CLA News / CLA President’s July report
Greetings!
“We did not come to fear the future, we came to shape it.” Barack Obama
Extreme weather events continue to plague the planet. For example, category-5 hurricane Beryl caused 11 deaths, many injuries, unimaginable property damage, flattening towns and island settlements as it barreled across the Caribbean. Such a ferocious monster hurricane had not been previously recorded during June.
CLA lawyers want an association that is relevant to their communities in terms of economic empowerment, good governance, capacity building, innovation, and resilience – democratic and economic resilience but also climate resilience. These are all intimately connected to CLA core values of human rights, access to justice and the rule of law, and to the CLA committee, hub and project structure.
The needle has not moved enough on the SDGs and work needs to be accelerated to meet the 2030 deadlines. Much more has to be done regarding the eradication of poverty (SDG 1) and sustainable development (SDG 16). But, commendable initiatives have been started or supported, for example, in the CLA Climate Justice Committee on climate action (SDG 13), and this work should be praised and encouraged, although we still have a long way to go (if it is not too late) to prevent exceeding the Paris Agreement’s global warming limit of 1.5 degrees C.
The CLA Statement to the International Court of Justice regarding Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change, presented among other things the scientific evidence that extreme events such as hurricanes have become more frequent, larger and more intense. According to the Statement: “28. The best available science and expert consensus, including the reports of the IPCC, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), demonstrates that: … anthropogenic GHG (manmade green house gas) emissions cause, globally and locally: … increased frequency, size and intensity of extreme weather events.”
Moreover, the CLA Sabah Declaration on Climate Justice declared in its preamble the need to:
“Acknowledge the disproportionate impact of climate change on small island states, coastal communities, Indigenous peoples, and regions with fragile ecosystems, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and threatening their very existence;
Recognise that it is a deep injustice and cause of growing inequality that the most climate vulnerable countries have contributed the least greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, yet endure the very worst of its impacts;…
Recognise that the Commonwealth Charter places the utmost importance on protecting the environment, the need for multilateral cooperation, sustained commitment and collective action on climate change guided by the rule of law.”
The final operative paragraph 10 calls for lawyers to act urgently. “10. Individual lawyers should act urgently to do all they can to address the causes and consequences of the climate and ecological crises and to advance a just transition to a low emissions future.”
The Committee’s human habitat work can also encompass improved building codes and the use of hurricane roof ties and other measures. Homes were not built to withstand such powerful gusts, flooding and water surges. Flying and floating galvanized roofing and building debris are common sources of injury.
As all CLA committees and hubs consider action plans and elect officer teams over the next couple of months, their deliverables should aim to engage lawyers not only in words but also action to shape the present and the future. For your work, I thank all hub VPs, project leaders, and committee co-conveners, especially Fiona Ey and Hasan Khan of the Climate Justice and Brigid, Clare and Evie of the secretariat.
With the recent catastrophic events in the Caribbean in mind, please consider donating to the relief efforts, for example via https://svghurricanerelief.gov.vc/hurricane/ and https://thecommonwealth.org/hurricane-beryl
