CLIMATE JUSTICE
‘Āina Momona is deeply committed to address the effects of climate change and sea level rise in a manner that is fair and just. Members of the ‘Āina Momona team have been participating in local, national, and international events for years.
In 2015, ‘Āina Momona Vice President Kēhau Watson participated as a delegate for COP21. She participated in pre-conference events, like this consultation meeting in Aotearoa, to help develop documents for the Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific. In September 2018, Kehau attended the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) with Tuvalu National Youth Council Coordinator Nanoua Lilivhau Ewekia.
In December 2018, ‘Āina Momona Program Director, Jane Au, was named as an alternate to the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) Facilitative Working Group of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).
The LCIPP Facilitative Working Group is a constituted body that was established at COP 24 in Katowice, December 2018.
The body was established with the objective of further operationalizing the LCIPP and facilitating the implementation of its three functions related to knowledge, capacity for engagement, and climate change policies and actions (see decision 2/CP.23, paragraph 6 for more detail on the functions). In so doing, it will also collaborate with other bodies under and outside the Convention, as appropriate, to enhance the coherence of the actions of the Platform under the Convention. The UNFCCC secretariat supports and facilitates the work of the body.
The Facilitative Working Group is comprised of 14 representatives, half of which are representatives of Parties, and half of which are representatives from indigenous peoples organizations. The addition of three representatives of local communities and three additional Party representatives will be considered in 2021, as part of a broader review.
In April 2019, Kehau spoke at a Carbon Offset Symposium on environmental justice and carbon offset projects.
Dr. Watson also served as a peer reviewer for the State of Hawaii's Sea Level Rise and Adaptation Report, available here.
A copy of the event agenda and Kehau's presentation from the Carbon Offset Symposium are available below.