Social Movements demand climate justice in Poznan

Social Movements demand climate justice in Poznan

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The concept of climate justice seems to be emerging very quickly in different parts of the world, as the political and social flag of several movements and organizations around the world. The groups that are taking part in the parallel activities to the COP 14 on Climate Change in Poznan took to the city streets on Saturday to celebrate the Global Day of Action on Climate Change. The slogan was seen everywhere.

Real World Radio participated in the big demonstration. Several activists were surprised by the tens of social groups demanding “climate justice”.

The construction of this social movement is partly due to the articulation of several movements and organizations, which created the network “Climate Justice Now” in 2007 in Bali, Indonesia during the COP 13. They’ve continued their work throughout 2008.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Poznan on Saturday to tell the official delegations at the COP 14 what they think are the real solutions to climate change: drastic and urgent reduction of polluting emissions, changes in the countries’ energy frameworks, use of clean and renewable energies like solar and wind, improvement and more use of public transport, more use of bikes when possible, taxes on fossil fuel imports, etc.

There is a growing conviction that industrialized countries should be held accountable for the climate debt they have with developing countries, and therefore pay the debt to reach climate justice.

For this reason the social movements are demanding the Northern states to drastically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, that they take on the economic costs of adaptation and mitigation of climate change in the South, and technology transfer so that the poorest countries can produce in sustainable ways.

So far the global South has lived and suffered the consequences of climate change, which are mainly a result of the production and consumption model imposed by the rich nations, which have used fossil fuels for over 150 years.

Climate justice will be reached when the rich nations pay their debt by fulfilling the demands of the social movements around the world, and when they begin to stop and revert the current climate crisis.

Crossposted at

REAL WORLD RADIO: Climate Justice: More than just a concept