More on the Green Surge

More on the Green Surge with comment from Natalie Bennett -
on the Green Party Website

Interesting article in the Independent also.

More from the Independent's "Green week"

Chris Hedges on The BP Oil Disaster

The continuingly interesting and intelligent writer and observer Chris Hedges has written a very good article for Truth Dig entitled BP and The Little Eichmanns

The corporations, and those who run them, consume, pollute, oppress and kill. The little Eichmanns who manage them reside in a parallel universe of staggering wealth, luxury and splendid isolation that rivals that of the closed court of Versailles. The elite, sheltered and enriched, continue to prosper even as the rest of us and the natural world start to die. They are numb. They will drain the last drop of profit from us until there is nothing left. And our business schools and elite universities churn out tens of thousands of these deaf, dumb and blind systems managers who are endowed with sophisticated skills of management and the incapacity for common sense, compassion or remorse. These technocrats mistake the art of manipulation with knowledge.

More Here

Hedges also quotes The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi - a work that speaks to us across the years about the neo-liberal nightmare we find ourselves living in the later stages of, and points out some of the exit routes.

Green MP on Queen's Speech

Green Party leader’s comment on the Queen’s Speech

“It’s a pack of half-hearted measures” says UK’s first Green MP

Caroline Lucas MP, the first Green MP in the UK parliament, commented this afternoon:
“It’s a pack of half-hearted measures. For example they talk about far-reaching political reforms, but all they’re offering is a referendum on AV, which would go nowhere near far enough."

“There are warm words on climate change and energy efficiency, but no real detail. We need to see genuine commitment to serious targets and to the investment needed to meet those targets."

“Even worse, the fact that this comes the day after we’ve heard of budget cuts to public transport suggests the joined-up thinking isn’t there."

“The Green Party welcomes the scrapping of ID cards, but we would also like to have seen action on the use of control orders.”


Today Channel 4 published the “Green Queen’s Speech” – an alternative Queen’s Speech prepared by Caroline Lucas MP to show what a Green government would prioritise.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/green+mp8217s+alternative+queen8217s+speech/3658692

Caroline Lucas - Magnificent On "Any Questions?"

Caroline Lucas, Leader of the Green Party and newly elected MP for the Brighton Pavilion constituency was on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? this week with Douglas Hurd, Simon Hughes and Roy Hattersley. Caroline came over brilliantly, was cheered to the rafters by the audience and was praised by the other guests. She also clearly got over the Green Party's radical left of centre position and how it contrasts very strongly with the big three and their shoddy compromises.
Enjoy!
BBC Iplayer recording here
I hope Party Office have a got a good supply of new members' packs in !

Copenhagen - The Aftermath

So, a pathetically weak "deal" that is not binding and basically, if not improved on, condemns large number of humans and other species to perishing as temperature change exceeds 2 degrees in the direction of 3 degrees and beyond. Were we really so surprised? We knew how weak most governments are in the global age - the power is increasingly not with them, it is in corporate boardrooms, banks and the offices of media moguls. The task remains the same as before Copenhagen - to build a movement that can apply pressure on a global scale in the short and medium term and in the long term that can help develop the kind of alternative society and economy that is needed for sustainability and social justice.

In the English speaking world this means taking on both the corporate powers that be and their shills and apologists in media, politics and culture. It is ever more evident from reading Internet discussion boards that the agenda of some of those leading the assault on ecological awareness, social justice campaigns and any mention of ethical concerns is one of nihilism. It is a capitalist-individualist nihilism that rejects politics, religion, collective organisation and ethical concerns not due to corruption and exploitation in these fields (that is the basis of entirely justified left wing critiques of mainstream thought) but philosophically because they all demand restraint and the nihilist will not wear any restraint, regardless of the effect of this stance on others.

The nihilist tries to pretend that every demand for restraint, not matter how politely and gently requested is a totalitarian imposition that is the road to some primitivist hell. Reason and science are abandoned in favour of conspiracy theory and productivist fantasy. The average Internet nihilist lives in a mental universe of abundance where there are no real environmental or economic problems that cannot be solved by the achievement of the nirvana of the totally "free" market.

Despite the prevalence of this attitude online perhaps we should not worry too much about it - it is a basically unsustainable stance that reveals emotional and spiritual immaturity. In the end truth, reason, fellowship and the deep human longing for justice and equality are far stronger than the tantrums of unrestrained egos.

To end on a festive note, perhaps the rightist climate change deniers, the bankers, the political puppets and the nihilist-comment-page-ranters should sit down and watch A Christmas Carol or It's A Wonderful Life this Christmas, they might find food for thought.

Jim on Copenhagen

The Copenhagen Climate Summit and associated demos like this Saturday's The Wave in London loom.

My fellow left wing Green blogger Jim Jepps had a good article that made the centre page spread of the Morning Star this week.

Jim on the media coverage so far :

We are asked to speculate on whether President Barack Obama has a spring in his step and a twinkle in his eye when speaking about the international climate summit.

Does the destiny of the world hang on whether he has a headache on the crucial day?

This focus on political celebrities rather than concrete proposals has more to do with Hello magazine than news. Conjecture about whether there will be a binding agreement rarely goes beyond the personalities of the great and the good.

More here.

Meanwhile on his blog Jim takes on one of the latest attacks on Greens from Tory Climate Sceptics.

CPBF Events This Week

Media for all? The challenge of convergence

Saturday 31 October

School of Pharmacy, 29 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, from 10.00am – 5.00pm.

(nearest tube Russell Square)

A major international conference on the future of media organised by the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom.

Keynote speakers:

John Nichols, journalist with The Nation and one of the founders of the US Free Press Media Reform movement.

Alexander Stille, author of The Sack of Rome, an analysis of Silvio Berlusconi’s role in Italian media and politics.

Other speakers include Andrew Currah, Ray Fitzwater, Bob Franklin, Alison Harcourt, Kathrine Sarikakis,

Booking information

Attendance costs: Not for profit organisations and trades unions £25; individuals £20; students, unwaged or retired people £10.

Book online at: http://www.cpbf.org.uk/index_conf.html or email: freepress@cpbf.org.uk by phone 0208 521 5932 or by post:

CPBF, 23 Orford Road, Walthamstow, London E17 9NL. Cheques payable to the CPBF.





Plus our pre-Conference meeting

The miners’ strike and politics today

Friday 30 October, 7.00pm

School of Pharmacy, 29 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX

Speakers:

Tony Benn, John Nichols, Marc Valle and Paul Lewis.



Showing Ken Loach Which Side Are You On?

Plus premier performance of Embedded with the bankers; the media and the financial crisis by Banner Theatre Group

Admission £5. Booking as detailed above or pay at the door.

High School Osborne......

This is a bit obvious....but worth posting anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnz5McrMbsI&feature=player_embedded

10:10 - Pros and Cons

The latest big campaign, along the lines of Jubilee 2000 and Make Poverty History is 10:10 - a campaign to get pledges from people in Britain to cut their CO2 emissions by 10% in 2010. This is being promoted in the main "liberal" broadsheet in Britain (The Guardian) and its' associated webpages. The idea behind this is that it will provide a public focus to mobilise people around pressurising the politicians and policymakers who are to gather at the Copenhagen climate summit in December as well as making a modest contribution towards lessening Britain's overall carbon footprint.

There are many arguments both for and against this strategy, but on balance I think that it is worth pursuing. Yes the overall effect of the individual cuts will be very small, and no it is not likely on its own to sway many politicians or industrialists to do any more than exhibit their own displays of tokenism, but a campaign where people can actively engage and feel that they are involved in their everyday lives is better than sitting back hoping for a technical fix, or advocating fantastical revolution, or waiting for the ruling class to save us, or adopting gloomy defeatism.

Whilst admitting the dangers of letting government and business off the hook by "individualisng" the problem of climate change and the risk that over-zealous, largely middle class hair-shirtery might alienate some who should be in alliance with greens on this issue, the hope should be that "mainstream" public engagement will lead to serious questioning of our leaders on what they are doing. Yes the Tories and Liberals can sign up quite easily to pledge their cuts - but it is the job of socialist Greens and Ecosocialists to bring out the social justice and democratic issues inherent in the needed transition to a lower carbon economy and use these to argue for the kinds of organisation and action that can make a real difference. It is not as though people are starry eyed or naive about politicians these days! People are ready to question the status quo productively (rather than just cynically) if united in activity and given a lead.

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas' opinion of 10:10 is here.

Green Election Videos

Here are some of the very good Green Party election videos for the forthcoming European and local elections.

This is the main one first broadcast last week for the Euro elections on June 4th -
http://www.thinkagainvotegreen.org.uk/

And here is the i-player link for the June 4th local elections broadcast from this week.


Here is one, (courtesy of Jim's blog) from the campaign in the North West where lead Green Candidate Peter Cranie could well be slugging it out with far right leader Nick Griffin for the last seat under the electoral process used for these elections.


A You Gov poll reported earlier this week that 34% of respondents had said they would either vote Green or consider voting Green. More here.

For a more old fashioned campaigning method here is a printable Green Party poster.

It is perhaps a sign of the times that fellow Green blogger Matt Sellwood was given a guest post on the Labour supporting Daves' Part Blog to put forward the case for left-wingers to give their votes to the Greens in these elections, particularly in London and the South East where Jean Lambert and Caroline Lucas are defending their seats and in the North West battle mentioned above.

Strikes And Protests In France

The day of action in France on Thursday saw a magnificent display of solidarity and militancy in the face of the onslaught of the ruling elites.
Here are some links to pictures and reports -

One important struggle is that of the Continental Tyre Company workers in Compiegne - here

Here is a map showing the spread and size of the protests from Le Monde, with a contrast between Police and organiser estimates and comparison to earlier protests.

Here is the BBC report.

Here is Al Jazeera's report.

Here is the story, in the Washington Post.

Here is the right-wing British Telegraph, focusing on violence.

Left reportage on the days' events from Lib Com here, and from Monthly Review here.

For readers of French here is the statement of the French Unions from the CGT site.

Defend Joel Kovel - Support Free Speech!

Just back from a short break in York (a great place for a visit and a hive of Green activity, home to my old friend from Sheffield and now Green Councillor and blogger Andy D'Agorne)

The big news in the ecosocialist community is the victimisation of leading ecosocialist thinker and writer Joel Kovel. It seems Joel has fallen victim to the increasingly vicious Zionist backlash against anti-Zionist Jews and other anti-racist leftists who dare to speak out about the crimes and malevolence of the Israeli regime and the IDF. More from Derek Wall on his blog here, including contact details for Joel's former employer.

This comes in a week where on this side of the pond an appalling article by author and journalist Howard Jacobson took up two pages of the mainstream "intellectual" broadsheet The Independent, casting aspersions of anti-semitism left, right and centre at just about anyone who dares to voice any negative opinion about the actions of Israel and its military. Needless to say this has ignited one of the fiercest flame wars ever seen on the website and pages of that normally reserved organ!

There are real anti-semites out there, and some of them have posted comments on Jacobson's article and need opposing, but attempts to silence criticism of the actions of the state of Israel by smear and innuendo against brave people with good anti-racist credentials and histories is really contemptible and should not be allowed to succeed.

Weekly Links 10/02/2009

British Politics
One of the least popular New Labour Ministers, uncritical Blair-bot Hazel Blears, has this week been getting a proper thrashing on the Guardian Comment Is Free pages after her attack on posh environmental lefty George Monbiot.
Monbiot's apparent crime in Blears eyes was to dare to criticize her government, assert that their "consultations" are meaningless and sometimes corrupt and to speak the truth about politics in Britain (that it has become a game for corporate interests, lobbyists and professional politicians whilst the public are systematically shut out, marginalized and patronized.)
Blears voting record on key issues is recorded as follows -

* Voted for introducing government registers on everyone in Britain backed up by ID cards.
* Voted for introducing foundation hospitals.
* Voted for introducing student top-up fees.
* Voted for the Iraq War
* Voted against investigating the Iraq war.
* Voted for replacing Trident.

Monbiot's response to Blears was majestic and devastating, uniting even some of his usual harshest critics against the pompous arrogance displayed by the Labour Minister and topping the table of comment replies, the vast majority backing Monbiot and laying into his opponent. I do not always agree with Monbiot, but he has done a great service to all friends of freedom, equality and honesty here.

Green and Green Left Politics
It is good to see serious Green political education getting under way in London with a series of meetings and an interesting book list of ten key Books to read and critique.
Long time left activist and Green Left supporter Sean Thompson recently produced an analysis of the current political situation for Green Left, published here.

Unions and Workers
The Socialist Party and Respect have come together in a welcome show of left unity to put on a meeting this Friday in London with a member of the recent Lindsey Strike Committee and Jerry Hicks, the candidate backed by most of the left (the Morning Star/CPB are cringeworthily backing the incumbent Labourist Simpson) in the Unite (Amicus) union election.

Weekly Links 27/01/2009

Lots of interesting, exciting, and scary developments around the world this week as the impact of the conjoined economic/ecological/resource/political crises becomes stronger. In the developed world, one of the places that is experiencing most change and that consequently has most possibilities at the moment is Iceland. The government has been under increasing pressure from mass protest and revolt, and this has continued despite the calling of an election for May. It now seems that the existing government has collapsed to be replaced by a caretaker regime until the elections - more on Indymedia here. Derek had a piece earlier this week about the Icelandic Green Left Party, riding a wave of popularity in the current crisis. A comprehensive bit of analysis from the AVPS blog here.

Repression and resistance continue to develop in Italy where the hard right government and its fascist outriders face a developing independent radical movement that has tired of the timid and backtracking Parliamentary reformism of the established parties. See here and here

In Nepal, the authoritarian militarists of the Maoist movement are facing increasing workers opposition to their attempts to impose Chinese style state capitalism on the country. It seems they are responding in the usual vicious Maoist manner and encountering growing resistance from rival "left" factions.

Britain
This weekend saw the Convention of The Left Recall Conference and the Progressive London Conference.

Jim reported on the London event here and here.

Meanwhile, A Very Public Sociologist reported this week on the dispute at "Britain's Left Wing Daily", the Morning Star.

Unions
There is a major left-right battle in the Unite Union over the election for General Secretary of the Amicus side of the union. More from Derek here.

Gaza
Mobilisations and demos on the Gaza issue continue across the UK, with a current focus on exposing and attcking the blatant bias of the BBC and Sky blocking the Disasters Emergency Committee Gaza Appeal broadcast. Some enterprising researcher dug up this revealing piece from 2005 that sheds light on the so-called "non-partisan" approach of the BBC Director General.

Meanwhile the Green Party of England and Wales published this condemnation of the BBC's position.

Monbiot and O'Neill Fire Salvos On CIF

The war between scientifically correct but politically way off George Monbiot and scientifically and politically way off (but sometimes correct in some of his criticisms of Monbiot)Brendan O'Neill has had a new injection of vitriol with an exchange of posts on the Guardian Comment Is Free Site.
Here is Monbiot on class and the Furedi cult's attacks on him
And Here is O'Neill's response

The Guardian site sometimes behaves very strangely when I try to post on there - I'm not paranoid, honest. But despite me posting on other threads it would not let me post on Monbiot's thread. And from some other comments this is not to do with time lag between posts, nor exclusive to me. Not to be defeated I will post it here!

I think the Aga stuff may be included in GM's article in a less serious way than some of the huffers and puffers on here have read it. The main drift of the article is an attack on O'Neill and the Furedi-ites. Despite my dislike of Monbiot's patrician approach he has chosen an appropriate target there.

And hey - the Schumacherite has drawn forth a response from the Furedi-ite!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/13/george-monbiot-class-war

Incoming!

A plague on both their (well appointed) houses, though of course anyone who is not a tinfoil hatted conspiracist can see that Monbiot is on firmer scientific ground than O'Neill and chums.

I think it is only right and proper that we question the motives and mindset of both and how the "debate" is framed - for example Monbiot's world federalism and the general dodgy-ness of ideas derived from (rightwing Catholic Traditionalist "green" guru) Schumacher, the funding and intention of O'Neill's pals and their network of shady fronts etc.

This is not "ad hominem" - it is knowing where someone is coming from, it is investigative research, and ultimately defence against being deliberately manipulated for ends other than those which appear exoterically.

Perhaps now that battle has commenced we can go over to O'Neill's thread and ask the questions he and the rest of the Furedi-ites should be made to answer -
What is the plan?

I mean, all this contrarianism and taking the corporate shilling - does it have a basis in some over-arching ideology or grand vision? Is the idea -

a) Everything will turn out alright, the market will solve everything, go back to consuming.

b) Capitalism is awful, but must be allowed to mature into REALLY DISASTROUS before we can expect the working class to do anything about it, and all these blooming reformists are getting in the way of the maturing of inevitable crisis.

c) Who gives a monkeys? Contrarianism pays the bills.

d) The CIA have got the pics and they will publish them unless we do what they say.

e) Only when the party cadre have infiltrated every organ of the media and capital and established our full control/got into the position where we can flip the switch to bring it all down, will the brilliance of our plan be revealed!

I think we should be told.......

Two plugs

Two quick posts - one is an e-mail I had regarding a new website, the second is news of a film showing by the AWL left group on the interesting subject of the "green bans" implemented in the 1970s by Australian workers.

Hi Greenman,

I'm emailing you to find out if you could lend us a helping hand with our new project.

We have just launched a new service on AboutMyPlanet.com called "Green QuestionVille". It's a place where you can ask green questions and have other memebers answer them. Members also vote for the best answers. Very cool stuff... You can find Green QuestionVille here http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/qv/ and I was hoping you could do a quick post to let people know about it.

If there is anything we could post about on AboutMyPlanet.com for you we would gladly help. Thanks so much.


Bart Dabek
Founder
www.AboutMyPlanet.com | www.GirlSustainable.com | www.GadgetAddiction.com | www.EcoFriendlyDaily.com | www.GrowNews.com | www.HybridMile.com | www.Latest-Health-Treatments.com

Green Bans

A showing of "Rocking the Foundations", the story of the New South Wales Builders Labourers Federation in the 1970s, and how they built a powerful, politicised workers' movement that stood up for the environment and sustainable communities as well as its members' rights.

(For more about the BLF, see http://archive.workersliberty.org/wlmags/wl64/greg.htm)

Followed by a talk by an activist from Workers Climate Action, discussion and a social.

£2 unwaged, £3.50 waged, £5 waged

7pm, Thursday 5 February 2009
The Bread & Roses, 68 Clapham High Street, London SW4 6DZ (Clapham Common tube)

Weekly Links 05/01/09

Gaza
Lots of coverage of the situation in Gaza and the demonstrations against the continuing Israeli assault from my regularly linked bloggers this week including Derek, Jim (who has a helpful selection of links), Dave Osler and Matt S.
There is another demonstration arranged for this Saturday in London.


The latest eco-catastrophe
The latest eco-catastrophe in the US has not had much coverage on this side of the Atlantic - a huge coal slurry retention pond has broken its banks in Tennessee and flooded some 400 acres of 6' deep slurry (over 1.1 billion gallons) into the Tennessee Valley. It's meant evacuating people, warning others to boil water, and is dumping a huge amount of toxins into the Tennessee River, used as a drinking water source by many communities downstream. A number of people are reporting vomiting after drinking water.
Reports here and here from the regional media.
More info from United Mountain Defense

Activism and Repression
Hot on the heels of their recent attempts to spread security services propaganda about the threat of "ecoterrorism" in the UK (a story based on exaggeration, guilt by association and innuendo and very quickly demolished so that they had to issue a sheepish apology through their "readers editor") the Guardian/Observer and other sections of the media are now busy retailing the exaggerated fairy tales of the French and other security services about the threat of a new wave of "home grown leftist terror" about to sweep Europe.

The Guardian/Observer group, (in addition to continuing a stream of biased knocking copy on the South and Central American left) are fast becoming the conduit of choice for psy-ops and disinformation aimed at radical activists in the UK and Europe. This is nothing new really, some of us remember some "freelance" journalists from the 80's who were very keen to fit up parts of the British anarchist movement on behalf of elements of the secret state.

The texts that seem to have got the French state machine in a tizzy (and it seems to be these that are more the target than the small acts of sabotage that were the pretext for the paramilitary police action) are rather disappointing really, for an old leftist like myself - rehashed Situationist and Autonomist theses with an anti-globalisation flavour and some unpalatable (for me, but it takes all sorts) elements of nihilism and primitivism. Nevertheless, I am never one to avoid an opportunity to offend the powers that be, so here are some links to English Translations of two of the offending documents and you can judge for yourself -

The Coming Insurrection

20 Theses On The Subversion Of the Metropolis

For me, Kovel's analysis and programme in the last chapter of The Enemy of Nature is nearer the spot - I will post some more on this in the near future.

Nevertheless, the fact that states in Europe are "upping the ante" against even potential opposition is interesting, as is their apparent concern that the current crisis will grow so severe that currently marginalised and tiny groups and ideas might gain a larger and more effective following.

Timid Poznan UN Climate Conference - Radical New Agenda Needed

I paste below the Poznan statement of the Climate Justice Now! Alliance (I do not agree with everything in the statement but there is much here that is of value):

RADICAL NEW AGENDA NEEDED TO ACHIEVE CLIMATE JUSTICE

Poznan statement from the Climate Justice Now! Alliance

12 December 2008

Members of Climate Justice Now! – a worldwide alliance of more than 160 organisations - have been in Poznan for the past two weeks closely following developments in the UN climate negotiations.

This statement is our assessment of the Conference of Parties (COP) 14, and articulates our principles for achieving climate justice.

THE URGENCY OF CLIMATE JUSTICE
We will not be able to stop climate change if we don't change the neo-liberal and corporate-based economy which stops us from achieving sustainable societies. Corporate globalisation must be stopped.

The historical responsibility for the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions lies with the industrialised countries of the North. Even though the primary responsibility of the North to reduce emissions has been recognised in the Convention, their production and consumption habits continue to threaten the survival of humanity and biodiversity.
It is imperative that the North urgently shifts to a low carbon economy. At the same time in order to avoid the damaging carbon intensive model of industrialisation, the South is entitled to resources and technology to make this transition.

We believe that any ´shared vision´ on addressing the climate crisis must start with climate justice and with a radical re-thinking of the dominant development model.

Indigenous Peoples, peasant communities, fisherfolk, and especially women in these communities, have been living harmoniously and sustainably with the Earth for millennia. They are not only the most affected by climate change, but also its false solutions, such as agrofuels, mega-dams, genetic modification, tree plantations and
carbon offset schemes. Instead of market led schemes, their sustainable practices should be seen as offering the real solutions to climate change.

UNFCCC IN CRISIS
Governments and international institutions have to recognise that the Kyoto mechanisms have failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – common but differentiated responsibilities, inter-generational equity, and polluter pays - have been undermined in favour of market mechanisms. The three main pillars of the Kyoto agreement - the clean development mechanism, joint implementation and emissions trading schemes - have been completely ineffective in
reducing emissions, yet they continue to be at the center of the negotiations.

Kyoto is based on carbon-trading mechanisms which allow Northern countries to continue business as usual by paying for "clean development" projects in developing and transition countries. This is a scheme designed deliberately to allow polluters to avoid reducing emissions domestically. Clean development mechanism projects, which
are supposed to support "sustainable development", include infrastructure projects such as big dams and coal-fired power plants, and monoculture tree plantations. Not only do these projects fail to reduce carbon emissions, they accelerate the privatisation and corporate take-over of the natural world, at the expense of local
communities and Indigenous Peoples.

Proposals on the table in Poznan are heading in the same direction.

In the current negotiations, industrialised countries continue to act on the basis of self-interest, using all their negotiating tactics to avoid their obligations to reduce carbon emissions, to finance adaptation and mitigation and transfer technology to the South.
In their pursuit of growth at any cost, many Southern governments at the talks are trading away the rights of their peoples and resources.
We remind them that a climate agreement is not a trade agreement.

The main protagonists for climate stability – Indigenous Peoples, women, peasant and family farmers, fisherfolk, forest dependent communities, youth, and marginalised and affected communities in the global South and North, are systematically excluded. Despite repeated demands, Indigenous Peoples are not recognised as an official party to the negotiations. Neither are women's voices and gender considerations
recognised and included in the process.
At the same time, private investors are circling the talks like vultures, swooping in on every opportunity for creating new profits.
Business and corporate lobbyists expanded their influence and monopolized conference space at Poznan. At least 1500 industry lobbyists were present either as NGOs or as members of government delegations.

The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation(REDD) scheme could create the climate regime's largest ever loophole, giving Northern polluters yet another opportunity to buy their way out of emissions reductions. With no mention of biodiversity or Indigenous Peoples' rights, this scheme might give a huge incentive for countries to sell off their forests, expel Indigenous and peasant communities,
and transform forests into tree plantations under corporate-control.
Plantations are not forests. Privatisation and dispossession through REDD or any other mechanisms must be stopped.
The World Bank is attempting to carve a niche in the international climate change regime. This is unacceptable as the Bank continues to fund polluting industries and drive deforestation by promoting industrial logging and agrofuels. The Bank's recently launched Climate Investment Funds goes against government initiatives at the UN and promotes dirty industries such as coal, while forcing developing countries into the fundamentally unequal aid framework of donor and recipient. The World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility aiming to finance REDD through a forest carbon mechanism serves the interest of private companies and opens the path for commodification of forests.

These developments are to be expected. Market ideology has totally infiltrated the climate talks, and the UNFCCC negotiations are now like trade fairs hawking investment opportunities.

THE REAL SOLUTIONS
Solutions to the climate crisis will not come from industrialised countries and big business. Effective and enduring solutions will come from those who have protected the environment – Indigenous Peoples, women, peasant and family farmers, fisherfolk, forest dependent communities, youth and marginalised and affected communities in the
global South and North. These include:


· Achieving low carbon economies, without resorting to offsetting and false solutions such as nuclear energy and "clean coal", while protecting the rights of those affected by the transition, especially workers.

· Keeping fossil fuels in the ground.

· Implementing people's food and energy sovereignty.

· Guaranteeing community control of natural resources.

· Re-localisation of production and consumption, prioritising local markets

· Full recognition of Indigenous Peoples, peasant and local community rights,

· Democratically controlled clean renewable energy.

· Rights based resource conservation that enforces indigenous land rights and promotes peoples sovereignty and public ownership over energy, forests, seeds, land and water

· Ending deforestation and its underlying causes.

· Ending excessive consumption by elites in the North and in the South.

· Massive investment in public transport

· Ensuring gender justice by recognising existing gender injustices and involving women in decision making.

· Cancelling illegitimate debts claimed by northern governments and IFIs. The illegitimacy of these debts is underscored by the much greater historical, social and ecological debts owed to people of the South.

We stand at the crossroads. We call for a radical change in direction to put climate justice and people's rights at the centre of these negotiations.

In the lead-up to the 2009 COP 15 at Copenhagen and beyond, the Climate Justice Now! alliance will continue to monitor governments and to mobilise social forces from the south and the north to achieve climate justice.

Meanwhile, the EU summit also came up with an underwhelming and market based strategy. Here is Greenpeace's assessment of the EU summit's Climate Change measures.

Elsewhere, the "mainstream media" highlights differences between the approaches at Brussels and Poznan - we get a false choice, which excludes real alternatives..

It seems the outcome of both sets of talks is very much in line with the predicted trajectory of capitalist response to the ecological crisis detailed by Joel Kovel in his book The Enemy Of Nature which I blogged on last week. Capitalism's "solutions" usually involve the commodification of aspects of ecosystems and development of new sources of profit and expansion in "mitigation" and "adaptation" industries. In short, the response of Capital is to seek more growth, more quantitive and spatial expansion, more commodification - the features that have been crucial in getting us into this state of affairs in the first place - what might be seen by environmentalists as barriers that call for a period of restraint and questioning are seen by Capital as boundaries to be passed by its fittest elements, as opportunities only to be missed by "losers". In the end, of course we will all (but first and foremost the poorer and more vulnerable amongst us) be losers if war on ecosystems and wilful ignoring of resource limits is allowed to continue. These conferences show us that the main concern of international capital and its' representatives and shills is how mitigation and adaptation can be used to prolong this war and ignorance as long as possible. They know no other logic, the Leopard does not change its spots.

Weekly Links 01/12/2008

World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day. The Guardian has a moving series of photos and information.

The famous Magnum Photos agency dispatched its photographers around the globe to capture images of people living with HIV/Aids to mark World Aids Day today. Magnum's Access to Life photographs went on show in Washington DC earlier this year before being displayed in locations around the world

Peter Tatchell comments on one aspect of continuing prejudice on CIF today.

Anti-incinerator campaign
The campaign against the incinerator planned for Rainworth within Sherwood Forest in Central England steps up this week with campaigning around the planning committee stages. People Against Incineration (PAIN) are calling for good turns outs to their coming protests and meetings. This is from the campaign organisers:

PLEASE PASS THIS ROUND!

Further evidence [available upon request] has recently come to light proving that if not for our previous efforts, a waste incinerator would have been built in Forest Town. Now we need your help to win again!

Help us prevent a waste incinerator being built in Sherwood Forest (Rainworth, on the outskirts of Mansfield).

Join with fellow demonstrators next Tuesday (9th December) for the Sherwood Forest Protests Against Incineration

People Against Incineration (PAIN), the group formed to take over from Mansfield Against incineration (MAIN), are organising two anti-incineration protest demonstrations to take place on Tuesday 9th December 2008 to correspond with Newark & Sherwood District Council's Planning Committee meeting where the Council's incinerator consultation response will be decided.

PAIN is putting out the call to all anti-incineration campaigners to join the peaceful fun in Sherwood Forest, with a morning protest during the Planning Committee's site visit to the Old Rufford Colliery Car Park, Rainworth (11.15-12.30), followed by an afternoon demonstration at the Newark & Sherwood District Council offices at Kelham Hall (protest from 3 – 4 pm, incinerator application to be considered 4 – 6 pm), and hopefully evening celebrations!

A meeting will be held by PAIN on Thursday 4th December, from 7:30 pm in the Phoenix Suite at Rainworth Village Hall, Kirklington Road to discuss plans for the protest demonstrations.

Campaign organiser Linda Tift says:

"We know it's a difficult time of the year with much to do and many commitments to meet, but this is the moment we have all been worked towards for the last 3 years. Time spent making our voices heard now will be an investment in the future for both us and our families. Bring your kids. This is a lesson in democracy and the power of the people they will never learn so well in school! Bring your granny, your neighbours, the window cleaner and the plumber..."

Media
Various interesting articles in the Comment is Free/Soundings "Who Owns The Progressive Future" series this week, including pieces by radical artist John Jordan, Middlesex Uni Academic Jo Littler and Green Party of England and Wales Leader, Caroline Lucas.
Activist Jordan is particularly sceptical about versions of a "Green New Deal", but could be surprised to find that considerable numbers of left wing Greens might sympathize with most of his criticisms of some versions of a "Green New Deal", but might question the lack of any clearly defined agents of change in his proposed alternative that seems to look to those outside society or at the margins rather than organised workers or accountable community delegates. The typical rabid rightist trolls infest the comments sections under the articles as usual I am afraid, but there is the odd bit of constructive debate.

Lefty Green Bloggings
Former Green Principal Speaker Derek Wall had an article on indigenous struggles published in the Morning Star newspaper last week.
The Green Party Trade Union Blog has a response to the proposed British Government Welfare "reforms" from Alan Wheatley and Anne Gray.
Jim comments on the troubles of Lib Dem leader Clegg at Daily (Maybe) as does Peter Cranie.
Meanwhile Matt S has started a much needed debate on the left and anti-social behaviour at his Anglo-Buddhist Combine blog.

Lucas at Guardian Debate, Monday 1st December

Who Owns The Progressive Future?

Who owns the progressive future?
7pm Monday 1 December
With Aditya Chakrabortty, Beatrix Campbell, Caroline Lucas, Ken Livingstone.
Chair John Harris

Who owns the progressive future? is the final debate in the series organised by Comment Is Free and Soundings journal. It will take place in London at Kings Place on December 1 at 7pm. Guardian readers can obtain tickets at a special rate of £5.75 by phoning Kings Place box office on 0844 264 0321 and quoting "Guardian reader offer". Book online here.

To see the full description and details of the third debate go to
http://www.lwbooks.co.uk/seminar4.html

Green Party leader Caroline was also scheduled to be on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions on Friday 28th, which is re-aired this afternoon.