STATEMENT

BRICS need to RISE to the challenge of phasing out fossil fuels

Responding to the beginning of the 10th summit of the BRICS bloc hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, where a delegation of BRICS Leaders’ will discuss opportunities around the key focus area of “leveraging the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership towards the pursuit of Inclusive Growth and Advancing the 4th Industrial Revolution,” 350.org in the BRICS countries issued the following:

If BRICS countries are serious about kickstarting a 4th industrial revolution, they need to acknowledge that it will only be possible through a fast and just transition to renewable energy. With China bailing out Eskom, the South African tax payer and energy user will be understandably frustrated that this money is being used to prop up and fund coal generation, when developing generation from renewable energy has proved cheaper and quicker. Emerging economies such as South Africa can benefit from a deep transformation of the energy sector, creating more and cleaner jobs, cleaning up our air and supporting innovation and new technology rather than old, dirty energy projects such as the Thabametsi coal plant. – Glen Tyler, South Africa team leader at 350.org

In order to efficiently address BRICS countries’ needs for sustainability and fair development, we call on the Brazilian government to show real climate leadership, and this can only be done with continuous actions towards a fossil free economy. In June 2017, during the so-called ‘Strategic Dialogue‘, Temer and Putin agreed on prioritizing the fight against global warming as something ‘unavoidable’, but have done very little in the way of new internal policies and commitments so far. – Nicole Oliveira, Latin America team leader at 350.org