“Conferencia Mundial de los Pueblos sobre Cambio Climatico y las Direchas de Madre Tierra”-
BOLIVIA, COCHABAMBA – APRIL 2010
Quote from the “Structural Causes” group text:
“The climate crisis we live in isn’t only a problem of rising atmospheric temperatures... Capitalism as a patriarchal system of endless growth is incompatible with life on this finite planet. For the planet, every alternative for life must necessarily be anti-capitalist. But not only this, it must be more than anti-capitalist. The Soviet experience has shown us that a predatory production system with devastating conditions that make life similar to that of capitalism was possible with other ownership relationships. The alternatives must lead to a profound transformation of civilization. Without this profound transformation, it will not be possible to continue life on planet Earth. Humanity is faced with a huge dilemma: continue down the road of capitalism, patriarchy, Progress and death, or embark on the path of harmony with nature and respect for life.”
A Little Background…
This years first World Peoples Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth (CMPCC) was called by Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first president of indigenous origin, after he deemed that the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15) in December was the most disastrous backwards step since the Kyoto protocol. Bolivia is not alone in thinking that the outcome of COP15 was further proof that the real issues of climate change are not central to the negotiations, for rich countries the key issues were finance, carbon markets and therefore business opportunities, competitiveness of countries and corporations and the political makeup of the US senate; with shockingly little focus on actually reducing carbon emissions.
From the outset it was clear that this conference would not be limited to the scientific, economic, technological, bureaucratic and technocratic rationalism that tends to dominate the climate discourse. At the opening ceremony there was a sense, amongst the echoes of panpipes and the smoke rising from burning cocoa leaves, of a reverence for the sacredness of the earth. The subjects on the table for discussion and the whole angle of the CMPCC are incredibly inspiring. Its long overdue that a climate conference - one that is actually organised by a government - speaks of climate change in terms of what is best for our planet and its peoples, and therefore in terms of social change rather than in terms of narrow economic interests. While inspiring, the CMPCC was also something of a legitimisation exercise for the Bolivian populist government (and Chavez of Venezuela). After all of the hype about rights for Mother Earth and indigenous peoples, many indigenous Bolivians now feel that the conference hasn’t changed anything for them at all.
Autonomous events also happened outside and around the conference. On April 14th the Red Tinku, a local collective of campesinos who work on a number of fronts including popular education, held the “The People’s and Social Movements Pre-Summit” in Plaza 14th September. 15th April saw a march to commemorate 10 years since the water wars in Cochabamba, wherein the people resisted the privatization of water with blockades and mass mobilization against Aguas del Tunari, a consortium led by International Water Limited (England), Edison (Italy) and Bechtel (USA).
This was followed by the “Feria de Agua”, the 3rd International Water Conference. This was an important prelude to the conference as in Latin America we often find that the struggles speak of water and land rights, and indeed if climate chaos continues the way it’s going wars for water could be the oil wars of the future. The Feria de Agua was organized independently by Bolivian and Latin American Social Movements, and featured talks and workshops around the theme of clean drinking water and Rights to clean water, community solutions and related subjects such as grey water systems, sewage management and compost toilets.
For more info: http://ayya2cochabamba.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/18th-april/.
The Feria de Agua was also home to the first meeting of Mesa 18, “Collective Rights and Rights of the Mother Earth.”
Aside from the 17 Working Groups within the conference, the 18th Mesa or themed tent was organised autonomously by Bolivian Social Movements, the National Council of Qullasuyu Ayllus and Markas CONAMAQ, and other activists to discuss certain subjects which had been banned from the discourse tables within the conference. Mesa 18 highlights the contradictions between the discourse of mother Earth Rights, the projects which continue to expand under the MAS government and ongoing domestic mega-projects and extractive industries contributing to social injustice and climate change within Latin America. It was not meant to be a counter conference, but “as a necessary space for reflection and complaint” and to look deeper into the effects of global industrial capitalism and neo-extractivism, and was banned from holding a space within the conference.
CONAMAQ is the highest body representing Indigenous Nationalities and Peoples in the highlands of Bolivia. There was a dispute between the organisers of Mesa 18 and the government before the conference. The social movements and CONAMAQ were warned that they should not “cause trouble” at the conference about their local problems. On April 15th they met with Evo Morales, who refused to give permission for Mesa 18 to be installed officially. Mesa18 was held just outside the conference in a marquee and saw a police presence at various points during the week. To quote Rafael Quispe, CONAMAQ leader:
“We reiterate (the Government) did not want to include Table Nº 18 but the table will be installed to discuss environmental problems. The table Nº 18 will be installed like it or not.”
“The Earth is our mother. As we all, she should have her rights. For example, not be contaminated. Mother Earth must be capable to bio-regenerate. Mother Earth has the right to have natural resources extracted in a responsible way.”
For more info: - http://achacachi.blogspot.com/2010/04/evo-will-not-hear-qulla-indigenous.html.
These forbidden subjects or local problems were: Mining and Extraction, including copper mining in Corocoro and Silver mining in San Cristobal; road construction (some of which is to make larger roads suitable for transporting combustibles, and many are IIRSA projects- La Iniciativa para la Integración de la Infraestructura Regional Suramericana- South American Infrastructure projects, which in the lower Andes are mainly to ´link up´ business and commerce including combustibles between Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Chile), construction of power plants and the ensuing pollution and poisoning of rivers and lakes from all these projects and from sewage pollution caused by nearby cities. Although issues local to Bolivia, they are of course also relevant globally, and reflect one of the most complex but important discourses about Fossil Fuel Extraction in Latin America, and the globe. Issues that some would consider to be some of the most prominent when speaking of climate change!
Bolivia, despite being home to South America´s second largest natural gas reserve after Venezuela, remains one of the poorest countries in the continent. What is needed, and what was largely missing from the discussions at the CMPCC, is discourse and action leading to viable economic strategies for our global withdrawal from fossil fuel reliance. A complex issue, especially for a country like Bolivia which was practically forced into the sale of its gas reserves after entering into debt with IMF the World Bank.
To quote the Mesa 18 Text:
“We take responsibility to question the popular Latin American regimes known as predatory and consumer logic, the logic of death, developmentalism and neo extractivism. The various interventions helped to establish the contradictions of the process and bring together proposals for strengthening the road to good living.”
Mesa 18 was a powerful reminder that while Latin America is home to countless inspiring resistances and movements, suppression and strict military and police control is inherent.
During the time of the CMPCC there were more protests and road blockades at the San Cristobal mine near Potosi in Bolivia, blocking roads and a railway and attacking the office of Minera San Cristobal S.A. (MSA), a subsidiary of Japanese Sumitomo Corporation. While discourse, the sharing of information and the meeting and solidarity of movements is important, the message from Potosi was clear, actions speak louder than words.
The 17 Working Groups of the CMPCC, named “Mesa’s” (tables) demonstrates clearly the differing discourse of the CMPCC. Their titles were: Structural Causes, Harmony with nature, Mother Earth Rights, Referendum, Climate Justice Tribunal, Climate Migrants, Indigenous Peoples, Climate Debt, Shared Vision, Kyoto Protocol, Adaptation, Financing, Technology Transfer, Forest, Dangers of Carbon Market, Action Strategies, Agriculture and Food sovereignty. Each Mesa discussed and finalised a declaration text stating the final conclusions of the working group.
An Accord text, the “Peoples Agreement” was written, and a draft proposal for a “Universal Declaration of Mother Earth’s Rights.”
Most of the final conclusions and the Accord text itself are essentially Anti-Capitalist; which is perhaps unsurprising for a conference organised by a Moviemiento al Socialismo (MAS) backed government. They are also vital documents in the dialogue of Social Change not Climate Change, and include many rejections and criticisms of Market Based and False Solutions to climate change; much to the joy of the Rising Tiders and many activists present.
The final texts and the definitions of each Mesa can be found at http://pwccc.wordpress.com/. While the Accord text and other documents are a more viable and inspirational alternative to the Copenhagen accord, many present were reluctant to sign the accord text for the legitimisation it could give to the Bolivian Populist MAS backed government.
Then on 26th April the Bolivian government forwarded a submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, containing the outcome of the CMPCC. The submission incorporates and develops the Peoples Agreement and the Universal Declaration of Mother Earth’s Rights, and was submitted to the UNFCCC, to the “Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action” (AWG-LCA). The AWG-LCA, a body that presents information to the COP process, invited parties to make submissions containing additional views, by 26 April at the latest, which the Chair may draw upon in the preparation of the draft text for consideration by Parties at the AWG-LCA´s tenth session in June. The International Forum of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change (a body bringing together representatives of worldwide indigenous nations) also officially submitted a proposal to the AWG-LCA in the Bella Centre during COP15.
Aside from engaging with the UN COP process, there are few plans for further strategic action or how to move forward that don’t involve engagement with government. Even the Action Strategies Mesa, despite many good suggestions and ideas submitted electronically beforehand, is basically just the action plan of the Peoples Agreement and more strategies that involve engagements with governments and governing bodies (see more info at of end article). There was also the decision to mobilise for COP16 in Mexico December 2010, while many of the European activists and networks were having the discussion about whether or not to mobilise for COP16, as some feel that COP15 was a waste of energy.
A real shame as what we need is less talk and discourse and a real plan for how to move forward: how exactly to implement these notions. Let´s hope that the new links founded between the movements have sped up this process, and that the creation of the “Cochabamba movement” will involve and enlist new recruits in our struggle for a new society.
CJA (Climate Justice Action - mainly European) activists held a workshop on Building Bridges: on strengthening links and solidarity and outlining some of the obstacles of global capitalism and announced the callout for days of action “System Change not Climate Change” on October 12th-16th this year, to coincide with the Global Minga days of action, something that could build more unity in itself. Also Rising Tiders from 3 continents (Latin America, Australia and Britain) met with other climate activists to share stories and talk of strengthening the international Rising Tide network.
The processes within the conference also worked effectively to allow the social movements to expose and overturn False Solutions and the presence of dubious attendees within the discourse.
At the first meeting of the Climate Migrants Working Group, the presence of the IOM (International Organisation for Migration) was noted from the start, their logo was present and there were two Bolivian IOM employees in the audience. European No Borders activists challenged their input with questions about the IOM´s role, both in Human Rights issues surrounding migration in the EU and in the working group itself such as whether the group had been financed by the IOM, and the employees input was minimal or non-existent for the rest of the discussion.
For more info and details about the IOM: http://ayya2cochabamba.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/19th-april-from-the-migration-and-climate-change-working-group/.
Also at the Forests working groups first session, it was found that not only was there a UN bureaucrat as a moderator, but the draft working text contained the UN´s REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) programme listed as a solution to deforestation. REDD is an offset Project, a market based solution which commodifies the forests, allows the global north to offset their emissions instead of reducing them, replaces forests with monoculture plantations and threatens communities and peoples who live in these areas. Through the discourse and process those present had this draft overturned and in the final text REDD is outright rejected.
Despite the controversy and contradictions, the overall outcome of the CMPCC is positive. The firm stance and viability of the Final texts and Declarations in the dialogue of social change not climate change, and the space it created for the meeting and strengthening of Social Movements are an important step. Many present were surprised and empowered to attend a government organised conference where the discourse and was not too dissimilar to that at events such as the Climate and No Border Camps.
Moving Ever Forward:
o Seek more information by following any of the links in this article and the links found on the Rising Tide website.
o Get involved! Search out your local climate action groups or No Borders group and attend a meeting.
o Attend a Camp for Climate Action or a No Borders Camp to learn more at the many talks and workshops or have your input in the social change dialogue, seek information, training and take action!
o Organise something in your area for the International Days of Action for Social change not climate Change and International Solidarity in October (callout and more info below).
More Information:
SYSTEM CHANGE NOT CLIMATE CHANGE
Call for a days of Action
October 12-16 2010
The social movements met in Copenhagen to call for a day of action to fight for system change, not climate change in the autumn of 2010. Climate Justice Action is taking up this call to propose direct actions for climate justice around the week of October 12 to 16, to coincide with the Global Minga Mobilization In Defense of Mother Earth that was announced by the 4th Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala (the indigenous name for the Americas) (The date marks the day Christopher Columbus first set foot on Abya Yala, 518 years ago).
For More Information :
http://withoutyourwalls.wordpress.com.
A mass action in London against the oil industry to get involved with on the 16th October - The Crude Awakening.
To read more about the Global Minga DOA:
http://intercontinentalcry.org.
NEW BOOKLET - Reflections from Bolivia on climate justice, social movements and the state – Download here - http://spaceformovement.wordpress.com.
TABLE STATEMENT MESA No. 18
COLLECTIVE RIGHTS AND RIGHTS OF MOTHER EARTH
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF Qullasuyu Ayllus and Markas
This panel convened by the CONAMAQ represents the peoples of the world. The Bureau No. 18 was established as a necessary space for reflection and complaint under the World Conference of Peoples on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, to further reading on the local effects of global industrial-capitalism. We take responsibility to question the popular Latin American regimes known as predatory and consumer logic, the logic of death developmentalism and neo extractivism. The various interventions helped to establish the contradictions of the process and bring together proposals for strengthening the road to good living.
The World Conference of Peoples on Climate Change and the Rights of the Mother Earth is a demonstration of the magnetism that has awakened this process. To ensure that this process will deepen and extend as an encouraging example to the whole continent and the peoples of
World, need to make visible the contradictions reflected in the socio-environmental conflicts.
These contradictions are the result of not applying the above principles. This table is to contribute to activate the control mechanisms coordinated support to this process. Social and popular organizations and rural indigenous communities originating from Latin America and the rest of the world, gathered in Tiquipaya 20 and April 21, 2010 in the context of the development of the Bureau No. 18 in order to define the basis for implementing the New Model Management of Natural Resources to reverse the model of capitalista production is still prevalent in Latin America, which lies in the development industrial and consolidation of transnational corporations, based on private property, individual profit and consumerism, both of which have been put challenged by nations and peoples of Latin America. The development plans of these governments, including Bolivia, only reproduce the developmental pattern of the past.
In this regard, to address climate change humanity must find their cultural roots community group, this means building a society based on collective ownership and community management and rational use of natural resources, which the people decide so direct the fate of natural according to their organizational structures, self-determination, their own rules and procedures and vision of integrated management of their territories.
History teaches us that there is only one effective way to transform society and build a socialist alternative to capitalism: permanent social mobilization and articulation of our struggles.
RESOLVEMENTS OF MESA 18:
FIRST .- Repudiate imperialism, transnational corporations and the governments of Latin American progressivism that drive called projects energy and infrastructure mega Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA) in all territories Latin Americans, especially indigenous territories and protected areas, designed by banks, businesses and private developers with a neoliberal and exploitative vision.
SECOND. - We call pseudo change the development model that favors exports of raw materials. We propose the construction progress alternatives that are in line with the interests of the peoples, favoring equity, solidarity and complementarity.
THIRD .- We arrange and construct a model of sound management of natural resources according to the philosophy, culture and customs of the peoples, which is based on a social and community model that respects the rights of Mother Earth, Gaia, Pacha Mama.
FOURTH .- In the absence of political will of governments around the world, social and peasant organizations demand the ability to define a new management model and take direct control of the natural heritage. Direct control of field workers and city management policies imposed biodiversity according to the needs and dependence of our countries.
FIFTH. - We call on States to respect and enforce indigenous Rights adopted by the UN, thanks to the struggle of indigenous organizations originating from the land. We demand the repeal of laws that criminalize social struggle in defense of the community territories, and governments to punish those criminals.
SIXTH .- Making public the need to eliminate large estates, biopiracy and agribusiness, and to recover the ancient knowledge of nations and original indigenous peoples of the world farmers, promotion of organic production and reproduction of the Community, skills reproduction of forest and biodiversity, to tackle Climate Change.
SEVENTH. - We demand the reversal and the expulsion of transnational corporations, some NGO´s supporting projects such as corporations, and media to propagandize the looting and breaking of collective rights. We demand the replacement of natural predators and misappropriated. We propose to suspend all activity, work or project responsible for catching and causing climate change, the displacement of populations of their territories, and the affectations socio-environmental nations and territories of indigenous native peoples of the world farmers.
EIGHTH. - We demand the implementation of collective rights violated in socio-environmental conflicts in the following cases: … and other national and international cases (see Annex), which provide full solidarity in their struggle.
NINTH .- All these points are within the mandate of the people gathered at the Mesa 18-sponsored by the Council of Ayllus and Markas Qullasuyu and other social organizations in the world, which should be mandatory compliance by all States that use goods Mother Earth.
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