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The U.S. Fossil

Dec 6, 2019 | Climate Justice, Global Climate Policy

Americans are used to hearing that the United States is a climate delinquent. Since President Trump has initiated the process of withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement, Americans can be forgiven for asking why there is a US delegation at the Madrid climate negotiations at all. The Paris Agreement is not the whole of the COP: the US committed decades ago to participate in the United Nations Framework on Climate Change along with 196 other countries, and so far, there has been no move to walk away from that table. But we understand that our relationship with climate policy is tenuous at the moment.

So, no one is surprised that the US received a “Fossil of the Day” award from the Climate Action Network at COP. CAN represents hundreds of NGOs around the world, ranging from environmental think-tanks to grassroots social justice groups and faith communities. These organizations come to the COP to advocate for ambitious, just, effective climate policy, and the Fossil award goes to countries “doing the best at being the worst” in terms of advancing climate policy.

But Americans should understand why the US received today’s Fossil, and why faith communities supported the award so strongly. Today’s US Fossil nomination came because the US delegation to the COP opposes the suggestion that wealthy countries should provide funds to help developing nations address “loss and damage” resulting from climate change. 

This is a hard-hearted position, and it is also short-sighted. Currently, faith communities provide humanitarian relief throughout the world in response to climate-induced crises. As these crises proliferate, it’s clear faith communities will be unable to keep up with growing demand. It is imperative that governments provide the funds for vulnerable populations and communities to undertake adaptive strategies—but some climate impacts defy adaptation. If funds are not available to for effective remedies in cases of loss and damage, then humanitarian response will be strained even further.