Copenhagen, Cochabamba and the climate debt crisis

Copenhagen, Cochabamba and the climate debt crisis: A report back from Bolivia Kirsty Wright

The Khapi Community
At foothills of Illimani glacier
Sustenance lifestyle: Live off the land
Over two hours walk to nearest secondary school
Only got electricity 15 years ago

Climate impacts on the Khapi community
Burning midday sun
Crop predictability & varieties
New diseases
Families migrating
Access to water

Severino Cortez Bilbao: farmer and community leader
“If Illimani dries up, there’ll be no water and no life. We’ll be forced to leave this community”

outside: a new movement for climate justice
CJA / CJN (North and South)
Biggest ever climate march
Reclaim power: inside/outside
Strong police repression / criminalising the right to protest
Building a global movement

Sidelining the UN process
Bribery – e.g. aid
Misleading the media – e.g. Kyoto Protocol
Divide and rule
Pressure for a deal
“ Worse than WTO”
copenhagen: inside

evo morales on the copenhagen accord:
“ An agreement
reached
between the
world’s biggest
polluters based
on the
exclusion of
the very
countries,
communities and
peoples that will
suffer most from the
consequences of
climate change”

the people’s conference on climate change and mother earth rights
In April, over 30,000 people from 100 different countries gathered in Cochabamba
Organised by the Bolivian government
Civil society: social movements, NGO’s, scientists, academics, leading thinkers on social justice
‘ System change not climate change’

The Conference
17 working groups create a ‘people’s agreement’
Now submitted into the negotiating text for
UNFCCC COP 16 in Cancun
Organised panels: leading thinkers on climate justice issues
Self organised space for social movement organisation: planning forward e.g. global week of action
Mesa 18: internal contradictions?

comparing the outcomes The People’s Accord vs. The Copenhagen Accord

Move to sustainable models of agriculture and food sovereignty No mention Food and Agriculture Rejects market mechanisms: proposes solutions with state sovereignty & indigenous people rights Promotes market mechanisms Forests Rejects market mechanisms Promotes market mechanisms Carbon markets Multilateral / multidisciplinary mechanism that guarantees technology transfer Unclear ‘technology mechanism’. No reference to IP rights Technology transfer Redirect funds from war/ defence. 6% of GDP – public funds, not carbon markets, additional Equivalent of 0.005% of GDP 2010-12. By 2020 0.05%. Approx 50 % from carbon markets Financing Developed countries owe a climate debt No mention Climate Debt No goal for developed countries: proposes voluntary reductions 50% on 1990 levels for second commitment period under Kyoto Protocol (no carbon markets) Greenhouse gas reductions 2 degrees * 1 degree Temperature rise Copenhagen Accord People’s Agreement Issue:

No mention Proposal to analyse and modify structural causes, e.g. capitalist system, commodification of nature Structural causes No mention Proposes a declaration of the rights of mother earth to re-establish harmony with nature. Rights of Mother Earth No mention Recognition of rights Indigenous people’s No mention Proposes referendum Referendum proposed No mechanism proposed Proposes legally binding mechanisms to guarantee international treaties & climate justice tribunal Justice and fulfilment of international commitments No mention Protection and recognition of rights and needs of people forced to migrate. Need to bring into negotiations Climate migrants Promotes reclassification according to ‘vulnerability’ with differing treatment Rejects reclassification according to ‘vulnerability’ Reclassification of countries Copenhagen Accord People’s Agreement Issue:

Cancun
Climate finance set to be the key issue: critical in terms of building trust
UK and other rich countries pushing for World Bank to be the mechanism for climate finance
G77 opposing the World Bank
UN Adaptation Fund – set up through the UNFCCC process – massively under funded
WDM will be jointly launching international World Bank out of Climate Finance campaign

taking responsibility: the UK and climate debt
A concept that has gained a lot of momentum with campaigners in the global south: useful framework
Rich industrialised countries have become wealthy by pushing the world to the brink of climate chaos, least responsible feeling it most
They have also used more than their fair share of what Bolivian government calls ‘atmospheric space’ – denying right to development

how to re-pay our climate debt?
Stop building debt: cut emissions in the UK and much and as fast as possible
Adaptation funding: to cope with impacts of climate change
Mitigation funding and technology transfer: to find climate friendly development paths

however, UK is currently using climate finance to reinforce existing global inequalities…
Redirected from aid money
Loans instead of grants
World Bank

world bank and climate change
Pushed carbon intensive projects and extractives industry
Continues to be a top financier of fossil fuels. As of April 2010 - already hit record high for annual fossil fuel lending: $4.7 billion primarily for coal (e.g. Eskom)
Track record of imposing conditions and programs on developing countries
Undemocratic: developing countries hit hardest by climate change are the least represented inside the World Bank
Local communities rarely given opportunity to determine the policies and programs that impact them

world bank and the water wars
Ferier international del Agua
10 year anniversary of Cochabamba water wars
World Bank led water privatisation
Rates increased by 50% in a few weeks
City closed down for a week
US corporation Bechtel forced to leave Bolivia
Resisted when Bechtel tried suing Bolivia

Send a pound to Andrew Mitchell to go to the UN Adaptation Fund
Lobby your MP ahead of Cancun COP16
Cancun watch: urgent actions
take action!

Copenhagen, Cochabamba and the climate debt crisis

by AidanBaker on Dec 10, 2010

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Copenhagen, Cochabamba and the climate debt crisis — Presentation Transcript