A Call to Climate Action:
We stand at a crossroads. The facts are clear. Global climate change, caused by human
activities, is happening, threatening the lives and livelihoods of billions of people and the
existence of millions of species. Social movements, environmental groups, and scientists
from all over the world are calling for urgent and radical action on climate change.
On the 30th of November, 2009 the governments of the world will come to Copenhagen
for the fifteenth UN Climate Conference (COP15).
This will be the biggest summit on
climate change ever to have taken place. Yet, previous meetings have produced nothing
more than business as usual.
There are alternatives to the current course that is emphasizing false solutions such as
marketbased
approaches and agrofuels. If we put humanity before profit and solidarity
above competition we can live amazing lives without destroying our planet. We need to
leave fossil fuels in the ground. Instead we must invest in communitycontrolled
renewable energy. We must stop overproduction
for overconsumption.
All should have
equal access to the global commons through community control and sovereignty over
energy, forests, land and water. And of course we must acknowledge the historical
responsibility of the global elite and rich Global North for causing this crisis. Equity
between North and South is essential.
Climate change is already impacting people, particularly women, indigenous and forestdependent
peoples, small farmers, marginalized communities and impoverished
neighborhoods who are also calling for action on climateand
social justice. This call
was taken up by activists and organizations from 21 countries that came together in
Copenhagen over the weekend of 1314
September, 2008 to begin discussions for a
mobilization in Copenhagen during the UN’s 2009 climate conference.
The 30th of November, 2009 is also the tenth anniversary of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) shutdown in Seattle, which shows the power of globally
coordinated social movements.
We call on all peoples around the planet to mobilize and take action against the root
causes of climate change and the key agents responsible both in Copenhagen and around
the world. This mobilization begins now, until the COP15
summit, and beyond. The
mobilizations in Copenhagen and around the world are still in the planning stages. We
have time to collectively decide what these mobilizations will look like, and to begin to
visualize what our future can be. Get involved!
We encourage everyone to start mobilizing today in your own neighborhoods and
communities. It is time to take the power back. The power is in our hands. Hope is not
just a feeling, it is also about taking action.
To get involved in this ongoing and open process, sign up to this email list:
climateaction@klimax2009.org