15th December 2009
The Resistance is Ripe Agriculture protest started today at 12pm and has marched through the centre of town under a banner reading “Food Climate Justice, not Climate Change” [pic]. Hundreds of people stopped outside the Netto supermarket for speeches about the importance of food sovereignty and the links between climate change, agriculture and exploitation of people.
See Indymedia Timeline | Modkraft Timeline [en] | icop15 on Agriculture action
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Pre-event press release:
To farmers around the world the false solutions that are proposed in this climate summit are as much a threat as drought, tornadoes and new climate patterns.
At this moment the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is discussing how to include farmland into CO2 emission trading. To highlight that this is a false solution we will hit the street on the 15th of December.
Bente Hessellund of the Danish CJA: ‘In spite of the urgency of the climate crisis the UNFCC process fails to question an economic model that is based on infinite growth on a finite planet. Governments have done nothing to move beyond setting up market mechanisms to combat the climate crisis. These mechanisms are not aimed at pushing back the use of fossil fuels or greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial countries. The possibility of including agricultural land into CO2 emission-trading is one of the false solutions to climate change. It can lead to farmers being forced into dependency of agro-industrial projects. Instead, agriculture needs to be removed from the profit-driven market in order to develop a radically ecological food system that cools down the planet.’
To make clear that large scale industrial agriculture aggravates climate change rather than solve the climate problem, Climate Justice Action (CJA) is organising a demonstration in Copenhagen on the 15th of December. Our motto is “Food System Change, not Climate Change”. CJA is one of the networks that actively mobilises the critical voices around the Copenhagen climate summit.
The agriculture manifestation will be taken to the streets of Copenhagen, calling attention to the positive alternative that non-commercial, organic agriculture for human needs offers. In a creative manner, the attention will be drawn to companies that are responsible for the industrial food model. Will it be a blockade on the Monsanto premises or do the agriculture activist have something else in store? Let yourself be taken by surprise on one of the many stops on their way through town.
To farmers around the world the false solutions that are proposed in this climate summit are as much a threat as drought, tornadoes and new climate patterns.
In the South, forests are burnt or cut down and small farmers are cleared off their land to make way for large scale industrial mono-cultures as soy and maize to supply the European intensive livestock breeders. In factory farms, millions of animals are fattened as fast as possible, creating vast amounts of dung and methane and consuming a great deal of energy.
Stimulating agrofuels and bio-plastics to combat the crisis will only increase the pressure on the people currently living from the land. Already in the developing countries large areas of land are grabbed by multinationals, small farmers and indigenous people driving off their territories.
‘Small scale, organic agriculture remains the best way to combat hunger, malnutrition and the food and climate crisis.’ argues activist Flip Vonk of Climate Justice Action (CJA) and part time farm hand on an organic farm. ‘Native seeds offer the best opportunity for adaptation to current and future changes in the climate. Sustainable local food production costs less energy, makes us independent from imported animal foods, captures CO2 in the soil and improves biodiversity.’
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Earlier in the day activists protested at an exclusive meeting between business and government ministers organised by The Climate Group, an international lobby group who represent business interests – there were 17 arrests see report below [ video]
At around 4.45pm, police suddenly arrived unannounced at the Candy Factory (Boljsefabrikken) in the city’s northwest district. In this space, activists from the ‘Bike block‘ have been building bicycles for tomorrow’s ‘Reclaim Power‘ action. People inside the Candy Factory were told to leave the building while it was being searched, and then they were eventually brought back inside, into the library, and their details were taken. An activist who was in the building at the time describes the situation: “We all got placed in one room, after that the police started to search the place. People got registrated before they were allowed to leave the place. They got some kind of identification-forms, where they noted name and address, but also length, hair color and which clothes people where wearing”. By 18.15 the search seemed to be over. The coach that police had brought left with one arrestee. Police then blocked off the building with red and white tape and set up spotlights onto the building. By 19.45 reports came in of police trucks taking away two bicycles as well as some computers [photos | report]. Due to this raid, an indymedia benefit party had to be cancelled.
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Climate Activists Invade Meeting of Senior Politicians in Copenhagen
Seventeen climate activists invaded an exclusive meeting between business and government ministers at a Copenhagen hotel this morning. The meeting, called the “Climate Leaders Summit” was organised by The Climate Group, an international lobby group who represent business interests in tackling climate change.
The activists entered the invite-only meeting at the DGI Byen complex at 11.00am, with a banner saying “Climate Group: Leading us into Climate Chaos”. They invaded the foyer and got to the entrance of the meeting room, where politicians including Segolene Royal of France, First Minister Alex Salmond of Scotland, Premier Mike Rann of South Australia, and Prince Albert of Monaco [1] were addressing business leaders and a wide
cross-section of the global media. The activists disrupted the meeting with loud chants of “Climate Justice not Climate Profits” before being seized by security guards and police and dragged out of the building. The protesters were placed on the pavement outside the entrance of the building with their banner. However, they refused to remain silent and instead displayed their banner, chanted, sang, and read a prepared statement to the watching media and members of the public. The statement [full text at the bottom of this press release] began:
“We’re here today because climate change is not a business opportunity. It is already responsible for 300,000 deaths per year – it’s a global emergency, not a chance to make money. The Climate Group supports carbon trading as the “solution” to the climate crisis, but carbon markets are nothing more than an excuse to continue to pollute as usual, while also profiting from a whole new market in hot air.”
The Climate Group meeting was targeted not just for the policies being discussed, but in protest at the undemocratic way in which these kind of events give privileged access to industry lobbyists. According to one of the protesters, Sara Horne: “It’s not surprising that delegates from the Global South have started walking out of the COP15 summit, when the interests of their people are being sidelined in favour of business
interests at cosy backroom meetings like this one. The Climate Group is pushing an agenda based on profits, dubious technical fixes and failed market ‘solutions’. We need real climate solutions – food and energy sovereignty, localisation of production and consumption and full recognition of Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights. These solutions don’t make any profit for industry, however, so you won’t hear them discussed by the Climate Group.”
The activists were then led away one by one by police and arrested. The last protester was removed at around 12.00 noon.
ENDS
ACTIVISTS’ STATEMENT IN FULL:
“We’re here today because climate change is not a business opportunity. It is already responsible for 300,000 deaths per year – it’s a global emergency, not a chance to make money. The Climate Group supports carbon trading as the “solution” to the climate crisis, but carbon markets are nothing more than an excuse to continue to pollute as usual, while also profiting from a whole new market in hot air.
We’re here as part of Climate Justice Action [2]. Like you, we have travelled to Copenhagen because of a deeply-held belief that the world must act now to prevent runaway climate change. Unlike you, we believe that the solutions to climate change must be based on effectiveness and global justice, not the needs of big business.
The Climate Group presents itself as a network of organisations who are seeking equitable solutions to climate change. Yet with members from the oil, aviation, and global finance industries [3], it is hard to believe it is free from vested interests. Relationships with profit-seeking multinationals are at the very heart of the organisation.
We want to highlight the deep hypocrisy of this meeting. The Climate Group claim that they want to “reconcile development goals and climate protection”, but carbon trading is simply a way for the Global North to retain its dominance and effectively privatise the future of our planet. Similarly, the exclusivity of this meeting is an excellent example of the way in which climate negotiations favour the rich countries who have caused the climate crisis in the first place. Where are the cosy meetings with indigenous peoples and Southern farmers’ movements? Why are the voices of those most affected by climate change being excluded, while business gets this kind of exclusive access? None of this can “reconcile development goals and climate protection”.
Markets fundamentally cannot solve climate change. Their purpose is to maximise profits, not reduce emissions. Putting business concerns, rather than social concerns, at the forefront of solving climate change completely ignores the fact that corporations and economic growth have caused this problem in the first place. There are real solutions to climate change, but you won’t find them in this room.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. The full list of attendees was: Steve Howard (CEO, The Climate Group); Helen Clark (Administrator of UNDP); Prince Albert II of Monaco; Shai Agassi (CEO of “Better Place); Alex Salmond (First Minister of Scotland); President Nasheed (Maldives); Premier Jean Charest (Quebec); Premier Mike Rann (South Australia); Governor Jose Sierra (San Paolo); Minister Christa Thoben (North Rhine-Westphalia); Predisent Jean-Paul Huchon (Ile-de-France); President Jose Montilla (Catalonia); Governor Jim Doyle (Wisconsin); Premier Greg Selinger (Manitoba); First Minister Carwyn Jones (Wales); Premier Gordon Campbell (British Colombia); Premier Eva Aariak (Nunavut); Governor Chris Gregoire (Washington); Minister Kate Jones (Queensland); Minister Erik Van Heljningen (South Holland); Minister John Gerretsen (Ontario); Minister Dr. Markus Soeder (Bavaria).
2. http://www.climate-justice-action.org/
3. Members of The Climate Group include BP, Tesco, Virgin Atlantic, HSBC and Barclays. See http://www.theclimategroup.org.