New form of cooperation underlined at WoW Event
As the impacts of climate change are predicted to be quite big for EFFAT’s sectors (take for example the fact that the food and drink industry contributes to some 23% of global resource use and 18% of greenhouse gas emissions), EFFAT’s workers shall be exposed to mitigation and adaptation actions which are not always very easy.
Harald WIEDENHOFER underlined at the WoW Event in Copenhagen on the 15th December 2009, the need to strengthen the cooperation of all trade unions and NGOs even more as it has been done in the past: “Today, we are united by the concept of sustainability, paving the way for an entirely new form of cooperation.” We are disappointed with the politicians’ failure in Copenhagen. They did not come up with binding commitments and the questions of the distribution of funds for adaptation in the most vulnerable developing countries as well as many other questions remained unanswered. We have to put pressure on the new European Commission to embrace harder the necessity for a binding agreement as well as the need for a deeper outlook on the impacts of climate change on our sectors.
Although certain, non-binding commitments were agreed; the result of the Copenhagen climate negotiations constitutes both an environmental and social failure, but is first a failure of the international negotiation system. It must therefore contribute to the definition at international level of a financial, economic, environmental and social system that allows for new development, including for the poorest countries. It must contribute to having texts under negotiation which include references to the just transition and decent work.