The intense dialogue continued Jan 29, 2009 at the WSF in Belem, these images are from Climate Panels. The testimony here reveals that Carbon Trading and the Clean Development Mechanism are having severe impacts on Southern and indigenous peoples, and ultimately won’t achieve lower carbon emissions.
El Salvadorian Panelist Caroline Amaika of Jubilee South:
“They [Global North] have not lowered their emissions…”
“Climate change is like a boat adrift. We are traveling 3rd class, but it is even affecting first class.”
Moira Millan, a speaker from Patagonia, Argentina of the Mapuche people:
“We have become guardians of the earth, believing that we have to follow the spirit left by our ancestors, resisting the extractive model.”
“The world crisis is a great opportunity against this colonization”
“Floods are the direct outcome of the destruction in Amazonia”.
“Nature is already giving us a very clear answer.”
“We have to change the production consumption model”.
Hugo, with Friends of the Earth International:
“Climate Change could be considered as a symptom that our planet feels as a consequence of the 200 years of destruction that was brought by capitalist hegemonization of the planet.
…There is a direct correlation between capitalism and historical warming…
…We can call this the climate debt, the CO2 debt.”
“Social change must take place today if we want to avoid a planetary collapse.”
Christophe Aguitou of Franch urges that we “…do what we can do to achieve a critical mass at Copenhagen.”
South African Michelle Pressend, of biowatch.org took the mic:
“We have this whole now form of green consumerism emerging”
“What can we do to bring in environmental groups that are entrenched in a very technical debate?”
“People have the right to feed themselves and survive and to protect their agriculture as well.”
Teresa Turner of the International Oil Working Group (See oilwatch.org) took the mic: “If we could recognize these women led initiatives to keep fossil fuels underground, in Nigeria, Canada, Ecuador, Peru, and other oil and coal producing areas, then this could be revolutionary tipping point to a post capitalist, post fossil fuel reality”.
