Evo Morales to Join Peoples Global Forum in Cancun Today

From Via Campesina:

Bolivian President Evo Morales, will participate on Thursday November 9 in a People Gathering in the framework of the Forum for the Life, Climate and Social Justice organized by La Via Campesina and other organizations Cancun, Mexico. The president’s visit confirms his support and solidarity with the alternative spaces that have been convened in the framework of the COP 16 that started last November 29 and will close on 10 December.

The arrival of Morales is scheduled at 3pm in the Unidad Deportiva Jacinto Canek where the Via Campesina camp is located.

The Vía Campesina Camp gathers about two thousand people from various countries of the world including women and men, youth and children, people affected by the destruction of the environment, farmers, landless peasants, indigenous people and activists from all social sectors.

According to official statements Evo Morales will address issues such as the integrated management of native forests, the respect for countries’ food sovereignty, the full realization of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, funding from developed countries to developing countries and the recognition of Mother Earth. More over, he will talk about the possibility of building a popular project and the challenges of social movements in the struggle for climate justice.

“… We know that Mother Earth can be without any human life, but there will be no humans without Mother Earth. Don’t commodify life,” said the president of Bolivia.

Via Campesina Communication Team

Contacto:
Alfredo Acedo
Cel. 52 1 55 3943 0712
alfredo_acedo@hotmail.com

The Climate Trial We Should Be having

If you don’t know Tim DeChristopher, or Bidder #70, this Friday is your chance to learn more about him and why he is facing many years in federal prison.  His trial has been delayed eight times now, perhaps in an attempt to keep the public eye off contentious issues: the hawking of pristine public lands to gas and oil developers and the connection between burning dirty fuels and climate disruption.

What did Tim DeChristopher do?

In December of 2008, in the waning days of the out-going Bush Administration, DeChristopher registered as a bidder at a fire-sale auction of gas and oil leases at the Bureau of Land Management offices in Utah.  Hundreds of thousands of acres of public land–many of them adjacent to national parks–were being auctioned off parcel by parcel to the highest bidder for oil and gas drilling.

As Bidder #70, DeChristopher won several leases worth a total of $1.8 million dollars. The problem was he didn’t have the intent nor the ability to pay the money, which threw the whole auction into disarray. However, it did accomplish his real intent–to stop what he considered the far higher crime of despoiling public land and furthering climate change with oil and gas development.  It also exposed the corrupt leasing process, which was later nullified by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar under the Obama Administration.

Tired of the delays, DeChristopher and his supporters are going ahead with a trial of their own this Friday across from the federal courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. They are calling it the Climate Trial that should be taking place and will be performing interactive street theater that is sure to humorous with serious themes.  According to the website, “This trial is not just about Tim; it’s about holding the real criminals accountable. Join us—you’ll be the jury—deciding where the responsibility lies for passing on a healthy world to our children.”

Once his court date finally arrives (now set for Feb. 28, 2011), DeChristopher potentially faces many years in prison and hundred of thousands in fines for the two felonies with which he is being charged.

Thousands across the country have rallied in support of DeChristopher and are preparing to come to Salt Lake City or hold solidarity actions elsewhere during his trial.  Some big names have also expressed their support, including Bill McKibben, James Hansen, Robert Redford, Naomi Klein, and Terry Tempest Williams, who all signed a public letter of support and urging mobilization during the trial.

Here is one statement from the letter, concerning DeChristopher’s felony charges:

“The government calls that “violating the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act” and thinks he should spend ten years in jail for the crime; we call it a noble act, a profound gesture made on behalf of all of us and of the future.”

Here is DeChristopher speaking at the Salt Lake City Global Day of Action on 10/10/10 last month:

La Via Campesina Organizes International Caravans for Life, Resistance, and Environmental Justice in Mexico

Announcement from Via Campesina:

Over a thousand women and men, farmers, indigenous people, urban and rural people affected by social and environmental destruction are planning to march in 5 caravans towards Cancun, Mexico, in protest against the indolence of the dominant countries and capitalists of the world gathering for the conference of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change from November 29 to December 10, 2010.

The caravans co-organised by the National Assembly of People Affected by the Environment and the international peasant’s movement La Via Campesina and by a convergence of diverse social movements from the United States, Canada and Mexico will kick off in San Luis Potosi, Guadalajara, and Acapulco, joining other rural, urban and student movements in Mexico City on November 30 for a mass protest for environmental and social justice . Two other caravans will then depart from Oaxaca and Chiapas, all converging to Cancun on December 3 for the inauguration of the Farmers’s and Indigenous Camp organized by La Via Campesina.

The caravans’ journeys will bring local struggles against social and environmental injustices into the limelight as the global community convenes for the climate negotiations in Cancun. They will denounce the widespread apathy in the face of the current socio-environmental scandals, as well as the Mexican government’s maneuvering to implement mega-projects for “Clean Development Mechanisms (MDL)” which in fact devastate communities and the environment. This is the case of the large industrial pig farms such as Smithfield, the production of agrofuels for airplanes, the  ”semi- remediation” of open air garbage dumps, large hydro-dams and new GMO extensions.

In solidarity with this movement against corporate greed in the name of “climate change”, Via Campesina farmers from around the world and other activists will join the caravans. According to Henry Saragih, general coordinator of La Via Campesina, “leaders from Asia will also march with the affected people of Mexico and North America. In my country Indonesia, people also lead hundreds even thousands of struggles, at local level, against commercial projects destroying people livelihoods and the environment”.

Josie Riffaud, a Via Campesina farmer leader from France also insisted that “the solutions being discussed in the climate talks are very scary. We are being told that some projects will help solve the current climate chaos, but it is an illusion. We are seeing an increase of monoculture plantations, genetic engeneering, agrofuels plantations, landgrabbing, all of this will further increase devastation and exclusion”.

In Cancun, La Via Campesina and its allies will organise an “Alternative Global Forum for Life and Environmental and Social Justice”, on December 5 through 8, and a mass mobilisation of peasants, indigenous and social movements on December 7. At the same time, in Cancun and around the world, thousands of people and organisation will mobilise creating “thousands of Cancuns” to denounce the false solutions against climate change and to promote a real system change.

Joel Francis Offers Prop 23 Challenge: Explain Yourself Mr. Koch

I’m imagining the scenario in my mind’s eye:

Joel Francis, the Cal State senior who challenged billionaire Charles Koch to meet him “anytime, anywhere in the state before election day” to debate Prop 23, shows up tomorrow afternoon at the office of Koch Industries in Wichita, Kansas.

Ding-dong.

“Hello?”

“Yes, this is Joel Francis, California resident and concerned citizen. On behalf of millions of young Californians, I’m here to talk with Charles about why he is meddling with our democracy by funding a proposition that would roll back progress on climate action and cause billions of dollars in new clean energy technology and green jobs to dry up.  Is he in?”

“Yes. Just a moment, he’ll be right down.”

Then Joel proceeds to demolish Koch in a debate that is aired during prime-time in front of millions of eyeballs.

Here’s the challenge:

Well, it might now go down like that, but we’ll find out soon.

Joel is part of Power Vote CA, a project of the California Student Sustainability Coalition.  The network of thousands of students are urging Californians to pledge No on 23. Opponents of Prop 23 have dubbed it the “Dirty Energy Proposition“ because both out-of-state oil companies and the billionaire Koch brothers (via Flint Resources) have chipped in most of the millions behind this attempt to kill clean energy investments and green jobs creation in California.

Find out more about Prop 23.  Check back soon for updates.

Follow me on Twitter @vanlenning.

Bioneers 2010: Million Kid March For Climate Action Announced

Alec Loorz, founder of Kids vs. Global Warming, began his career as a climate change activist when he was 12 years old. You read that right, 12! That’s when he saw Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” that “changed his life forever.” He became so moved that he has been speaking truth to power, organizing and empowering youth, and speaking to large audiences ever since. He’s now a junior in high school and a winner of a Brower Youth Award.

At Bioneers 2010 last weekend Loorz announced the iMatter March planned for Mother’s Day, May 8, 2011. He called it a “million kid march” for climate and energy action.  He is calling on youth and supporters from all around the nation to organize and turn out on Mother’s Day to raise awareness about climate destabilization, our relationship with the biosphere, and to call for strong action on energy.  Loorz understands that it is his generation that will have to live with the decisions made by today’s so-called leaders.

Alec believes that “youth have a unique sense of moral authority on this issue. It’s our planet now. And we are going to have to grow up and face the consequences of what the world does, or fails to do.”

If you haven’t had a chance to hear Alex Loorz speak, do yourself a favor and watch the TED talk video below. Loorz is a powerhouse of youthful exuberance and a born leader. It’s hard not to get pumped up by Loorz’s talk of revolution and a new way of living.

Next month iMatter will be launching a global map for organizers to register their actions and providing tools for leaders to turn their marches into reality.  You can also get the iMatter app to help connect youth from around the world to one another and coordinate actions.

Follow me at @vanlenning.

Week of Climate Action, Oct. 12-16

From the Global Justice Ecology Project Climate Connections Blog:

1. Why take action from October 12th?
In 2009, Indigenous peoples throughout the world called for a global mobilisation ‘in defence of mother earth’ on October 12, reclaiming the day that used to be imposed as ‘Columbus Day’. Responding to this call, and the demand for a day of action for ‘system change, not climate change’ issued by the global movements gathered in Copenhagen last year, Climate Justice Action is proposing a week of direct action for climate justice from October 12 – 16, 2010.

We invite all those who fight for social and ecological justice to organise direct actions targeting climate criminals and false solutions, or creating real alternatives.