Statement by Alberto Gomez of La Via Campesina’s international coordination.
La Via Campesina Press Release, December 4, 2010
The sixth Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 16) is already seen as a failure that will affect the future of humanity, as its only result will be to strengthen the intention of TNCs to divert money away from the climate crisis.
During the last moments of discussion, the proposals of the People’s Agreement signed in Cochabamba have been left aside. The trend is to favor carbon market and REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), this mechanism supports global privatization of forests, jungles and territories.
It is to be stated that during the negotiating process preceding Cancun, the interest of the TNCs have prevailed giving a strong impulsion to a financial system that will impose commoditization of the climate.
We do not agree with false solutions such as the carbon market because, far from reducing green house gases, it will sooner or later create a speculative system leading the world into another global financial crisis.
This is why La Via Campesina mobilizes to denounce the irresponsibility of most of the governments who choose to support the capital rather than the interest of their nation and of humanity as a whole.
The international caravans will start on Sunday 28th. Their aim is to show up the Mexican government, pointing out the environmental and social devastation caused by state policies which are against the interest of the majority of the people.
In the camp set up by La Via Campesina in Cancun from December 2nd, various activities will be organized to denounce these policies and we ask all participants to put pressure on the Summit to adopt efficient measures against climate crisis such as those proposed in the People’s Agreement.
We declare that we, farmers, men and women, are necessary and useful to humanity. Our role is to produce food: we do it in a sustainable way and at the same time we cool down the planet. If we had at our disposal a different system to produce, distribute and consume, we could end hunger and halt global warming.
Food sovereignty is La Via Campesina’s alternative to capitalism which seeks to privatize even the air we breathe.