Peoples Conference on Climate Change and
Rights of Mother Earth

Concerned individuals, non-government organizations, environmentalists, researchers, government organizations, leaders and businesses from around the world are invited to meet in Bolivia to discuss the following goals: analyze structural and systemic causes of climate change, draft Universal Declaration of Rights of Mother Earth, proposals for new commitments to the Kyoto Protocol and United Nations frameworks for Climate Change (UNFCC), organize a peoples world referendum on climate change, draft a plan of action for establishment of a Climate Justice Tribunal, and define strategies for action in defense of life against climate change and for Mother Earth rights.

The conference is organized as a series of self-organized workshops, seminars and meetings, key plenary discussions with expert panelists, and discussions in 17 different working groups on a variety of topics, including:

• Structural causes (of climate change)
• Harmony with Nature and Mother Earth Rights
• Climate Justice Tribunal
• Climate Migrants
• Indigenous Peoples
• Climate Debt
• Kyoto Protocol
• Technology transfer
• Dangers of Carbon market
• Agriculture and food sovereignty

Activities will close with a mass gathering and release of a final declaration.

Only Two Countries File Targets for 2°C

The ambition level of major countries submitted for the Copenhagen Accord has not changed compared to levels proposed in December 2009 in Copenhagen. Of the developed countries, Russia slightly increased its ambition level, while Canada decreased its ambition level. Mexico, the host country for the next climate summit in November this year, did not submit by 31 January 2010.

Lima Declaration

The summit, convened by the Coordinating Group of Indigenous Women's Continental Region South American, Central American Indigenous Council and Center for Indigenous Cultures of Peru-Chirapaq, identified best development methods on indigenous lands, measures to monitor forests and rivers, and discussed food sovereignty and security, gender and indigenous rights.

Participants agreed indigenous peoples are some of the worst affected by climate change, with extreme impacts on their lands, health, culture, economy, water and natural resources. They called for unified action regarding extractive industries such as oil and mining, which directly hurt the communities. In issuing a declaration they said their traditional knowledge should be used to counter the economic models that promote dangerous, or unsustainable development.

Plan of Action in Declaration (excerpts)

1. To continue efforts for building and consolidating the Regional Indigenous Latin American Forum on Climate Change
2. To create alliances with the various sectors of civil society involved in the struggle to root out the origins and overcome the effects of Climate Change
3. To have the Regional Indigenous Latin American Forum on Climate Change serve as a source of information on processes of regional relevance

Peoples Submission - Copenhagen Accord

1. Commit to science-based emissions reductions of 25% below 1990 levels by 2020.
2. Help provide long term climate financing to assist the poorest countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate impacts (target of $195 billion US per year).
3. Help provide short term financing to assist the poorest countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts, equivalent to $320-420 million CAN from 2010 to 2012.
4. Recommit to legal agreements under the Kyoto Protocol and come to a stronger agreement and better commitments for after 2012.

The current prorogation of the Canadian parliament prevents debate of the Copenhagen Accord. British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland have all set more ambitious emissions reductions targets. Also polling shows 75% of Canadian citizens are embarrassed by their government's inaction on climate change. And 150,000 Canadians have signed the KyotoPlus petition to cut Canada's emissions by 25% below 1990 levels by 2020.

The Peoples Submission will be considered by the UN with submissions from countries that committed to implement economy-wide emissions targets for 2020 under the weak Copenhagen Accord. As of January 31, 2010 all countires who signed the Copenhagen Accord were to file their emission reduction targests with the UN.

From Copenhagen to a Real Deal

The UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen had three main outcomes: draft detailed negotiating texts under the two ad-hoc working groups, a mandate to continue negotiations in these groups for one year, and a political statement dubbed 'The Copenhagen Accord' (see Annex I for an overview). The Accord does not deliver the needed fair, ambitious and binding deal millions globally have been calling for to avoid dangerous climate change. However, if governments build on the good aspects of the Accord and commence further meaningful negotiations, it could be one of the stepping stones toward a fair, ambitious and binding deal.

2009 UN Climate Meetings:
COP 15 & CMP5 - Copenhagen, Denmark

The COP15 conference is the fifteenth Conference of the Parties under the United Nations' Climate Change Convention. The conference will take place December 7 - 18, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (More to follow.)

By Fred Curatolo
Larger version






By Fred Curatolo
Larger version

Wild 9 Calls on Copenhagen to Protect Land

Message from Meridadeclaration outlines an international call for specific policy to integrate wilderness and biodiversity conservation into next global climate change strategy. The declaration states that protection of critical wilderness areas will help combat climate change.

Other resolutions drafted at the Wild 9 summit focus on land conservation. Resolution 2: Protecting Old-Growth Forests for Climate Stabilization called upon participants of the 2009 Copenhagen negotiations and member States of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to permanently (legal) protection for all remaining old-growth forests within their borders as a part of climate commitments. Additionally, this resolution urges the IUCN to ensure status of these areas is consistent with continued use and stewardship by Indigenous peoples. Resolution 9: Advancing Boreal Forest Conservation in Canada calls for specific protection of the Canadian Boreal forest, in addition to providing protection for cultural and biological diversity.

The Message from Meridawill be collecting signatures from international delegates until the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, December 7th to 18th. To sign the Mensaje de Merida as an organization, please send your logo, name and title to Emily Loose (Emily@wild.org). Individuals are also welcome to sign. Wild 9 resolutions are available for comment on the resolutions website.

Lead-Up to Copenhagen 2009

• Failure to achieve significant progress on the Kyoto Protocol negotiation track (in UN parlance, the AWG-KP)
• Slow progress and Canada's potential obstructionist tactics with respect to the Long-Term Cooperative Action (LCA) negotiation track (in UN parlance, the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention, the AWG-LCA)
• Next steps for Canada
• NGOs' Copenhagen agreement (see also below)
• Fossil of the Day Awards ('awarded' to countries for obstruction of, or contradictions to regulations)

The 160-page Copenhagen Climate Treaty, which took some of the world's most experienced climate NGOs almost a year to write, was distributed to negotiators from 192 states at the June talks in Bonn. The document contains a full legal text covering all the main elements needed to provide a fair and ambitious agreement that keeps climate change impacts below unacceptable risk levels being identified by most scientists. It is intended to serve as the benchmark for governments negotiating a new climate deal and shows how differences between rich and poor nations can be overcome.

• describes the path the world must be on to avoid catastrophic climate change, recognizing global temperature increase must be kept below 2 degrees Celsius
• sets a global cap on emissions - a carbon budget - and explains in detail how both industrialized and developing countries can contribute to the safety of the planet and its people, according to their means and responsibilities
• shows how the poorest and most vulnerable on the planet can be protected and compensated
• outlines an Adaptation Action Framework which includes grants, insurance and compensation for the most vulnerable countries
• calls for a legally binding agreement consisting of three parts:
1. Kyoto Protocol updated to strengthen industrialized country obligations
2. new Copenhagen Protocol with legally binding commitments for the USA, with low carbon pathways for developing countries, supported by the industrialized world
3. set of decisions that lays the groundwork for the next three years

The UNFCCC press release does not provide examples of progress, but rather asserts there was progress on draft negotiating texts, "reflecting governments' proposals on how to step up international climate change action".

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is quoted as saying, "a big achievement of this meeting is that governments have made it clearer what they want to see in the Copenhagen agreed outcome".

Download May 20, 2009 UNFCCC press release (PDF)

The text is intended to "facilitate negotiations among Parties on fulfillment of the Bali Action Plan towards the agreed outcome to be adopted at COP 15 in Copenhagen December 2009. The text builds upon ideas and proposals submitted by Parties and will be considered at the Bonn Talks in June."

The AWG-LCA Negotiating Text contains some strong elements that NGOs will likely emphasize, including an option to stabilize "GHG concentrations in the atmosphere well below 350 ppm CO2eq and a temperature increase limited to below 1.5oC above pre-industrial level", which is equated to a global emissions reduction goal in the range of 80% below 1990 levels by 2050:

Paragraph 14 also opens the door to an up to 45% emissions reduction from 1990 levels by 2020, and more than 95% by 2050.