COP18: SSC delegate speaks at opening plenary

A letter from Joseph Manning, Sierra Student Coalition Executive Committee Chair: 

Hello all,

This afternoon Adriana Gonzales, Sierra Student Coalition Delegate to COP18, gave the NGO intersession to the opening plenary of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) on behalf of the Climate Action Network International. 

In her remarks, Adriana stressed the importance of developing smart agricultural policy that will "include considerations and safeguards that protect and promote food security, biodiversity, equitable access to resources, the right to food, animal welfare, and the rights of indigenous peoples and local populations, while promoting poverty reduction and climate adaptation." 

She also reminded the Body that, despite many promises, harmful fossil fuel subsidies still exist. She called on SBSTA to facilitate the end of dirty subsidies saying "countries continue to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidizing fossil fuels each year. SBSTA should ensure its reporting guidelines for biennial reports include guidance to report on the existence of and efforts to remove these subsidies, to facilitate the removal of these harmful subsidies." 

Please remember to tell your friends to follow us on twitter (@Intl_SSC) and Facebook to find out more about what is happening at COP18.

Thanks,

Joseph