Climate Emergency Network Charter: September 2008 (Download as single page PDF file)
• The Climate Emergency Network (CEN) is a not-for-profit, non-politically-aligned network of community organisations who are campaigning for all of the objectives listed below. Members of the CEN are individuals, groups and organisations who agree with and support this CEN charter.
• The Danger We Face:
• We have examined the latest science (1) and symptoms of global heating. The imminent disintegration of the Arctic ice is an alarming indicator of rapid climate change.
• Our Earth is already too hot. Dangerous climate change is happening now, and accelerating.
• We are extremely concerned that the current targets in relation to reducing greenhouse gas emissions are dangerously inadequate and will expose our world to unacceptable levels of risk.
• The window of opportunity for effective action is rapidly closing. We need to act at a pace far beyond business and politics as usual.
Our Core Values:
• We have no right to bargain away the lives of others. Our goal is a safe climate future for all people, all species, and all generations.
What The Global Community Must Do:
• The Global Community must concurrently halt man made greenhouse gas emissions, remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and actively cool the Earth.
• Climate Emergency Network Objectives:
All levels of all governments across the globe must recognise and work together to fulfil their responsibility to secure a safe climate; it is their moral and legal dutyof-care to their citizens.
Underpinned by legislation, governments must lead a large-scale transformation to a post-carbon economy.
Given the extreme urgency and enormous scale of transformation required, governments must acknowledge the climate and sustainability emergency, and implement a rapid response plan to urgently and effectively address it, whilst respecting basic human rights and freedoms.
The community must be engaged in recognising and supporting the climate emergency. Therefore, we will work to engage citizens in taking responsibility for recognising and responding to the climate emergency.
Footnote: (1) “Climate Code Red: The Case for a Sustainability Emergency”, Spratt and Sutton, 2008; www.climatecodered.net.