Hyderabad Climate Change Summit 2015 Resolutions

Hyderabad Climate Change Summit 2015 held on December 8 in the city to understand climate change with a focus on local issues. As a result of the summit, following resolutions have been made.

RESOLUTIONS

Action at the global level:

• Reduce global energy consumption by 60%. Even without phasing out fossil fuels, each of the following actions can reduce global emissions by 10%:
  • Shrink cities and re-ruralize. Cities consume 75% of global energy use. They are energy consumers and not producers. Their energy consumption per unit area is >100 times that of its hinterland.  They have the same relation with their hinterlands as imperial countries had with their colonies.
  • Phase out air travel and private land and sea transport.  Air travel contributes to 5% of global emissions. Air travel and private transport are emission-intensive and do not serve the majority of people.
  • Nuclear energy is not a substitute to Fossil fuels. It cannot be taken recourse to as clean and safe energy.
  • Move towards soft borders all over the world.  This will reduce the need for large standing armies, security forces  and weapons of all kind, including of mass destruction.
• Keep all the remaining fossil fuels reserves underground to avoid overshooting the remaining carbon space.
• Move towards a time-bounded global energy and emissions equity for all people. An equitable and sustainable per capita energy use is ~0.8 toe per annum, which is sufficient to live a decent middle class life, but without owning private transport. To achieve this:

• USA and Canada must reduce their energy consumption by 90% and Europe including Russia, Autrlasia and Japan by 75%.

• Set up a universal air emissions standard for the entire world.
• Move towards decentralized solar, biomass and animate energy.
• Set up quantified sustainability indices.

Signatories:

1. HUM-HYDERABADI: a movement , Hyderabad, India
2. SAVE OUR URBAN LAKES (SOUL), Hyderabad, India
3. NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLES’ MOVEMENTS (NAPM) –TELANGANA, Hyderabad, India
4. ENERGY CONSERVATION MISSION(ECM), Hyderabad, India
5. Chetana Society, Hyderabad
6. Joint Action for Water, Hyderabad

View full PDF of Hyderabad Climate Change Summit 2015 here.