'We declare our support for Extinction Rebellion': an open letter from Australia's academics

The Amazoin fires are just one symptom
of the ecological crisis gripping our planet.

We the undersigned represent diverse academic disciplines, and the views expressed here are those of the signatories and not their universities. While our academic perspectives and expertise may differ, we are united on one point: we can no longer tolerate the failure of the Australian government, or any other government, to take robust and urgent action to address the worsening ecological crisis.

The science is clear, the facts are incontrovertible. We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, with about 200 species becoming extinct each day. This includes many species of insects, some of which are essential to our food systems. Many people around the world have already died or been displaced from the effects of a rapidly warming climate. July 2019 was the Earth’s hottest on record. Arctic peat is burning and ice is melting at rates far beyond even the most radical scientific predictions. The Amazon is burning at an alarming rate. All are creating devastating feedback loops, releasing more CO2 and reducing the Earth’s heat reflecting capacities.

Read the story from The Guardian - “'We declare our support for Extinction Rebellion': an open letter from Australia's academics.”

Developed countries spending to help undeveloped countries tackle climate change

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ublic and private finance mobilised by developed countries for climate action in developing countries reached USD 62 billion in 2014, up from USD 52 billion in 2013 and making an average of USD 57 billion annually over the 2013-14 period, according to a new OECD study in collaboration with Climate Policy Initiative (CPI).

“Climate Finance in 2013-14 and the USD 100 billion goal” provides a robust, up-to-date estimate of public and private climate finance mobilised by developed countries towards their UNFCCC 2010 Cancun commitment of USD 100 billion per year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries to tackle and adapt to climate change.

Read the Climate Policy Initiative story - “Finance for climate action in developing countries reaches USD 62 billion in 2014, says new report”.