At a critical moment to still avoid the point of no return in climate change, the latest official reports indicate that it is not enough to reduce or neutralize emissions, but that large-scale CO2 removals need to occur to meet the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement.

 

Currently, the removal of excess CO2 from the atmosphere means cleaning up something that belongs to no one. It is like cleaning up in a legal vacuum, because the Atmosphere itself, or the functional dimension of the Climate System, are not recognized as a Common Good. Moreover, the benefits that ecosystems provide to the climate disappear in this legal black hole... And, as a consequence, they are not visible to the economy and no value is recognized to them.

 

During the first 10 years of the Paris Agreement the goal was to incentivize activities that reduce, avoid, or neutralize current emissions. We want that Paris+10 in 2025 becomes the starting point of a project that not only mitigates emissions, but that begins a process towards cleaning up the CO2 previously accumulated in the atmosphere. To this end, this Task Force proposes the recognition of a Stable Climate as a Common Heritage of Humankind - as established in Art.15, f) of the Portuguese Climate Law (Law nº 98/2021 of December 31st).

 

The Stable Climate Heritage would represent the functional dimension –the Software of our planet in a well-functioning state. A global, indivisible, intangible common good that should be managed in the interest of all generations. This new legal instrument would enable that the intangible benefits produced by nature, become accounted for in this Common Heritage, instead of continuing to disappear into the current legal vacuum. Recognizing the Climate as a Common Heritage of Humankind would mean that the efforts to restore and maintain biodiversity, the terrestrial and marine ecosystems, could become visible to the economy, and it would be the economy itself the creator of a dynamic of restoration of the supports of life.

 

For now, this mission belongs to a few, but it is urgent that it becomes everyone's mission. Making a Stable Climate a heritage of all life on Earth, or as we call, a Common Heritage of Humankind, is only a first step towards cleaning and maintaining our Common Home and creating greater justice between peoples and generations.

 

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We all are Climate and we all make Climate. Join us!