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Climate Action Network to US: Stop spying, start listening!

The world’s largest network of NGOs working on climate change, Climate Action Network (CAN), today called on the United States and other governments accused of spying on climate negotiators during the Copenhagen summit in 2009, to publicly renounce such underhanded tactics.

318756_10151206212017716_387620629_nCAN condemns such actions. The work currently underway to secure a comprehensive, global plan to save the climate – which is supposed to be delivered in 2015 and include all countries – already suffers from a dearth of trust between nations. If we are to achieve this monumental deal for the planet, all countries must work on repairing these burnt bridges.

Governments of the world must acknowledge that climate change will only be solved when they all work together – openly and honestly – towards a common goal that reflects the planetary emergency facing us, rather than in the interests of fossil fuel corporations.

The IPCC’s recent first installment of the fifth assessment report – released in September – said that in to have a good chance of avoiding the very worst impacts of climate change, carbon pollution would need to peak in the next few years, and that if we failed to reduce emissions, we were on track to use all of our remaining carbon budget in the next 30 years.

The countries who have been accused of spying – including the US, UK, Canada and Australia – are among those who have done the most to cause the climate crisis and can also be leaders in delivering solutions.

But we need a radical shift in ambition and trust to tackle the planetary emergency – and that starts with the attitudes of the governments to this problem over the next two crucial years for the climate.

The allegations come off the back of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address this week which failed to raise to bar on climate action.

Civil society is watching and we expect these governments to close the gap between current levels of inaction and what climate science is saying needs to be done.

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