Quest for Global Sustainability

CROP EVENT at COP 21: Climate Change, Science and the Oslo Principles.

Event co-organised by UNESCO, the Global Justice Program at Yale University and CROP-ISSC/UiB, with participation from the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research. 

Full-day programme as pdf | Event poster as pdf | Find out more about COP21 

The main objective of the events to be held both at the UNESCO Pavilion at COP21 and the UNESCO headquarters is to present and discuss the Oslo Principles on Global Obligations to Reduce Climate Change adopted on 1 March 2015 by a group of experts in international law, human rights and environmental law.

Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges of our time. Scientific assessments indicate that a two degrees Celsius increase in the earth’s mean global surface temperature over the pre-industrial level will have an adverse and irreversible impact on life and the environment. The rate of global climate change requires urgent action in order to avert disaster. Scientists from prestigious European research institutes (Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Norway and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, Germany) will present and discuss the state of the climate, projections and risks, as an introduction to the presentations of the Oslo Principles.

International law defines obligations to protect and advance fundamental human rights. Human rights that are threatened by climate change and its effect on people’s ability to exercise such rights include the right to health, water, food and a clean environment, as well as the rights of children, women, minorities and indigenous peoples. International law also recognises that each state is legally responsible for harmful effects that human activities within state territory may have on other states. Within this framework, the experts will explain how the Oslo Principles point out the legal obligations of states and enterprises to implement the urgent measures necessary to avert climate change and its catastrophic effects.

Based on the Oslo Principles, the expert panel will present and discuss a list of specific obligations for states and enterprises in order to ensure that the average global surface temperature does not exceed pre-industrial temperature by more than two degrees Celsius.

CROP Book Launch
There is also convincing evidence that climate change threatens the well-being of the Earth’s inhabitants and disproportionally affects the most vulnerable and poor. Poverty eradication is among the most pressing global challenges faced by our generation. A book with the title “Poverty and the Millennium Development Goals: A critical look forward” is due to be published in early 2016 and will be presented at this event. This book provides a much-needed critique of the prevailing development agenda and signals the need to establish an independent, transparent methodology to measure results and create accountability. It also outlines a radical alternative approach to development, in which policy is informed by the knowledge and experience insights of those who live in poverty, face social exclusion and are already suffering the consequences of climate change.