HOMEARTICLESISSUESACTIVITIESPUBLICATIONSMULTIMEDIA


Launch of the Indigenous Peoples' Guide: 'False Solutions to Climate Change' PDF Print E-mail
Huntingtonnews.net | Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Bali_WB_protest.jpg
 
3095300127_67ee4382d5.jpgAlaska (HNN) -- Two weeks ago in the most southern region on Earth, an ice shelf the size of Jamaica broke free in Antarctica. This week, in one of the most northern regions on Earth, over 500 Indigenous Peoples are meeting at the Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change.
 
Our planet is heating up at an alarming rate, threatening our very survival. What needs to be done is simple: The pollution and destruction of Earth must be stopped immediately. But instead, there is a lot of greed, false solutions and lies about how to save our future.
 
It seems that leaders of the world are more concerned about making money than solving the climate crisis.
 
Environmental and human rights groups accuse the United Nations, the World Bank, industry, multinationals, governments and even some NGOs to promote this climate fraud.
 
"Capitalism is in deep crisis, but it still has a green card to play. Rather than taking effective action against climate change -- which would mean a radical reduction of industrialized countries' emissions and questioning the forced growth of the capitalist system itself -- they are reaping mega profits from biofuels and carbon trading. These market mechanisms and techno fixes will be a disaster for the poor, and will result in a new form of colonialism. They are already privatizing the atmosphere and subsidizing enormous corporate land grabs of peoples' lands and forests in the Global South. Instead of business as usual, emissions must be drastically reduced, which means that fossil fuels must stay in the ground," said Oliver Demarcellus, Youth Climate Advocate.
 
Most of the attendees at the Alaska Climate Change Conference have a strong opposition to any carbon market solutions related to global warming, including forest carbon offsets.
 
"Throughout the years we have consulted with spiritual elders and knowledge keepers of our traditional indigenous ways about the concepts of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), trading air, privatising and selling the atmosphere, and they have said this is a corruption of the sacred. We don’t think these market regimes are viable solutions," said Tom Goldtooth, from the Indigenous Environmental Network, which is part of the Durban Group for Climate Justice.
 
Pic-demo-No_WB-outofCarbonmarket.jpg"So, it was a priority on our network’s agenda to support the voices of people of the forested areas who are resisting the forest carbon offset developments within the REDD initiatives. ..The carbon offset-market will be the dominant component of REDD. It is mainly the REDD discussions that has caused many of our Indigenous Peoples to have a critical mind of these market mechanisms being forced upon our communities. That is why our indigenous network is here at the Alaska Conference, to provide this voice of resistance," he added.
 
Could it be that crimes against humanity and the planet are being committed and nobody knows?
 
"We published a quick guide to the truth about false solutions to climate change. These market-based scams allow polluters to avoid reducing their pollution, continue to destroy nature and make millions while they are at it," said Rebecca Sommer, from the Society for Threatened Peoples International, a human rights NGO with consultative status to the UN.
 
"We created this guide together with a group of human and environmental rights organizations because we feel that it is very important that people know what is really going on, so that they can fight back," she added.
 
To download the INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' GUIDE "False Solutions To Climate Change" CLICK: http://www.earthpeoples.org/CLIMATE_CHANGE/Indigenous_Peoples_Guide-E.pdf
 
"The link between unsustainable energy consumption in the Americas and the destruction of Indigenous homelands and culture is undeniable," says Clayton Thomas-Mueller, REDOIL advisory member and Tar Sands campaign organizer for IEN. "As Indigenous Peoples, we reject the proposition that our traditional lands should be sacrificed at the altar of irresponsible energy policies."
 
SayNoToREDD.jpgIn the Indigenous Peoples Guide "False Solutions To Climate Change" there are Three Types of False Solutions:
 
The Carbon Market buys and sells permits to pollute called "carbon credits". It claims to solve the climate crisis but really just allows polluters to buy their way out of reducing their emissions. This multibillion-dollar pollution trading mechanism privatizes the air and commodifies the atmosphere. The International Indigenous Peoples' Forum on Climate Change opposes the carbon market. "We cannot condone activities that defile the sacredness of Mother Earth.Carbon trade-induced conflicts and endanger our survival." Northern polluters can also get permits to pollute through projects inthe South like a dam or a tree plantation under the Clean DevelopmentMechanism (CDM). The International Indigenous Peoples' Forum on Climate Change calls the CDM "a new form of colonialism." Permits to pollute could also soon be generated by promising not to cut down forests and plantations that absorb pollution. This is called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). The International Indigenous Peoples' Forum on Climate Change says "REDD will not benefit Indigenous Peoples, but in fact,will result in more violations of Indigenous Peoples' Rights. UnderREDD, States and Carbon Traders will take more control over our forests.
 
Dirty "Clean" Energy (Nuclear Energy, "Clean" Coal, Natural Gas, Dams, Agrofuels and Hydrogen). What got us into this mess in the first place is certainly not what's going to get us out! Fossil fuels and other energy sources that cause environmental devastation and violate human rights are being green-washed, labeled "clean" and wrongly called solutions to climate change. Indigenous Peoples worldwide have suffered from nuclear energy and nuclear testing, fossil fuel extraction, big dams and plantations. Now comes more destruction in the name of saving the climate.
 
Playing God - Let's dump tons of iron filings in the ocean, spray the stratosphere with banned sulfates, genetically modify trees and wrap the deserts in white plastic! Is that a way to save your children's future? Crazy schemes that sound like comic book science fiction are being implemented to sell permits to pollute and to try to modify the weather. Needless to say, these climate change mitigation strategies corrupt the sacred.
 
 
 
 
archive
 
in the media
 
creativecommons 2024  Carbon Trade Watch