UNIDO promotes green energy with installation of biogas plant at Kumasi Abattoir

Environmental sanitation challenges at the Kumasi Abattoir are expected to improve with the construction of a biogas plant at the facility.

The project will also enhance Ghana’s potentials in the production of energy from industrial waste to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Waste water and intestine contents, or dung, from the animals would serve as raw material to feed the Plant, which is expected to be up and running by June 2016.

Managing Director of Kumasi Abattoir, Joe Owusu-Boadi, is confident the installation of a biogas plant will help better manage affluence from the facility.

“The biogas we’re building will take up all the wastage, the liquid and solid wastage; because of that we need to concrete our kraal area so that we can pick the droppings,” he said.

The Plant, which is the first to be built in the West African sub-region, is funded by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) with technical support from the Korean government.

The project is aimed at supporting green industrial development in Ghana through the promotion of biogas technology and sustainable growth.

The Kumasi Abattoir Company Limited uses overhead mounted mono-railing system to dress slaughtered animals or carcasses. The company has the production capacity of 300-400 food animals per day but currently slaughters an average 200 cattle and 140 sheep and goat.

Mr. Boadi says the company is also looking forward to partnering an Indian firm to expand its meat processing plant, where over 20 varieties of sausages can be processed.

He says the Abattoir is committed to producing hygienic meat for public consumption.

To instill quality standards, processing at the abattoir passes through 17 stages to ensure the meat is devoid of contamination and is hygienic and healthy for consumption.

“We examine the animals to check for abnormalities, whether infections or injuries before slaughtering,” said Veterinary Surgeon, Dr. Ernest Boateng.

All animals slaughtered are either flayed, scald or singed. LPG is used to singe animals at the Kumasi Abattoir.

The biogas plant is expected to ease the cost of production.

Audio Report: Building resilient green African economies

Over the past decade, TerrAfrica, a multi-partner initiative, has supported African countries to implement programmes that integrate natural resource management for sustainable climate-resilient development.

The African-driven global partnership is spearheaded by the African Union’s New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) Agency and bilateral partners, including the World Bank.

Millions of households in 27 countries have benefited from technical and financial support to develop investment framework in sustainable land and water management to drive food and water security.

TerrAfrica is poised to sustain the momentum with new alliances for resilient landscape approaches whilst allowing countries to develop their investment opportunities.

Kofi Adu Domfeh engaged interest groups on building resilient gree African economies.

https://soundcloud.com/kofi-adu-domfeh-1/building-resilient-green-african-economies

Building resilient green African economies – TerrAfrica sets agenda

Over the past decade, TerrAfrica, a multi-partner initiative, has supported African countries to implement programmes that integrate natural resource management for sustainable climate-resilient development.

Millions of households in 27 countries have benefited from technical and financial support to develop investment framework in sustainable land and water management to drive food and water security.

TerrAfrica is poised to sustain the momentum with new alliances for resilient landscape approaches whilst allowing countries to develop their investment opportunities.

The African-driven global partnership is spearheaded by the African Union’s New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) Agency and bilateral partners, including the World Bank.

“If we do not manage our lands enough, this is a threat related to our productivity and our food security,” noted Emmanuel Seck, whose eda energie has been working with TerrAfrica to improve civil society involvement in sustainable land management in sub-Saharan Africa.

The ravaging impact of land and water degradation as well as climate change is found across the whole agricultural value chain in Africa.

The challenges, however, offer investment opportunities for the private sector in areas of production and processing, says Martin Bwalya, Head, Program Development; Programme Implementation and Coordinating Directorate, NEPAD.

“In Africa, specifically in agriculture, we have relied so much on donor aid and donor support. Whereas we acknowledge that there is role for donor support and aid, we are saying this is viable business at all levels,” he said.

In recognizing the centrality of land as an economic resource, TerrAfrica supports the sustainable use of land and water at the community, national and regional levels.

Sean DeWitt, Director, Global Restoration Initiative at the World Resources Institute (WRI), believes TerrAfrica can be at the centre of creating regenerative industries by identifying business models that encourage impact investments.

“I think the private sector is very well positioned to provide a very healthy input into the landscape initiatives because they can mobilize tremendous amount of capital and models that work,” he said.

Studies indicate 65 percent of all African landscapes are affected by degradation and about 2.8million hectares of forests are lost every year, affecting productivity and function of lands.

TerrAfrica is already dealing with something that is fundamental to resilience, livelihoods and economic growth.

Vore Gana Seck of Green Senegal says the importance of soils, water and vegetation in food production should make the landscape approach a priority for Africa to be resilient.

Her view is shared by Sean who has noted that landscape restoration remains critical for climate vulnerable people in Africa.

He has therefore lauded TerrAfrica’s new strategic plan focused on landscapes to leverage on interventions to solve problems in the forest and agricultural sectors.

The Africa Resilience Landscape Initiative will restore 100million square kilometers of land by 2030.

At the launch of the initiative, Co-Chair of the TerrAfrica Partnership, Estherine Lisinge-Fotabong charged African states to commit to such projects, in response to their climate vulnerabilities.

“I’d like to invite African countries to join forced as they have been doing through the TerrAfrica programme and building on what they have achieved so far through the development of their country investment frameworks, to continue to ensure that we integrate resilience landscape approach into our natural resource management policies and practices,” she said.

The World Bank has been a major partner of the TerrAfrica programme – invested $4.4 billion in various sectors.

Magda Lovel, Practice Manager at the Bank believes the TerrAfrica evolution would make agriculture part of a larger integrated landscape management involving land, water, forest and biodiversity.

“It was demonstrated that it is possible to stop the desert, it is possible to restore degraded lands and it is also possible to do that at larger scale. So, that knowledge and experience is now creating the new momentum,” she stated.

She noted that the integrated of land degradation neutrality, climate smart agriculture, biodiversity protection and forest restoration should put people’s lives and socio-economic development in focus.

Interventions by TerrAfrica can be linked to climate mitigation and adaptation activities, especially with land restoration and afforrestation projects, according to Mamadou Moussa Diakhite, Principal Programme Officer and Team Leader, Sustainable Land and Water Management programme of the NEPAD Agency.

He describes the ten year journey of TerrAfrica as being both exciting and challenging.

Mamadou has identified three priority areas under the five-year strategic plan for TerrAfrica, from 2016-2020. These include building regional and national platforms of TerrAfrica for integrated landscape management, increase knowledge management and support for countries to develop investment framework of prioritized activities on sustainable land and water management.

Civil society partner, Emmanuel Seck hopes the TerrAfrica platform would be expanded to benefit more countries.

Building climate resilience for water, energy and food security in Africa must be supported by a multi-faceted policy approach by governments, private sector and development partners.

Hopefully, the TerrAfrica connection will deliver on turning the landscapes of Africa to green.

Paris Pledge for Action Boosts Paris Climate Agreement

Last week at COP 21 in Paris, governments of the world under the UN united in action on climate change by adopting the Paris Agreement, the first universal, legally binding climate change deal.

This agreement will spur a transformation of global growth and development and open the door to a low-carbon, stable, sustainable future, the French Presidency of COP21 said.

Today, approaching 700 major cities, regions, companies and investors from around the globe promised to quickly and effectively help implement the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transformative changes needed to meet the climate change challenge.

L’Appel de Paris, or the Paris Pledge for Action, is a call to action in support of the Paris Agreement which brings together a multitude of voices on an unprecedented scale within a single, collective statement:

“We welcome the adoption of a new, universal climate agreement at COP 21 in Paris, which is a critical step on the path to solving climate change. We pledge our support to ensuring that the level of ambition set by the agreement is met or exceeded.”

This landmark pledge is a clear signal that the message sent by the negotiations has been received loud and clear and that cities, regions, business, investors and other non-state actors are now ready and willing to stand shoulder to shoulder, alongside governments, to implement the terms of the agreement. This is our best opportunity to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius – and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees – and raise ambition even before the agreement takes effect in 2020.

L’Appel de Paris is an inclusive initiative by the French Presidency of COP21 that invites all businesses, regions, cities, and investors to join and vow to act on the outcomes of the Paris UN Climate Change Agreement. It has already been signed by over 400 businesses, 150 cities and regions and 120 investors controlling US$11 trillion in assets.

Initial signatories include businesses such as Acciona, Allianz, Mars, Kellogg’s, Tata Group, Unilever; investors like Lloyd’s and Aviva; megacities such as New York, Johannesburg, Quezon City, Hong Kong, Rio De Janeiro and Mexico City; and regions such as Cross River State (Nigeria), Scotland (UK), Chiapas (Mexico) and California (United States).

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, President of COP 21, said: "Non-state actor leadership is key to the success of COP21 and to the effective transition to a low-emissions and climate-resilient future. The world needs you to step up and rise to the challenges of climate change and sustainable development. This is why I strongly encourage you to take bold actions and make ambitious commitments, both individually and collectively, register them on NAZCA, and sign on to the Paris Pledge for Action, to make sure the commitments made in Paris by governments are achieved or even exceeded." 

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said: “COP21 was a landmark, and not just for the Paris Agreement by governments. The extraordinary momentum witnessed before and during the UN conference by cities, provinces, regions, companies and citizens was also a hallmark.

“The Paris Pledge for Action is about taking that momentum to the next level in support of nations as they work towards raising ambition up to 2020 and well beyond—it is about building ever more support by non-state actors who are aligning with government policy as never before.”

The pledge uniquely incorporates under one roof a diverse range of entities that are already committed to quickly mitigate emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. These non-state actors include members of the Under 2 MOU, the White House Act on Climate Pledge, the Montreal Carbon Pledge, the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) Initiative, the We Mean Business ‘Road to Paris’ initiatives, the Paris City Hall Declaration, ICLEI and many more.

The pledge is open to more signatories and will spread around the world. All non-state actors are invited to join this call to action in support of the Paris Agreement.

COP21: A climate agreement in the interest of the vulnerable?

A new journey in the fight against climate change has started from Paris, as governments commit to build low-carbon economies.

The 2015 climate change conference has been the most complicated and difficult negotiations, yet most important for humanity, observed UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

After two weeks of intense negotiations, the COP21 talks finally produced a landmark Paris Agreement among the close to 200 countries that participated to fight global warming.

The adoption of the 20-page final draft text marked a historic turning point in France. For the first time, the talks has produced a legally binding climate deal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels, to take effect from 2020.

“The solutions to climate change are on the table.  They are ours for the taking. Let us have the courage to grasp them,” remarked Ki-moon at the presentation of the final draft.

He wants the outcome to be celebrated because it offers “new hope for safety and prosperity for all on a healthy planet”.

The road to Paris Agreement

Ahead of the Paris meeting, thousands of companies and investors as well as regional governments announced their commitment to the essential economic and social transformation to low-carbon, sustainable growth and development.

Heads of state and government arrived in Paris early to give their public support to the climate change talks.

At the opening ceremony, UN Climate Change Chief, Christiana Figueres said that the eyes of millions of people around the world were on the governments meeting in Paris.

“You have the opportunity, in fact the responsibility, to finalize an agreement that enables the achievement of national climate change goals, that delivers the necessary support for the developing world and that catalyses continuously increasing ambition and action by all,” she said.

The optimism of French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, carried though the process of reaching an agreement, though with an additional day to reach consensus.

For him, there had never been a better momentum to get an ambitious, global climate deal and the responsibility was on national governments to make necessary compromises.

Historic Milestone midst sticky issues

Saturday afternoon was filled with hugs, cheers and tears at Le Bourget – the COP21 venue – as the agreement was adopted after decades of debate.

It has been acknowledged that this agreement alone will not meet the threat of climate change, but that the battle over the reality of climate change is over.

Climate finance for poor nations and differentiation proved to be most difficult. 

But in the end, the adopted text has generally been welcomed by parties and observers.

“For the first time in history, the whole world has made a public commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deal with the impacts of climate change,” said Mohamed Adow, Senior Climate Advisor, Christian Aid. “Although different countries will move at different speeds, the transition to a low carbon world is now inevitable. Governments, investors and businesses must ride this wave or be swept away by it.”

Some leading climate activists and civil society organizations, however say governments across the world would have to play catch up in the collective fight against climate change.

“This deal offers a frayed life-line to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Only the vague promise of a new future climate funding target has been made, while the deal does not force countries to cut emissions fast enough to forestall a climate change catastrophe. This will only ramp up adaptation costs further in the future,” said Helen Szoke, Executive Director, Oxfam. “We will be holding them to account with the millions of people who marched in cities all around the world so that dangerous warming is averted and the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities get the support that they need.”

Vulnerable Africa with Common Position

Africa went into the negotiations with a common position, with climate finance and adaptation on top of agenda for the African Group of Negotiators.

But civil society umbrella body, the Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), is not enthused with outcomes.

“The Paris agreement is weak and insufficient to address the impacts of climate change,” said Sam Ogallah, PACJA Program Manager. “The agreement shows clearly that developed countries have succeeded in weakening the Convention, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and got away with historical responsibilities thereby shifting the additional burden of addressing climate change to the developing countries”.

He is worried the Paris Agreement will not keep the world to the below 1.5 degrees, which will mean more losses and damages, floods, droughts, sea level rise and conflicts in Africa.

Ban Ki-moon is counting on “developed countries to provide financial resources for mitigation and adaptation, and to embark decisively on a low-emissions pathway. And I ask all developing nations to play an increasingly active role, according to their capacities”.

Mr. Ogallah however says finance for adaptation in the agreement is not satisfactory because there is no clear target. He said, for example, “reference to collective short-term quantified goals for post-2020 period is missing and there is only mandate to developed countries to biennially communicate indicative qualitative and quantitative information”.

Hope for an ambitious climate future

COP21 took off few weeks after a major terrorist attack in Paris which informed the cancellation of some citizen centered activities – especially the Peoples’ March – to demand climate justice.

However, several activities were staged to send clear messages to governments on the need to keep the planet safe.

Faith-based groups, for instance, presented 1.8 million signatures of people seeking a fair climate change agreement that would stop global warming and protect the poor to the French President Francois Hollande.

Global civil society groups mobilized a 'sit-in action' to build pressure in the last few hours to ensure that Parties deliver a fair and ambitious outcome for the people and the planet.

“Nature is sending urgent signals. People and countries are threatened as never before. We have to do as science dictates. We must protect the planet that sustains us,” said Ban Ki-moon.

Story originally commissioned by Vita International

http://www.afronline.org/?p=40981

Historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change

An historic agreement to combat climate change and unleash actions and investment towards a low carbon, resilient and sustainable future was agreed by 195 nations in Paris on Saturday.

The Paris Agreement for the first time brings all nations into a common cause based on their historic, current and future responsibilities.

The universal agreement’s main aim is to keep a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The 1.5 degree Celsius limit is a significantly safer defense line against the worst impacts of a changing climate.

Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability to deal with the impacts of climate change.  

To reach these ambitious and important goals, appropriate financial flows will be put in place, thus making stronger action by developing countries and the most vulnerable possible, in line with their own national objectives.

“The Paris Agreement allows each delegation and group of countries to go back home with their heads held high. Our collective effort is worth more than the sum of our individual effort. Our responsibility to history is immense” said Laurent Fabius, President of the COP 21 UN Climate change conference and French Foreign Minister.

The minister, his emotion showing as delegates started to rise to their feet, brought the final gavel down on the agreement to open and sustained acclamation across the plenary hall.

French President Francois Hollande told the assembled delegates: “You’ve done it, reached an ambitious agreement, a binding agreement, a universal agreement. Never will I be able to express more gratitude to a conference. You can be proud to stand before your children and grandchildren.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: “We have entered a new era of global cooperation on one of the most complex issues ever to confront humanity. For the first time, every country in the world has pledged to curb emissions, strengthen resilience and join in common cause to take common climate action. This is a resounding success for multilateralism.”

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: “One planet, one chance to get it right and we did it in Paris. We have made history together. It is an agreement of conviction. It is an agreement of solidarity with the most vulnerable. It is an agreement of long-term vision, for we have to turn this agreement into an engine of safe growth.”

“Successive generations will, I am sure, mark the 12 December 2015 as a date when cooperation, vision, responsibility, a shared humanity and a care for our world took centre stage,” she said.

“I would like to acknowledge the determination, diplomacy and effort that the Government of France have injected into this remarkable moment and the governments that have supported our shared ambition since COP 17 in Durban, South Africa,” she said.

Agreement Captures Essential Elements to Drive Action Forward

The Paris Agreement and the outcomes of the UN climate conference (COP21) cover all the crucial areas identified as essential for a landmark conclusion:

• Mitigation – reducing emissions fast enough to achieve the temperature goal
• A transparency system and global stock-take – accounting for climate action
• Adaptation – strengthening ability of countries to deal with climate impacts
• Loss and damage – strengthening ability to recover from climate impacts
• Support – including finance, for nations to build clean, resilient futures

As well as setting a long-term direction, countries will peak their emissions as soon as possible and continue to submit national climate action plans that detail their future objectives to address climate change.

This builds on the momentum of the unprecedented effort which has so far seen 188 countries contribute climate action plans to the new agreement, which will dramatically slow the pace of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The new agreement also establishes the principle that future national plans will be no less ambitious than existing ones, which means these 188 climate action plans provide a firm floor and foundation for higher ambition.

Countries will submit updated climate plans – called nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – every five years, thereby steadily increasing their ambition in the long-term.  

Climate action will also be taken forward in the period before 2020. Countries will continue to engage in a process on mitigation opportunities and will put added focus on adaptation opportunities. Additionally, they will work to define a clear roadmap on ratcheting up climate finance to USD 100 billion by 2020.

This is further underlined by the agreement’s robust transparency and accounting system, which will provide clarity on countries’ implementation efforts, with flexibility for countries’ differing capabilities.

“The Paris Agreement also sends a powerful signal to the many thousands of cities, regions, businesses and citizens across the world already committed to climate action that their vision of a low-carbon, resilient future is now the chosen course for humanity this century,” said Ms Figueres.

Agreement Strengthens Support to Developing Nations

The Paris Agreement underwrites adequate support to developing nations and establishes a global goal to significantly strengthen adaptation to climate change through support and international cooperation.

The already broad and ambitious efforts of developing countries to build their own clean, climate-resilient futures will be supported by scaled-up finance from developed countries and voluntary contributions from other countries.

Governments decided that they will work to define a clear roadmap on ratcheting up climate finance to USD 100 billion by 2020 while also before 2025 setting a new goal on the provision of finance from the USD 100 billion floor.

Ms. Figueres said. “We have seen unparalleled announcements of financial support for both mitigation and adaptation from a multitude of sources both before and during the COP. Under the Paris Agreement, the provision of finance from multiple sources will clearly be taken to a new level, which is of critical importance to the most vulnerable.”

International cooperation on climate-safe technologies and building capacity in the developing world to address climate change are also significantly strengthened under the new agreement.

Signing the Paris Agreement

Following the adoption of the Paris Agreement by the COP (Conference of the Parties), it will be deposited at the UN in New York and be opened for one year for signature on 22 April 2016--Mother Earth Day.

The agreement will enter into force after 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification.

Cities and Provinces to Companies and Investors Aligning

Today’s landmark agreement was reached against the backdrop of a remarkable groundswell of climate action by cities and regions, business and civil society.

During the week of events under the Lima to Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) at the COP, the groundswell of action by these stakeholders successfully demonstrated the powerful and irreversible course of existing climate action.

Countries at COP 21 recognised the enormous importance of these initiatives, calling for the continuation and scaling up of these actions which are entered on the UN-hosted NAZCA portal as an essential part in the rapid implementation of the Paris Agreement.

The LPAA and NAZCA have already captured climate actions and pledges covering:

• Over 7,000 cities, including the most vulnerable to climate change, from over 100 countries with a combined population with one and a quarter billion people and around 32% of global GDP.
• Sub-national states and regions comprising one fifth of total global land area and combined GDP of $12.5 trillion.
• Over 5,000 companies from more than 90 countries that together represent the majority of global market capitalisation and over $38 trillion in revenue.
• Nearly 500 investors with total assets under management of over $25 trillion

Christiana Figueres said: “The recognition of actions by businesses, investors, cities and regions is one of the key outcomes of COP 21. Together with the LPAA, the groundswell of action shows that the world is on an inevitable path toward a properly sustainable, low-carbon world.”

More Details on the Paris Agreement

• All countries will submit adaptation communications, in which they may detail their adaptation priorities, support needs and plans. Developing countries will receive increased support for adaptation actions and the adequacy of this support will be assessed.
• The existing Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage will be significantly strengthened.
• The agreement includes a robust transparency framework for both action and support. The framework will provide clarity on countries’ mitigation and adaptation actions, as well as the provision of support. At the same time, it recognizes that Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States have special circumstances. 
• The agreement includes a global stocktake starting in 2023 to assess the collective progress towards the goals of the agreement. The stocktake will be done every five years.
• The agreement includes a compliance mechanism, overseen by a committee of experts that operates in a non-punitive way.

The COP also closed on a number of technical issues.

• Under the Kyoto Protocol, there is now a clear and transparent accounting method for carry-over credits for the second commitment period, creating a clear set of rules.
• The first round of international assessment and review process (IAR) that was launched in 2014 was successfully completed.

A number of technical and implementation issues related to the existing arrangements on technology, adaptation, action for climate empowerment and capacity building were also successfully concluded.

COP21: Movement voices call for demonstration as Paris climate talks is extended

French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, has announced the high-stakes climate talks in Paris will not end on Friday as planned, but will last at least until Saturday.

Top officials from more than 190 countries are trying to agree on the text of what would be an unprecedented deal for all countries to reduce man-made carbon emissions and co-operate to adapt to rising seas and increasingly extreme weather caused by human activity.

According to Mr. Fabius, “Things are going in the right direction” but says “there is still work to do”.

Civil society delegates at the UN climate talks declare that the latest draft of the text failed to live up to promises made by world leaders at the opening of the Conference.

The CSOs demand that the negotiators commit to creating a binding agreement that is fair for all countries on the planet. This involves that all countries show ambition by drastically reducing pollution rates, that wealthy countries contribute their fair share into the green climate fund, and that developing countries have what they require to adapt to how they are affected by climate crisis.

“We must come together to protect the people who are suffering first and most brutally from the impacts of climate change around the world”, said Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace Executive Director.  “We must push our elected leaders to respect the calls of justice and push for a world powered by renewable energy rather than dirty and dangerous fossil fuels. When this polar bear roars, she roars for billions of people, and she roars loudest for those on the frontlines of climate change.”

African CSOs under the banner of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has described the text as “unacceptable” and called on African Ministers and negotiators not to agree to the text.

Negotiators from China, the US and other nations haggled into the early hours over how to share the burden of fighting climate change and paying for a transition to clean energy on a global scale.

As the negotiators struggle to secure a final agreement, activists are mobilizing for a major “Red Lines” demonstration Saturday in the streets of Paris.

Thousands of activists are planning to converge at an undisclosed location for a creative and powerful gathering to show the movement’s commitment to keep up the fight for climate justice.

People will carry red flowers to honour the past and future victims of climate change, as well as to signify their personal commitment to keep taking action long after the climate talks end.

Public demonstrations, including the major march that was planned to open the summit, have been banned because of the State of Emergency.

The “Red Lines” action is an unpermitted event – one of the first times people have returned to the streets of Paris for a major demonstration since the tragic attacks of 13th November.

On Wednesday, organizers released a letter from prominent movement voices inviting people to take part in the demonstration, and emphasizing the importance that the event remains peaceful.

“This gathering is about respect,” they wrote. “We know that our leaders have shown little respect—not for the rights of people on a planet torn by inequality and racism, nor for the red lines for a just and livable planet. Lines we should dare not violate. So we will stand with our bodies to draw red lines, committed to protect our common home from burning up.”  

The Red Lines action is intended to launch a new wave of what some activists call “climate disobedience,” civil disobedience actions that challenge the fossil fuel industry, often at major infrastructure projects like coal mines or pipelines.