Call for action from South Africa on Copenhagen

I received this message today from Professor Patrick Bond, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Centre for Civil Society in South Africa. "Thanks for the note on your blog. Perhaps you can assist by circulating this info below and staying in touch with any news you're hearing? Many thanks"

MOBILIZE IN SOLIDARITY FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE!

As the UNFCCC negotiations begin here in Copenhagen, from 7-18 December, it is increasingly evident that the COP 15 is unlikely to deliver a just, equitable and effective treaty to address the climate crisis. Activists from the Climate Justice Now (CJN) network will put pressure on governments and polluters with actions inside and outside the conference venue. But to do so with full force will require global solidarity.

CJN urges activists across the world to organize mobilizations in conjunction with mass actions in Copenhagen.

12 December: Global day of action on climate change and mass rally in Copenhagen
13 December: Actions to highlight changes needed in production
14 December: Actions to demand reparations on climate debt
16 December: ‘Reclaim power’ action at the Bella Centre

We need to target the polluters, their financiers and their governments:

Fossil fuel firms!
Appropriate targets in nearly every city are the most irresponsible corporations and governments, including fossil fuel firms (such as oil and coal companies), energy utilities, smelters and mining houses, military-industrial complexes, the petro chemical sector, the auto, air and shipping industries, and corporate lobby groups which resist emissions cuts. (A local target of great importance on December 13 is the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, one of the world's major shipping lines.)

Carbon traders!
Just as importantly, we endorse protests against the financial speculators, banksters, emissions traders and policy wonks who promote Cap and Trade, Clean Development Mechanisms, REDD, offsets, emissions derivatives and other corruption-fused gimmicks that distract us from genuine solutions. (Goldman Sachs is one such target whose manipulation of markets and low-income people had calamitous implications for the world economy last year; the World Bank is another -notorious for financing fossil fuel and carbon trading with mutually destructive impacts.)

Northern governments!
This is a time to specially target the governments of major polluting countries which back these polluting and trading corporations by refusing to cut emissions and by imposing market mechanisms. The governments proven to be most dangerous to the survival of the species are the US, Canada, Japan and EU, and in particular the conservative Danish government which has begun to mimic the World Trade Organisation with bad process, lack of transparency and a clear bias agains peoples of the South.

Protest this week and next!
These fossil fuel firms, carbon traders and high-pollution governments are legitimate targets for protests. Between now and December 19, Climate Justice Now! encourages pickets, demonstrations and non-violent direct actions that teach our societies what is at stake, who is to blame, and what needs to be done.

Across the world, people who care about the earth’s future are gathering to send critical messages to Copenhagen: Cut emissions! End carbon trading! Pay the ecological debt to victims of climate chaos!

These messages need to be louder, and on December 12-16th, CJN will work with the network Climate Justice Action to against the threat to humanity and environment posed by climate disaster.

Please contact us if you are engaged in any actions we should know about, for the sake of mutual solidarity: pbond@mail.ngo.za