community Choice Energy, Global Carbon Pricing”
Affected communities are often forgotten in high-level talks
on climate action. We highlight human rights impacts by the coal sector in the
South, Community Choice Energy to speed a transition to renewables, and
establish a Global Climate Trust to “CapGlobalCarbon” and return funds to
people.
Speakers: Mike Sandler (Carbon Share, USA); Shawn Marshall
(LEAN Energy, US); Krizna Gomez (Dejusticia, Colombia); Dawn Weisz (Marin Clean
Energy, USA); Gregory Regaignon (Business and Human Rights Resource Centre,
USA); Erik-Jan van Oosten, (FEASTA, Netherlands); Caroline Whyte (FEASTA,
France); additional speakers TBA.
When: Saturday, December 5, 2015. 15:00—16:30
Where: Le Bourget “Blue Zone” Observer Room 08
Contact: Mike Sandler mike@carbonshare.org +1 707 529-4620
Co-sponsors include DeJusticia, (based in Bogota, Colombia)
and Lean Energy US (based in California).
More about
CapGlobalCarbon:
- It is based on the idea that the atmosphere is a
global commons - Ensures that the necessary reductions in total
global carbon emissions are achieved - Addresses climate and global poverty together
- It is a citizen-led initiative, which is needed
to prod governments to take the climate threat seriously - It is a backup to, and does not conflict with,
the UNFCCC
Links for further
reading:
CapGlobalCarbon’s website: http://www.capglobalcarbon.org/
Two articles by Mike Sandler on HuffPost, explaining the
idea: “For Paris 2015: A Climate Trust Not a Treaty” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-sandler/for-paris-2015-a-climate-_b_6245858.html
and
“The Paris Agenda: Leave Fossil Fuels in the Ground, Auction
Permits, Protect People” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-sandler/the-paris-agenda-leave-fo_b_8404694.html
The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability website: www.feasta.org.
The Climate Center’s Price on Carbon webpage: http://staging-theclimatecenter.org/our-work/price-on-carbon/