Bolivia's Address to Climate Conference in Qatar in defense of Mother Earth (ignored by M$M)
STATEMENT BY JOSE ANTONIO ZAMORA GUTIERREZ MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND WATER, OF THE PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA IN THE UN CONFERENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE COP18 IN QATAR (5 DEC 2012)
UNIDAD MADRE TIERRA Y AGUA / MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES ESTADO PLURINACIONAL DE BOLIVIA
Source (edited): http://www.zcommunications.org/doha-climate-talks-bolivia-declares-the-climate-is-not-for-sale--by-jose-antonio-zamora
Also at - Censored News - http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com - http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/brenda-norrell/2012/12/bolivias-defense-mother-earth-cop-18-qatar
Note from Ghost Dog: I decided that the Richard Fidler translation text needed proofreading and editing a little, which I've done in this text. Material not copyright.
Original source used in Spanish: http://www.albared.org/node/1398
Previous DU post of Fidler's translation by Judi Lynn: http://www.democraticunderground.com/112730455
5 December 2012, DOHA, Qatar -- Mr. President of the COP, distinguished Heads of State of countries of the world, Ministers, Officials, delegates and representatives of social organizations, indigenous peoples and communities and farmers of the world, receive a greeting from the Plurinational State of Bolivia and our President Evo Morales Ayma.
The planet and humanity are in serious danger of extinction. The forests are in danger, biodiversity is in danger, the rivers and the oceans are in danger, the earth is in danger. This beautiful human community inhabiting our Mother Earth is in danger due to the climate crisis.
The causes of the climate crisis are directly related to the accumulation and concentration of wealth in a few countries and in small social groups; excessive and wasteful mass consumption under the belief that having more is living better; production of pollution and throwaway goods to enrich capital while increasing the ecological footprint, as well as the excessive and unsustainable use of renewable and non-renewable natural resources at a high environmental cost for extractive activities for production. A wasteful, consumerist, exclusionary, greedy civilization generating wealth in few hands and poverty everywhere has produced pollution and climate crisis.
We did not come here to negotiate climate. We did not come here to turn the climate into a business, or to protect the businesses of those who want to continue aggravating the climate crisis, destroying Mother Earth. We have come with concrete solutions. THE CLIMATE IS NOT FOR SALE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
Mr. President, The withdrawal of some developed countries from the Kyoto protocol and their avoidance of their commitments is an attack on Mother Earth and on life itself. The problem of climate crisis will not be solved with political declarations, but with specific commitments.
We will not pay the climate debt of developed countries to developing countries. They, developed countries, must fulfill their responsibility.
While some developed countries do their best to avoid their commitments to solve the climate crisis, developing countries are making greater efforts to reduce emissions, and paying the price of a climate crisis that everyday leaves droughts, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, etc. The climate crisis leaves us poorer, deprives us of food, destroys our economy, creates insecurity, and forces migration.
Climate change will make the poor poorer. Poor and developing countries have a great challenge: the eradication of poverty. And we'll have to face a climate crisis for which we are not guilty. In addition to adapting to climate change we must ensure security, education, health, energy for the population, provision of water and sanitation services, deliver communication and infrastructure services, job creation, provision of housing, reconstruction due to loss and damage caused by extreme weather events, adaptation actions, among others.
Mr. President, We denounce to the whole world the pressure from some countries for the approval of new carbon market mechanisms, although these have been shown to be ineffective in the fight against climate change, and merely represent business opportunities.
This is a climate change conference, not a conference for carbon business. We did not come here to do business with the death of Mother Earth by betting on the power of markets as a solution.
We are here to protect our Mother Earth, we came here to protect the future of humanity.
Yesterday forests were turned into carbon market businesses, and the same was done with the land. They tried to do the same with oceans and, worse, agriculture. Agriculture is food security, employment, life, and culture. Agriculture is, along with the land, mountains and forests, the house and the food of our indigenous and peasant communities. WE WILL NOT ALLOW THE REPLACEMENT OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF DEVELOPED COUNTRIES WITH CARBON MARKETS. THE PLANET IS NOT FOR SALE, NOR IS OUR LIFE.
It is essential that developed countries take the lead with mitigation actions with concrete results and high ambitions and that developing countries do their part within their respective capabilities, and with the requisite financial and technological transfers, solving problems of poverty.
Mr. President, in Bolivia we have the vision of Living Well as a new approach for civilization and a cultural alternative to capitalism, and in this context we focus our efforts on creating a balance and harmony between society and nature.
Bolivia presented here concrete proposals to strengthen the global climate system. We have proposed the creation of the Joint Mechanism for Mitigation and Adaptation for integrated and sustainable management of forests, not based on markets, to strengthen community, indigenous and peasant management of our forests, which can promote climate mitigation actions without transferring the responsibilities of developed countries to developing countries. Also, we promote consistently the creation of an international mechanism to address loss and damage resulting from natural causes and impacts of climate change in developing countries.
Our country will not promote carbon market mechanisms such as REDD, and will respect and strengthen community management of forests.
Mr. President, We will not allow the people of the world to pay the bill for irresponsibility and greed. It's time to give concrete answers to humanity and Mother Earth.
Let's be careful of the intentions of some developed parties to make us feel resigned in the face of this terrible reality, and recognise the inertia and inaction of those countries that are historically responsible for global warming, sending us a message that it is better to have a "pragmatic" attitude, which of course will condemn us to a cooked planet and the extinction of humanity.
Mr. President, brothers and sisters of the world, take these words as a commitment to life and Mother Earth. With this conviction we will be guided to meet the challenge we face at this conference, the challenge of saving the planet, and not to negotiate our climate. Thank you Mr. President.
= new reply since forum marked as read
, and they damn as hell sure don't want "fee and dividend."