The Big Con: VALD Petitions Government to adopt Report

Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) – a non-governmental organization has called on the government of Ghana to consider and adopt the newly launched report on environmental pollution dubbed “The Big Con” as it develop plans locally to address climate crises.

Titled “The Big Con: How Big Polluters are advancing a “net zero” climate agenda to delay, deceive, and deny,” the release of The report follows a year packed with record announcements of “net zero” pledges from corporations and governments, and builds on a growing body of research that calls the integrity of “net zero” as a political goal into serious question.

It was written by Corporate Accountability, the Global Forest Coalition and Friends of the Earth International, and has been endorsed by more than 60 environmental organizations including ActionAid International, OilWatch, Third World Network, and the Institute for Policy Studies, among others.

“The Big Con” joins a series of recent reports in uncovering the dubious arithmetic, vague targets and often unachievable technological aspirations of these “net zero” plans, analyzing plans from a number of key polluting industries including the fossil fuel and energy, aviation, technology, retail, finance, and agriculture industries. It also includes an in-depth look at some of the strategies these industries have deployed to ensure their “net zero” agenda becomes the primary dogma of the global response to the climate crisis.

VALD’s Petition

VALD’s call is based in the realization that the world is now waking up to the fact that the fossil fuel industry has been intentionally jeopardizing the safety and security of millions of people around the world for their own parochial and short term interests, and that it is an industry composed of the world’s largest and richest companies who rake in profits, while the poorest and most vulnerable communities reel from super typhoons and droughts made worse by climate change, and suffer from loss of lives and livelihoods in a world degraded by the impacts.

Armed with the foresight of the dangers with climate crises, some staff members and management of VALD, on Monday June 28, 2021 walked into the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations (MESTI) with a petition and placards with the intention to draw the government’s attention to the report and highlight the need for the government to take action.

Unfortunately, the directors of the Ministry refused to meet the delegation as they claimed they were in separate meetings. Even senior staff of the ministry refused to accept the petition as they claimed they have not been authorized to do so. It took extensive lobbying for the Secretary to the Chief Director of the Ministry to accept the document.

Labram Musah, the Programmes Director for VALD told ghananewsonline.com.gh in an interview that they are disappointed about the inability of the ministry to receive the petition and assure of what actions they intend to take on the report. He said it does not show that the government is really bothered about “The Big Con”.

“The evidences are clear now as communities across Africa know what the real solutions are and we are calling for our governments to stand with people and communities, not Big Polluters. That’s why today we are demanding that our governments Reject Net Zero and Make Big Polluters Pay,” he stated.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read:

“We cannot downplay with our future. Let us secure our lands and seas. Let’s act on Climate change now. Make Big Polluters Pay”

“The actions of Big Polluters like #Shell have destroyed the environment, land and our water bodies. ‘Make Big Polluters Pay’”

“Real Zero Now! Secure real solutions and save the environment for future generations. ‘Real Zero, not Net Nero’”

Shell’s Net Zero, The Biggest Scam ever! Shell Lied. They need to pay. Real Zero Now!”

Below is the full petition from VALD:

Petition: How Big Polluters are advancing a “net zero” climate agenda to delay and deceive Stand with us against Big Polluter

The Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) humbly appreciates this audience given us to present our petition.

The world is waking up to the fact that fossil fuel industry knowingly jeopardizes the safety and security of millions of people around the world for their own parochial and short term interests. It is an industry composed of the world’s largest and richest companies who rake in profits, while the poorest and most vulnerable communities reel from super typhoons and droughts made worse by climate change, and suffer from loss of lives and livelihoods in a world degraded by the impacts.

We are therefore calling on government to adopt the newly launched report “The Big Con” as it develops climate plans aimed at addressing the climate crises.

The report was released in a press briefing on 9^th June, 2021 during the virtual discussions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The report explains among others how Big Polluters are advancing a “net zero” climate agenda to delay, deceive, and deny,” after a year packed with record announcements of “net zero” pledges from corporations and governments, and builds on a growing body of research that calls the integrity of “net zero” as a political goal into serious question. As more and more “net zero” plans have been rolled out, the scientific, academic, and activist communities have all raised grave concerns about the inability of these plans to achieve the commitments of the Paris Agreement and keep global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Increasingly, the concept of “net zero” is being misconstrued in political spaces as well as by individual actors to evade action and avoid responsibility. The idea behind Big Polluters’ use of “net zero” is that an entity can continue to pollute as usual—or even increase its emissions—and seek to compensate for those emissions in a number of ways. These schemes are being used to mask inaction, foist the burden of emissions cuts and pollution avoidance on historically exploited communities, and bet our collective future through ensuring long-term, destructive impact on land and forests, oceans, and through advancing geo engineering technologies.

It is time for decision-makers to prioritize people over polluters.” “It is time for our government to reject net zero scam and big polluters’ and their false solutions, to protect and save this present and the future of our environment for generations to come” and encourage other colleague government to do same. Communities across the African continent, on the frontlines of the climate crisis, are demanding real action and an end to Shell’s and other polluter’s green-washing and abuses.

They must be held accountable for the climate crimes. We cannot afford to fall for the same tricks that Shell and the rest of the fossil fuel industry have been playing for decades with their deceptive green-washing schemes, now taking the shape of their meaningless “Net Zero” climate pledges.

The evidences are clear now as communities across Africa know what the real solutions are and we are calling for our governments to stand with people and communities, not Big Polluters. That’s why today we are demanding that our governments Reject Net Zero and Make Big Polluters Pay.

Regardless of the avenue decision-makers pursue to make big polluters pay, the effort must be grounded in principles including:

• Protect the rights of local communities, Indigenous peoples, peasants, fisher folk, pastoralists, nomadic and rural peoples, and women as stewards of nature.
• Shift the costs of climate change from people and communities to the entities responsible for both global greenhouse gas emissions and the intentional deceit that has inexcusably delayed climate action.
• Help communities fund a just transition that protects workers’ rights and livelihoods

Honorable Minister, by holding polluting industries liable, we can end their abuses, unlock the finance needed to advance real solutions, and justly address the climate crisis as stipulated in the “Liability Roadmap”.

With the emergence of oil fields in some parts of Ghana, it behooves on us as a nation to begin to follow and adhere to global Best Practices to ensure we protect our present and future generations from the devastating effects of big polluters.

Honorable Minister, sadly, UN Secretary General and the COP presidency, who are organizers of the next milestone in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process COP26, have already made “net zero” a primary focus despite a number of recent controversies including the recent backlash against Mark Carney’s initiative.

However the climate justice community will continue to demand accountability for the world vulnerable populations.

We are by this statement urging the government to ensure public health is placed above profit.

We also wish to present to you the “Liability Road Map and the “The Big Con” for your consideration and action when developing national policies and programmes or attending international meetings particularly the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Thank you

 

Labram M. Musah

Director, Vision for Alternative Development

0243 211854

[email protected]

 

By Jeorge Wilson Kingson || ghananewsonline.com.gh