Solidarity Village for a Cool Planet ( Bali, 6 – 10 December 2007 )
In the past decade we have witnessed dozens of tremendous natural disasters that caused devastating impacts to humanity as the result of climate change……The impact of climate change not only hits farmers, pastoralists, and fisher folks whose work are highly dependent to climate, but also the whole earth dwellers.
Background
In the past decade we have witnessed dozens of tremendous natural disasters that caused devastating impacts to humanity as the result of climate change. Heavy rains come earlier and stay longer than in the past. Floods and land slides cannot be avoided due to this, destrying farmland and farmer housing and creating more big problems for the rural livelihood. Then suddenly unpredicted drought comes,lasting for a very long time, and worsening the problem.
The impact of climate change not only hits farmers, pastoralists, and fisher folks whose work are highly dependent to climate, but also the whole earth dwellers. Urban people for instance, also have to face floods that are worse these past decades because of climate change.
Furthermore, certain diseases are spreading wider due to climate change.
Based on the facts above we can say that the economic burden that poor people are facing are worsen with the effect of climate change. These poor people are the most vulnerable to climate change.
Green houses gases are causing global warming, which shifts the normal climate pattern. These gases are produced mainly from human activities based on fossil fuel burning, namely industrial process and transportation.
In the effort to cool down the planet we must reduce green house gas emissions. Is it possible to do?
Unfortunately, under the neoliberal model of development the efforts to reduce emissions seems impossible. The principe of free trade in this development model has made transnational corporations produce vast amount of goods, which need higher amount of fossil fuel.
Free trade is also led to the increasing transport of goods from one continent to the other that need huge number of energy mainly from fossil fuel.
As one of the major elements of liberalization, privatization also make transnational corporations have the control over vast amounts of agrarian resources. They abandoned the people mode of production that are human labour intensive and transform it into industrial mode of production that is technology intensive. This industrial mode of production needs machinery, chemical pesticides and fertilizer and all of these are highly depend on fossil fuel.
Export oriented mode of production of TNCs, which produce more than they can consume locally, transforming natural forest into industrial forest and also convert sustainable agriculture into industrial-based monoculture plantation that has less ability to absorb carbon.
United Nations (UN) will held the 13th Conference of the Parties United Nations Framework Commissions on Climate Change (COP 13 UNFCCC) in Bali, Indonesia from 3 to 14 of December 2007. Thousands of official delegates are confirming to come including not less then 40 leaders of government. The summit plans to have discussion on mitigation and adaptation fund, technological transfer and Reducing Emission from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD).
Can these solutions solve the problem of climate change?
Instead of solving the problem, the solutions that are being offered have the potential to worsen the current situation on climate change and people’s livelihood.
Adaptation proposals create an opportunity for big trans-national agribusiness corporations to introduce GMO seeds that resist to climate change. While the technology transfer mechanism can be a new playing ground for IFIs to offer new debt scheme for the developing countries in the name of saving the planet.
The REDD program that will be implemented through conservation forest has the potential to expel forest dwellers from their land.
Another important issue is regarding carbon trading that already develop these past few years will only become another escape door for the industrial countries from their responsibility to stop filling the air with greenhouse gases.
Seeing the fact above it is important for peasant, fisher folk, pastoralist, forest dwellers and other social movements to have their own view on the global warming, since they are the real victims of neo liberal policies that creates poverty, hunger and also global warming in this earth.
In response to the 13th COP UNFCCC in Bali by the end of the year, La Via Campesina would like to propose “Solidarity Village for A Cool Planet.” Federation of Indonesian Peasants’ Movement as a member of Via Campesina along with Indonesian People Movement Against Neo-colonialism and Imperialism (Gerak Lawan) will be the host of this event.
We would like to invite the peasants, fisher folks, pastoralist organizations, environment organizations, women movement organization, consumer organizations and other social movements with the common view on the failure of the neo-liberal model to come and make their articulation in Bali during the UN meeting.
Characteristic
- This event is an initiatives of Federation of Indonesian Peasants’ Movement (FSPI) with Indonesian People’s Movement Against Neo-Colonialism and Imperialism (Gerak Lawan)
- We invite our friends and allies to co-organize the “village”. We will prepare our activities together to strengthen our articulation during the UNFCCC meeting in Bali.
Activities
The “Solidarity Village for a Cool Planet”, where it plan become the center of activities of social movement, we plan to have :
- People’s Conference : Presentations and testimonials from peasants, fisherfolks, labor, women, consumers, trade union, environment groups and other social movements on their experiences, problems and their -alternatives on global climate change.
- Workshops, debates and discussions on how the neoliberal development model has been creating climate change and global warming. There will be also special discussions on the issue of agro-fuel, adaptation of agriculture to climate change and global warming, and forging of a common position from people’s movements.
- Fieldtrip to local village where peasants and fisherfolk practice local knowledge in their production activities that are environmentally friendly.
For further information and contact:
Email to Tejo Pramono (email: [email protected])
and visit website of La Via Campesina (www.viacampesina.org) and website of FSPI (www.fspi.or.id).