Bonn SB60 June Climate Meetings: What are the kinds of Logical Fallacies Used and Practiced

Looking how fallacies work inside the climate negotiations

<I am a CSO representative who represents the climate vulnerable and acknowledges my priviliges in traveling to and attending climate negotiations. Views are my own and doesn't represent my organization>

The technical session of the global climate negotiations ended few hours back. Tension and anxiety were high throughout the venue on the last day of the June meetings. Negotiators were eager to resolve outstanding issues or, at the very least, ensure that the discussions in Bonn could contribute to the next session. The 3 pm closing plenary dragged into 8 pm, clearly highlighting the results of yet another stalemate.

To me, it didn’t deliver. I will give one example, the 40 Euros I had spent for breakfast and lunch at Bonn was equivalent to the "charity" given as tokenistic humanitarian aid to some vulnerable communities of Bangladesh after extreme weather events

Harjeet Singh of Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative wrote in Twitter “Climate finance at international talks has morphed into a battleground, a glaring testament to years of neglect and deception by developed nations”. He further stated "These countries have not only skirted their historical responsibilities but have also consistently deployed delay tactics shifting burdens onto the shoulders of developing countries” –

These diversion tactics and the meanings behind meanings are age old negotiations fallacies which were crude in the negotiations 20 years back however these tactics now are blatantly apparent and evident.

Let’s look at some.

• Red Herring Fallacy: A?red herring fallacy?is an attempt to redirect a conversation away from its original topic. A red herring is used by introducing an irrelevant piece of information that distracts the reader or listener from the actual topic. This can be intentional or unintentional. It is evident from the current negotiation tactics and as Harjeet mentioned, that the developed countries are using is to frustrate the negotiation process. It is intentional. The UAE annual dialogues, which were agreed upon last year in Dubai was a promise to the deliver climate finance to developing countries to implement climate actions. However, we were rather greeted with plethora of administrative nitty-gritty on "how" and "when" or "who" or "to what extent" paragraphs after paragraphs of pointless processes. This is a clear method of stalling the process and not giving precedence to the actual impacts of climate change neither acknowledging the urgency of those impacted. As my colleague Alexia Knappmann kept repeating a quote the entire week "while the elephants are fighting, the grasses are being trampled" and this stuck to my heart. It is indeed has become a battle of the big powerhouses and not about the people. Distort the argument as you please but I just want to remind everyone that beyond "text, commas, and,or and brackets" the most vulnerable who have NO say in these sessions are suffering as we concluded the discussions.

#PayUp

• Straw man fallacy is the distortion of someone else's argument instead of addressing the actual position or argument of the other person, the fallacy involves substitution, often time with a weaker or exaggerated version that is easier to critisize. ?One of the most famous examples I have heard throughout my career was “those who advocate for environmental protection are clearly against progress and economic development.” Usally the wealthy nations I have noticed always comes up with reasons when the topic of finance is brought up with excuses. Such as how finance should flow, questions where finance would sit the favours them, issue with lack of financial framework, transparency, and governance of developing countries - which are frankly common arguments presented to divert audiences from the topic of climate finance as Ambassador Mr. Ad?o Soares Barbosa from Timor-Leste mentioned in one of his deliberation at the SBs, "it is not about the interests we make from the climate finance, it is about putting the most vulnerable people back on their feet." As cyclone Remal of 2024 leaves behind magnitude of destruction in Bangladesh including access to safe drinking water, I often wonder which argument is important to these parties. Let me be clear, our motives and efforts are not to gain any incentives out of these overdue finances. Our intention is to simply help the vulnerable and ensure the minimum support, their basic human rights they deserve are given to them before it is too late.

On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights.

#PayUp

• Appeal to authority: As the statement reads, the authority figures is sought to decide an argument whether the case presenter has a say or not. While we conclude the SB "talk shop" we have constantly seen appeals to higher authorities for some “guidance” i.e. Fossil Fuel companies, Warmongering countries, while we scientists and front-line actors are repeatedly providing evidence/examples/death counts and countless losses and damages suffered by millions of people worldwide - nothing seems to penetrate the urgency as long as there is a higher authority to make a decision later, or the year after or unless it meets their demands.

#PayUp

• The bandwagon fallacy, also known as the appeal to the masses or appeal to common belief fallacy, is the logical fallacy of claiming that something is true because everyone believes it. The biggest fallacy is these negotiation processes, after the 60th SB is that we are leaving Bonn with the hope that we have saved the planet? No. We are leaving with yet another year of negotiation or a technical session to solve the climate crisis. While we keep on appealing for our rightful right to overdue climate finance, authorities have agreed on two more SBs (61 and 62), two more years and two more COPs alongside bickering about technicalities - with the hope no cyclones, floods, heatwaves will claim more lives in the process (sarcasm intended).

#PayUp

The false dilemma fallacy involves presenting a limited number of viable options "as if they were" the only options available. This forces people to choose between two extremes, even though there is a spectrum of possibilities in between. The fallacy is misleading and prevents honest debate.

The The Loss and Damage Collaboration quoted Alden Meyer in one of their post “It was great that we got an $700 million USD pledged for the Loss and Damage Fund. But in retrospect we are still spending $3.5 billion USD a day to subsidise FossilFuels." We can't indeed sit back and witness this injustice.

How to Identify and Avoid Logical Fallacies if you are following the Negotiations:

• Critical Analysis: Examine arguments carefully, looking for errors in reasoning.
• Question Assumptions: Challenge the premises of arguments to see if they hold up.
• Seek Clarity: Ensure that arguments are clear and that terms are well-defined.
• Evidence-Based Reasoning: Support arguments with strong, relevant evidence.
• Education and Practice: Familiarize yourself with various logical fallacies and practice identifying them in different contexts.
• Never fear to question or raise a POI: Fear is the only thing stopping you from asking or challenging

I will end with another qoute from The Loss and Damage Collaboration about what Tetet Nera-Lauron said at a press conference held by Demand Climate Justice said "enough is enough! - I applaud this brave lady who I have seen from far and thank her for reminding basic etiquettes to the developed nations. “We learnt the rules in kindergarten. You have to play fair. You have to say sorry. You have to clean up your mess! At the end of the game it is always the good guys who win." - It is indeed time to clean up their mess.

I assure you, regardless of how many fallacies you throw at us, the climate vulnerable people I represent will win. We will win.

We know how it works. We know how you hide behind words.

#ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #ClimateJustice #BonnClimateConference2024