About the Campaign

Climate change is a justice issue. Communities in the Global South are already facing the devastating impacts of climate change, despite doing least to cause it. For people living in poverty globally, many of whom depend on agriculture, even a small shift in weather patterns or natural environment can have grim repercussions. Yet, even with little external support, many communities are showing resilience and striving to adapt locally, implementing measures from drought resistant crops to early warning systems.

However, climate change is a global problem, and the solutions must be found not just at the local level, but also in the halls of power. Political leaders, from industrialized countries in particular, need to face up to their responsibilities as they negotiate an international response to the climate crisis over the coming year, leading up to the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009.

The decisions agreed to in Copenhagen will help shape and secure our shared future. Any global agreement must deal fairly with both the causes and effects of climate change. It needs to include dramatic cuts in emissions by industrialized countries and strong support for developing countries to help them adapt to the challenges they are already facing.

Our Partners:

The Center of Concern is collaborating with Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE, international networks comprised of over 170 Catholic humanitarian and development agencies. Together, we are raising our voices for a just global deal on climate change.

Our Objectives:

We believe that a fair and equitable agreement should accomplish the following goals:

• Recognition of and support for the right to sustainable development of people in developing countries;
• The provision by industrialised countries of sufficient and secure, additional and accessible, financial and technical support for developing countries to help them adapt to the impacts of climate change; and
• At least a 30-40 % cut in greenhouse gas emissions by industrialised countries by 2020 – based on 1990 levels.

The Field of Change:

The field of change represents just some of the ways in which family farmers in the Global South are already struggling to adapt to climate change, by diversifying crops or protecting soil - small scale responses to a crisis they did not create. However, it also represents a powerful and growing international demand for the political action urgently needed to truly tackle the causes and effects of climate change.

You can scroll across the field and click on individual plants to see messages from climate justice activists around the world. Then simply click on a signpost to create a symbolic plant with your own name and message. The Center of Concern will send your demands to President-Elect Obama. Your voice will be added to others from around the world and will help keep pressure on international leaders at key moments.