ALTERNATIVE NON-GOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE 


PREAMBLE

1.  REALIZING the grave threats  to  global  environment posed  
by  the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the 
atmosphere such as  sea level rise,   droughts,  desertification,   
impoverishment   of   biological diversity and other consequences 
of changes in  the world  climatic  patterns threatening the 
sustainability of life on this planet; 

2.  ACKNOWLEDGING the build up of CO2 and other greenhouse gases  
that cause climatic change is a consequence of current 
development and consumption patterns  that  encourage  excessive 
use   of   non-renewable   fuels   and inappropriate land-use 
patterns; 

3.  RECOGNIZING that industrial development is characterized by  
social injustice as well as inequitable and inappropriate 
consumption patterns both at the national and international 
level; that the  industrialized  countries have exploited and 
consumed the greater share of the world's  fossil  fuels, forests 
and others resources, which has allowed  them  to  attain the 
technological  capacity  to  address  the  questions  at hand,  
they  should therefore  shoulder  the  greatest responsibility   
for   averting   social and environmental crises; 

4.  AFFIRMING that,  although  the  major  responsibility to 
avoid  the negative  effects  of  climate  change  lies  on 
developed  countries,  both developed and developing societies 
must be mobilized to the important  tasks addressed in this 
document; 

5.  CONSIDERING the "Agenda Ya Wananchi -  Citizen's  Action Plan  
for 1990's adopted at the Global NGO Conference "Roots of the  
Future",  held  in Paris, December 1991; 

Therefore 

6.  Citizens representing NGOs and social  movements  from around  
the globe gathered at International Conference "Commitments  for  
the  Future", held in Rio de Janeiro, June 1992, have  adopted  
the  following  objective, principles and commitments as a basis 
for the future action: 

OBJECTIVE 7.  The objective of this convention  is  to  achieve 
stabilization  of greenhouse gas concentrations in  the 
atmosphere  at  a  level  that  would prevent dangerous 
anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level 
should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow 
ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change to ensure that 
food production  is  not threatened  and  to  enable  economic 
development  to  proceed  in  a sustainable manner. 

PRINCIPLES 

8.  The Earth with its diverse forms is a functioning whole. 
Ecological integrity must be maintained; this  includes  the 
reduction  of  social  and cultural vulnerability and biological 
diversity. 

9.  The real issue of the social and environmental crisis is not 
one  of protecting the environment per  se,  but  of managing  
resources  to  attain sustainable social, economic, and physical 
development of  human  societies; this includes achieving equity 
with respect to gender,  religion,  and  race at all levels of 
human organization, self-reliance, respect for biological and 
cultural  diversity,  participatory  democracy,   cultural   and  
political integrity, and  access  to  education  and information,  
leading to  active cooperation among all peoples. 

10.   This  issue   has   to   be   tackled   by   altering  
excessive consumption patterns as well as trough the 
acknowledgment of citizens'  right to economic and social 
improvement; the satisfaction of basic needs, material and non-
material must be guaranteed and fulfilled for  present and  
future generations. 

11.  Citizens, enterprises and governments must work together   
to protect the  global  climate  system  on  the basis  of  their  
common  but differentiated capabilities and responsibilities  for  
sustaining  Life  on Earth. 

12.  Strategies and action plans  to  reverse  human induced  
climate change must  be  developed  and  implemented on the  
basis  of precautionary principle ; the lack of a complete 
consensus on scientific conclusions cannot be used as 
justification for inaction. 

13.  Efforts to address climate change must insure alignment of  
over-all resources flows from North to South and involve NGOs  at  
all  stages;these flows must be governed equitably and have  
adequate  procedures  of  public accountability and transparency. 

14.  All human beings should have equal access  to  a  total 
amount  of greenhouse gas emissions that the atmosphere can bear 
on a sustainable basis. 

COMMITMENTS AND ACTIONS  REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS 
IMPACTS, WE COMMIT OURSELVES  TO  WORK ACTIVELY: 

15.  WITH OTHER NGOs AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS 

a.) to act in solidarity, sharing information and supporting  an  
open- ended network of local, national and international groups  
dealing  directly or indirectly with climate issues;  this  
network should  be  a  tool  for building up citizens alliances, 
which  enable  us,  on  an  equal political basis, to work 
together on agreed actions; 

b) as NGOs  and  especially  NGOs  of  concerned  scientists to  
promote dialogue between the scientific community and popular 
movements. 


16.  WITH A LOCAL CITIZENS GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES 

a.) to increase awareness within and mobilize society to identify  
and tackle the causes and  potential  effects  of climate  change  
and  related problems; 

b.)   to   contribute   the   identification   of   the  social    
and environmental impacts of climate change on the local and 
global level; 

c.) to contribute to the identification, development and 
implementation of technologies, practices, and lifestyles with 
the highest efficiency in the use of energy and other natural 
resources, and maximum reliance on renewable energy sources in 
order to minimize greenhouse gas emissions; 

d.) to support citizen activism at all  levels  including choices  
with regard to transportation, waste treatment and the adoption  
of  full  social and environmental pricing of natural resources. 

17. WITH THE GOVERNMENTS AND GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS 

a.) to urge them  to  take  actions  which  contribute  to 
meeting  the objectives of this treaty: 

- reduce the CO2 emissions in developed countries by  at least  
25% from 1990 levels by the year 2005 

- to take appropriate measures to substantially  reduce emissions 
of other greenhouse gases 

- to pursue measures which ultimately reduce  emissions of  CO2  
by 60%; 

b.) to urge the development and implementation of programs and  
policies promoting energy efficiency and the development of 
renewable energy resources (currently available nuclear 
technology is  not  an  acceptable  option  for dealing with 
climate change); 

c.) to encourage  environmentally  sound  and   efficient land  
use, including the protection of primary forests; 

d.) to urge industrialized countries: 

- to provide adequate, new and additional  financial resources  
on concessional terms to developing countries that will enable  
such  countries to address climate change issues; 

- to guarantee that NGOs and social movements are fully part of  
the decision making and monitoring process as well as potential  
recipients  of such funds in order to ensure the good use of 
these funds; 

- to provide adequate opportunities for the sharing and transfer 
of protected technology, developed by governments and various 
enterprises on  a non commercial basis; 

- to convert current military expenditures to these purposes. 

e.) to guarantee complete access and information and assure the 
full and effective  participation  of  social movements  in all  
relevant government decision making processes. 

f.) to avoid any  emission  trading  schemes  which  only 
superficially address climate change problems, perpetuate or 
worsen  inequalities  hidden behind the problem or have negative 
ecological impacts. 

g.) while recognizing the inadequacy of the UN Framework 
Convention  on Climate Change, to  urge  governments,  as a 
minimal  step,  to  ratify  the convention and implement its 
provisions. 


I,______________________________________representing_____________ 
___________ 

hereby commit myself and my group on the :   ( ) complete treaty 
( ) paragraph n.________ 


_________________________________________________________________ 
place         date         signature        name 

Organization: 

Address:                                           fax: 

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 47 Climate Change ngonet 5:13 pm Dec 17, 1992 1