A Letter to our Prime Minister at COP27

Dear Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,

Hopefully you made it to COP27 OK, with plenty of time for ice cream breaks on the plane ride over.

We are writing to you as you have a really important job to do at COP27. We don’t want to pressure you but …actually we do kinda need to, because every living being on the planet relies on you and your friends at COP27 getting this right!

This is your first COP or ‘Conference of the Parties’: 190 countries that met in Paris with the plan to “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions,” - a fancy way to say prevent the climate crisis. The goal is to prevent our world from warming up another 2 degrees Celsius — the tipping point for the worst impacts of climate change. While the agreement was a big win which set out a plan of action, since the very first COP leaders from all over the world haven’t really been listening.

The science is clear - humans have brought ourselves to the brink of disaster because of fossil fuels. The impacts we are experiencing today are happening in a world that has warmed 1.2°C above the pre-industrial average, driven mainly by the burning of coal, oil and gas.

Australia has already seen the damaging effects of the climate crisis. It’s been a scary past few years, having lived through record breaking droughts, some of the worst bushfires the world has ever seen and now, millions of people affected by flooding all over Australia. And this is unfairly impacting people the most who have done the least to contribute to it. Torres Strait Islanders (who are First Nations Australians) are having to stand up and fight for their right to live and practice culture on their Island homes which is being washed away by the climate crisis. The climate crisis is real, and it’s really beginning to hurt, which is why you and your friends at COP27 are our best chance to get ourselves out of this!

We’re not proud to say, but past Australian Governments have made the climate crisis worse by allowing more fossil fuels than ever to be dug out and burned. Fudge, the Government even gave billions of dollars to polluting fossil fuel companies to do it! Our global reputation as good planet citizens has been polluted - we even won the ‘Fossil Fool of the year’ award at COP26 because of our funding and use of fossil fuels. So, not a good starting point, but we are hopeful that you are here to represent what Australians actually voted you into Government for - climate justice. And this is the part that is most important as you have the very privileged job of being there to represent us all.

This COP27, you have the critical job of restoring our international climate reputation and righting past wrongs. Against a backdrop of worsening extreme weather disasters, conflict, food and energy crises - international cooperation and solidarity has never been more important. COP27 is the best chance for to show Australia’s climate commitments by*:

• Increasing Australia’s overall commitment to international climate finance to $3 billion over 2020-2025, as a first step to contributing its fair share.
• Supporting a new global fund to address permanent loss and damage from climate change.
• Making it clear that our 43% emissions reduction target is a starting point.
• Joining the growing list of countries that have set a clear deadline for exiting coal, and immediately ending public finance for fossil fuels.

*According to our science friends at the Climate Council, who really know their stuff when it comes to climate action!

Not only do we have the best beaches in the world, you could also get us a new title of climate leaders - reinforcing global cooperation and brokering the next phase of climate action! Our country will also play a key role in the export of clean energy commodities and critical minerals that other nations need to decarbonise their economies. It’s time for the world to go renewable, and we can be leading this world revolution!

This is some serious power you have at COP27 - please, for the love of ice cream, do not mess this up!

Yours sincerely,

Ben & Jerrys

Ps. If you need to convince your mates from other Governments to join you in making the right choices, we would be happy to share some ice cream to sweeten the deal! Just let us know and we’ll set you up with some Baked Alaska!

(Note to all people reading this that are not Anthony Albanese: You can send a message to the Prime Minister at COP27 too! Take action by sending a postcard to the PM here!)