Climate Tax On Fossil Fuel Giants Media Groups Urge Climate Crisis

Funds raised should be redistributed to poorer, vulnerable countries, the article says, as they bear the worst effects of the climate crisis, even though they have done the least to cause it. “Humanity must end its addiction to fossil fuels,” says the joint article, edited by the Guardian. “Rich countries account for only one in eight people in the world today, but are responsible for half of greenhouse gases. These nations have a clear moral responsibility to help.” The UN secretary-general recently called for a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies, whose profits have soared as Russia’s war in Ukraine drives up energy prices. Oil and gas companies earned $100bn (£85bn) in the first three months of 2022 alone. Any success at the UN’s Cop27 summit, being held in Egypt, is widely seen as dependent on a rapid increase in the flow of funding to climate towards developing countries. “Climate change is a global problem that requires cooperation among all nations,” the article states. However, without adequate funding, there is a lack of trust between the global North and South, according to Cop27 observers. “This is no time for apathy or complacency. the urgency of the moment is upon us,” the article states. A series of reports ahead of Cop27 revealed how close the planet is to irreversible climate catastrophe, with no “credible path [of carbon cuts] to 1.5C in place’, the internationally agreed temperature limit to limit global warming. Instead of the rapid fall in emissions required, Cop27 was told they were likely to rise to record levels this year, with UN chief Antonio Guterres warning humanity on a “climate hell boulevard”. The article, published by more than 30 media organizations, notes the world’s growing financial crisis, but says: “During the pandemic, central banks around the world have fueled sovereign spending by buying their own government bonds. The trillions of dollars needed to address the ecological emergency require such radical reversals of thinking.” The organizations that published the joint article come from almost every continent, including The Hindu in India and Tempo in Indonesia, the Mail & Guardian in South Africa and Haaretz in Israel, Rolling Stone in the US and El Espectador in Colombia and La Repubblica in Italy and Liberation in France. Katharine Viner, Editor-in-Chief of Guardian News and Media, who led the initiative, said: “With Cop27 taking place in Egypt, we wanted to publish an ambitious article highlighting how strongly many different news organizations, and our readers, feel on the climate crisis. This joint article is a powerful demonstration of how news organizations around the world can come together to work together in the public interest.” Quick guide

Global news organizations call for climate action

projection On 15 November 2022, during the Cop27 UN climate summit, the Guardian and more than 30 media partners around the world jointly published an editorial calling for urgent action on the climate crisis. The participating agencies are: Camunda News, Angola National Observer, Canada El Espectador, Colombia Politiken, Denmark Liberation, France Mediapart, France Ephemeris ton Syntakton, Greece Kathimerini, Greece Protagon, Greece Telex, Hungary The Hindu, India Tempo, Indonesia Irish Examiner, Ireland Irish Independent, Ireland Haaretz, Israel La Repubblica, Italy The Gleaner, Jamaica Macaranga, Malaysia Reform, Mexico Center for Journalism Innovation & Development, Nigeria Rappler, Philippines Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland Public, Portugal Mail & Guardian, South Africa elDiario.es, Spain T&T Guardian, Trinidad and Tobago Daily Mirror, UK The Guardian, UK Covering Climate Now, US Miami Herald, US The Nation, US Rolling Stone, US The Environmental Reporting Collective, International Pacific Environment Weekly, Pacific Thanks for your response. Ozayr Patel, climate and environment editor at the Mail & Guardian, said: “We recognize that climate change cannot be tackled alone. Collaboration is key and, in that spirit, we are delighted to be media partners with the Guardian and other media outlets, front and center in the climate fight. It’s time for polluters to be held accountable and we hope this is the first step towards achieving that.” The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Aluf Benn, the editor-in-chief of Haaretz, said: “The climate crisis is the biggest challenge of our generation – and one that only international cooperation can try to solve. At a time when governments are failing to do what is needed – both internationally and nationally – we must recognize the need for a combined effort, including from the media who have a moral responsibility to lead the way.” Andre Wright, the acting editor of the Gleaner, Jamaica’s leading newspaper and also part of the initiative, said: “We are joining the advocacy that the time for action has come. Experts believe we are already on an existential precipice. Further procrastination will push people over the edge. Climate justice is one of the most important global mandates of the modern era. Major economies responsible for unsustainable investments in fossil fuels must be held accountable.” The issue of “loss and damage”, which is the funding needed to rebuild in poorer countries after unavoidable climate impacts, has become central to Cop27. At previous summits, rich countries, including the US, rejected calls for such funding. The joint editorial reads: “The UN [summits] it should be about the strength of the argument not the strength argument. The UN process may not be perfect. But it has provided nations with a goal to save the planet, which must be pursued at Cop27 to avert an existential threat to humanity.” Natalie Hanman, head of environment at Guardian News and Media, said: “I hope that by speaking with one voice, we remind people that this is a global crisis, which threatens us all. It is now imperative that world leaders listen and act.”