Dinosaur "warns" humans about extinction 1:28
(CNN Spanish) -
"Extinction is not good. And cause your own extinction? In 70 million years, it is the most ridiculous thing I have heard!".
This is part of the message from Frankie, the dinosaur who stars in the new campaign of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) that warns about millionaire subsidies for fossil fuels that put the planet in check.
The world spends $ 423 billion per year to subsidize fossil fuels for consumers, according to UNDP research published Wednesday.
This amount is, according to the agency, "four times higher than what is needed to help poor countries cope with the climate crisis."
Calls to end fossil fuels have come from multiple fronts, from the UN secretary general to the Dalai Lama.
Now the UNDP is betting on a fictional character to give its message about the need to reform subsidies to the sector.
"At least we had an asteroid. What's your excuse? They're heading towards a climate disaster and every year governments spend billions on fossil fuel subsidies. Imagine if we had spent billions every year subsidizing meteorites. That's right. what they are doing right now ", is the reasoning that the dinosaur raises when 'interrupting' a United Nations assembly.
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The new data is known in the discounts of COP26, the climate summit that will bring together leaders from around the world in Glasgow, Scotland, to define actions against the crisis that the planet is going through, including financing to developing countries for that can cope with climate change and move away from fossil fuels.
This Tuesday, in addition, a report from the UN program on the environment revealed that countries' commitments to reduce carbon emissions are not enough to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the critical threshold raised by scientists to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.
Other comparisons used by UNDP: the money that goes directly to subsidies "could pay for vaccines against covid-19 for everyone on the planet or finance three times the annual amount necessary to eradicate extreme poverty in the world."
"Think of all the things you could do with that money. In the world there are many people living in poverty, don't you think that helping them would make more sense that I don't know ... to pay for the disappearance of their own species?" respect Frankie.
If you add the indirect ones, the figure rises to US $ 6 trillion, says the UNDP.
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A call for subsidy reform
UNDP calls for gradual reform of fossil fuel subsidies. "Fossil fuel subsidy reforms would help reduce CO2 emissions and benefit human health and well-being. They are also a first step towards correct pricing of energy to reflect cost." true 'and total use of fossil fuels for society and the environment, "says the agency.
Although it warns that, if not well planned, these reforms can be unfair and end up harming households.
"While these subsidies tend to be an instrument of inequality, since most of the benefits are concentrated in the rich, they also represent a significant portion of the income of poor people who otherwise must pay for consumption. of energy, "says UNDP.
Frankie's message to leaders is clear: "So here's my crazy idea: don't choose extinction. Save your species before it's too late."
