Climate Justice for the 99%

While some of the 350 crew is working hard in Durban to create a moment for more ambition and strong climate targets with our friends and allies here at the UN climate talks and beyond our friends back home work hard on building the movement by making new connections and meeting exiting new friends and allies:Global days of action are opportunities to bring together our voices calling for a common goal or issue for political change, and when it comes to climate change, undoubtedly we need it more than ever - locally, nationally and globally. This year thousands of people gathered all over the world from the Nicaragua, to Durban, to London, calling for climate justice. Given the lack of progress at the 17th round of the United Nations climate negotiations in South Africa this topic couldn't be more apt as a reminder of what this process should be trying to achieve - the survival of all peoples and countries. Moreover, given the location of the talks, in one of the world's most vulnerable and sensitive regions to climate change and with the least resources to adapt, this call couldn't resonate more. So, this Saturday, 350.org in unity with the Occupy movement in London, the World Development Movement and Friends of the Earth, we organised a climate justice teach in, for all to explore the issues around false solutions, fuel poverty in the UK, the position of the global climate talks and much more. This was followed by a 250-people strong guided tour to London's local climate criminals (because of their financing of dirty fossil fuels or involvement in environmentally unsustainable industry) including the Royal Bank of Scotland and Cargill. The final visit was not to a climate criminal but to unite with the national climate march walking to the Houses of Parliament for a rally in solidarity of those most affected by climate change and to support those calling for strong and just policies in Durban. To say we're disappointed with the progress of the talks in order to achieve this is an understatement. At the moment, talk of post-poning a fair, ambitious, legally binding global agreement until 2020, means politicians will be actively turning their back on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and well, 350ppm would be out of the window. But it's movements like ours who will not and cannot let this lying down - too much is at stake. It's time for our movement for climate justice to build, grow and flourish to create very necessary change.

Global days of action are opportunities to bring together our voices calling for a common goal or issue for political change, and when it comes to climate change, undoubtedly we need it more than ever – locally, nationally and globally. This year thousands of people gathered all over the world from the Nicaragua, to Durban, to London, calling for climate justice. Given the lack of progress at the 17th round of the United Nations climate negotiations in South Africa this topic couldn’t be more apt as a reminder of what this process should be trying to achieve – the survival of all peoples and countries. Moreover, given the location of the talks, in one of the world’s most vulnerable and sensitive regions to climate change and with the least resources to adapt, this call couldn’t resonate more.

So, this Saturday, 350.org in unity with the Occupy movement in London, the World Development Movement and Friends of the Earth, we organised a climate justice teach in, for all to explore the issues around false solutions, fuel poverty in the UK, the position of the global climate talks and much more. This was followed by a 250-people strong guided tour to London’s local climate criminals (because of their financing of dirty fossil fuels or involvement in environmentally unsustainable industry) including the Royal Bank of Scotland and Cargill. The final visit was not to a climate criminal but to unite with the national climate march walking to the Houses of Parliament for a rally in solidarity of those most affected by climate change and to support those calling for strong and just policies in Durban.

To say we’re disappointed with the progress of the talks in order to achieve this is an understatement. At the moment, talk of post-poning a fair, ambitious, legally binding global agreement until 2020, means politicians will be actively turning their back on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees and well, 350ppm would be out of the window. But it’s movements like ours who will not and cannot let this lying down – too much is at stake. It’s time for our movement for climate justice to build, grow and flourish to create very necessary change.