environment

Today is the opening of the First World People's Summit on Climate Change in Cochabamba, Bolivia.  Called by President Evo Morales after the failure of UN climate talks in Copenhagen, the Summit has attracted more than 50 countries and more than 10,000 delegates.  Nevertheless it is likely the North American mainstream media will ignore it.  You can follow the Summit live on internet tv, on alternative media rabble.ca and Democracy Now and in European media Guardian UK.

Below is a statement from the Independent People's Tribunal on Land Acquisition, Resource Grab and Operation Green Hunt in India.  I reproduce it here because so many similar struggles of Indigneous peoples to defend the earth against corporate greed and government collaboration are happening here in Canada and in the Americas.

The mills take from our forest, and then give us back disease and sickness and death. Our people have suffered for 40 years from mercury poisoning, and now this sickness is being passed on to our children in the womb. We must stop the mills from destroying our forests, our water, and our culture for the survival of all.'  ”  Judy Da Silva, a grassroots mother and blockader from Grassy Narrows.

Today is Blog Action Day on Climate Change.  Bloggers around the world are writing to promote Global Action.  I hope lots of us in Canada are participating since our government is about the worse climate criminal around.  Shaming the Harper Tories to do better  or even do anything on climate change  is not going to work but you can sign the petition and show that the people of Canada are not behind the government on this one.

Well, file this in the interesting but not surprising category, but it turns out that social media is already playing a significant role in the Toronto Public Workers Strike. Case in point – the reaction of the Toronto community group “Friends of Christie Pits Park” to the city’s decision to turn a portion of the eponymous park into a temporary garbage dump.

Another visionary in ending the scourge of industrialization and solving the problems of climate change is Evo Morales, President of Brazil.  In a recent speech to the UN he outlined ten points for solving climate change.  They are republished below:

By Evo Morales Ayma, President of Bolivia