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Well, here we are again. In for yet another roller coaster ride through the climate negotiations that are COP26. This time, direct from sunny Glasgow, with its stunning Victorian architecture, lively spirit and basically its own language and sense of humour. And so to business and back by popular demand, the first of our ‘Fossil of the Day’ Awards.

The First Fossil of the Day Award goes to the UK Presidency, in partnership with the UNFCCC secretariat, for their exceptional organisation.

CAN asked for a COP postponement, as we feared people from the developing world wouldn’t be able to come and advocate for climate justice in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

But the UK presidency insisted that COP26 was going ahead and was prepared to welcome the global community to ‘the most inclusive COP ever’…

This spirit of inclusivity has showcased what the Brits do best – the art of queuing for hours in some cases. People who’ve invested time and resources to travel to Glasgow have waited patiently only to find there is “no room at the inn” for civil society and told to ‘join events online’ – to then find they were offline… We might as well have stayed at home, though we would have missed the weather…

We hope this inaugural COP26 Fossil of the Day serves as a wake up call.
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Our voices are being silenced and it´s not funny. 

Despite emptier hallways this evening, we continue to hold space even as our colleagues are shut outside in the cold simply for raising their voices for a better future and climate justice.

Today, the UNFCCC security deserves a fossil but we had previously decided to give it to a few nasty countries and we won’t let the UNFCCCs bad behaviour derail us from commenting on the negotiations.

Today we award the first place fossil of the day award to Japan for rejecting the opportunity to commit to climate ambition and coal phase out.

It is hard to describe how deeply disappointed we are with Japan’s announcement — or  lack thereof — today. 

Japan’s Environment Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, said Japan rejected yet another opportunity to improve its “highly insufficient” emission reduction target and to end financing for coal.

Since 2012, Japan has built 15 new coal plants; an additional 15 NEW domestic coal-fired power plants are currently under construction. This deadly buildout would make it impossible for Japan to achieve its already insufficient target, let alone raise ambition.

Japan also continues to be the world’s second largest financier of coal-fired power plants overseas. The country argues that its “highly efficient” coal-fired technologies contribute to the lives of people in developing countries, however,  the science is clear: coal has to be immediately phased out everywhere in the world if we are to have any hope of limiting warming to 1.5ºC. 
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The US and Russia

Looks like the US and Russia share more than the ability to bully other countries, rig elections, and lead in climate-wrecking oil and gas production! They want to make loss and damage weak again

The US gets the fossil for opposing that money reach vulnerable communities through the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for Loss and Damage, to deal with climate change impacts, which Uncle Sam has helped cause by being a massive polluter.

Russia gets to share the fossil award with the US for having the chutzpah to try and throw out human rights and gender from the loss and damage negotiations.

The US folks seem to have a very short memory. They’re forgetting that waaaay back in 2013, countries agreed to “enhance action and support, including finance” for loss and damage via the WIM. 

And Russia, come on! A record of human rights abuses both at home and blatantly at the international level? This is an overdose of bad vodka! You cannot revoke people’s right to life, to a home, and to education, with a stroke of a pen.

Hey Russia, if you don’t understand how gender, human rights, and climate are related, maybe you shouldn’t be part of this conversation?
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At this rate, fossil awards will run out! Several countries awarded the Fossil of the Day again! 

Bosnia and Slovenia rank first! 

Slovenia wants to fund Bosnia’s coal addiction through Slovenian NLB Banka, partly owned by the government, and partly by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 

That is unheard of! If your brother suffers from drug addiction, it’s not great to offer him money to buy more drugs. 

World leaders are gathering here in Madrid to address climate change by cutting emissions, primarily through coal and other fossil fuels phase-out. As Europe prepares to pledge to be the first climate-neutral continent, it is shameful that Europe’s banks work in the opposite direction! 

The second fossil award goes to Australia! Again! 

Australia evades its responsibility as a wealthy nation and major climate polluter. It fails to do its fair share to assist Indigenous Peoples in less developed countries (LDCs) in the face of catastrophic climate impacts. And now Australia has used the vulnerability of First Peoples to claim that we need to; ‘break down the developed/developing country divide’! This would give Australia the same financial responsibility for climate action as, for example, Timor Leste, Vanuatu, Tuvalu or Bangladesh. THIS IS DISGRACEFUL! 
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It’s a tie! Three countries managed to equally rank first at being the worst!
Today’s fossil award goes to Australia, Brazil and Japan. They managed to be as bad as each other!

Prime Minister Scott Morrison enjoying a game of cricket as fires rage in Australia

As Australia has been on fire in recent weeks – literally – with an astounding 6000-kilometre front of flaming destruction killing six people, wiping out homes, forests, precious habitat and farmland. Experts, one after another, connected the dots to climate change.

But not Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison. He made his view known on national radio, declaring that Australia’s unprecedented bushfires were unconnected to climate change. He said he doesn’t think that Australia doing more on climate would have changed fire outcomes this season, despite Australia being the world’s third biggest fossil fuel exporter.

Instead of taking responsible action on climate change, the Prime Minister made clear he was sending his thoughts and prayers to those who had suffered loss. Forget climate action, just thoughts and prayers. 

The same day as fires busily destroyed people’s lives, Prime Minister Morrison went to a cricket game, and happily posed with cricketers tweeting: “Going to be a great summer of cricket, and for our firefighters and fire-impacted communities, I’m sure our boys will give them something to cheer for.”
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