Colombo/Dhaka/Islamabad/Kathmandu/ New Delhi, 6 September 2023: Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA), a network of 250 civil society organizations of 8 countries in South Asia has called upon G20 Leaders meeting in New Delhi, India on the 9-10 September to set an ambitious climate agenda ahead of the COP28 climate summit later this year and commit to a rapid and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels.

CANSA is also calling upon the wealthier countries of the G20 to fully deliver on their commitment of USD 100 billion per year till 2025, and all countries to honour their collective commitments towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement.

The climate crisis, as it intensifies in pace and scale, is exacerbating other crises such as poverty and inequality, food and water insecurity, and is driving ecological and biodiversity loss. It adversely impacts human rights, as well as non-human life, through extreme weather such as heatwaves, floods, droughts, and slow onset events such as sea-level rise.

“India has already demonstrated leadership with bold and ambitious climate actions and will achieve 2 out of 3 quantifiable targets set forth in the NDC by 2030 – reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35% from 2005 levels and 40% non-fossil fuel electric installed capacity in 2030. India now has a unique opportunity to influence other G20 nations to advance a sustainable, just, affordable, inclusive, and clean energy transition. The Indian presidency must aim to get the world back on track to limit global warming below 1.5°C as promised by countries under the Paris Agreement,” said Sanjay Vashist, Director of Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA).

At the G20 New Delhi Summit, agreements will need to be reached on ambitious climate, nature, energy and climate finance outcomes that fully respect human rights. These agreements should aim to bridge the gaps toward achieving a 1.5°C pathway through emissions reduction, providing greater support to action for adaptation and to address loss and damage, protecting and restoring nature and reforming food systems, and mobilizing trillions of dollars of finance for a just and equitable transition.

More specifically, leaders should demonstrate consensus on key commitments for the climate agenda, of keeping 1.5°C within reach, fast, fair and permanent phase-out of all fossil fuels and associated subsidies, accelerating green transitions – including human rights-compliant protection and restoration of forests and other ecosystems and the reform of food systems – at home and globally by putting forward revised 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), aligned with the 1.5°C limit, ahead of COP28.

The collective NDCs must include pathways for just and equitable phase-out of all fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas in line with 1.5°C before 2050, with significant reductions to be achieved to reduce emissions by at least 43% by 2030 compared to 2019.

CAN South Asia (part of the wider CAN International Network*) upholds the principles of just and equitable transitions, and demand the following of the G20 presidency and participating countries to get the world back on track to limit global warming below 1.5°C as promised by countries under the Paris Agreement.

In this regard, G20 countries must:

• In accordance with Article 4.4 of the Paris Agreement, wealthier countries must commit to their highest possible ambition in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and economy-wide targets covering all sectors and all gases including non-CO2 gases and methane. G20 leaders must commit to an equitable phase-out of all fossil fuels and set a target year for ending all fossil fuel subsidies by 2030 and along with an agreement on raising ambition towards tripling RE installed power capacity per annum by 2030 while reducing total final energy demand by at least a quarter by 2050 compared to today. While promoting new and innovative technologies is crucial for accelerated energy transition, G20 countries must avoid false technologies like carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) and nuclear energy.
• Wealthier countries of the G20 must fully deliver on their commitment of USD 100 billion per year till 2025 and collectively contribute to a doubling of the GCF second replenishment and a transformational new Climate Finance goal under NCQG negotiations. The G20 leader must commit themselves to addressing the debt vulnerabilities of low and middle-income countries in an effective, comprehensive and systematic manner, including by supporting efforts to strengthen initiatives like the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) and paving the way for effective implementation of the Common Framework for Debt Treatment and the vulnerability assessment framework in a timely manner. The G20 must recognize the need for accelerated and affordable access to transition finance to the global south and therefore must commit itself to making International Financing Institutions (IFIs) and Multilateral Development Banks ( MDBs) fit for purpose by supporting timely reform of the international financial architecture and enabling the implementation of frameworks like the “Roadmap for Implementation of Recommendations of the G20 Independent Review of MDBs’ Capital Adequacy Frameworks (CAF)”. Based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities, G20 countries must also commit to providing adaptation finance on par with mitigation finance and operationalize the new Loss and Damage Fund urgently and meaningfully at COP28.
• All G20 countries must fully deliver on their collective commitments towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Paris Agreement. Commit to ending deforestation (and the conversion of other intact ecosystems) by 2030 and restoring nature in line with the targets of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity (KMGB) Framework, while fully respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and affected local communities. G20 leaders must champion human-rights-compliant reforms to food systems that achieve global goals for nutrition, climate, and nature, including promoting more sustainable patterns of consumption; investing in ecologically beneficial farming and crop diversification, and supporting the contribution of small-holder farmers towards food security and sustainability

Climate Action Network (CAN) is a global network of more than 1,900 civil society organizations in over 130 countries driving collective and sustainable action to fight the climate crisis and to achieve social and racial justice.

Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) is Asia’s largest coalition of NGOs addressing the climate crisis, with about 250 member organizations from eight South Asian countries – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan and Afghanistan. www.cansouthasia.net

For more information, contact:

Nakul Sharma, Program Coordinator, Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA)
Email: nakul@cansouthasia.net

Purnima Joshi, Communications Coordinator, Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA)
Email: purnima@cansouthasia.net