What has the People’s Climate Summit achieved? Perspectives and views from our delegation in Bonn.
The People’s Climate Summit is an essential space for the climate justice movement. It does more than simply reveal the number of people who are willing to get involved and work towards change. Arguably, such will was already on display during the 25,000-strong demonstration in Bonn and the Ende Gelände campaign’s protest action on 4 and 5 November, in which 4,500 activists took part. Yet, events such as the People’s Climate Summit are important because they offer a venue for like-minded people to meet – where the atmosphere is both focused and empowering.
This feeling was especially driven by the fact that the summit had no pre-defined goal and did not say what the outcome would be from the many ideas, strategies and workshops it delivered. We in no way wish to criticise such a well-organised event in which so many people have invested so much time and energy, but this remains a crucial observation.
Beyond mentioning the importance and success of the People’s Climate Summit, it is also vital to highlight another decisive fact. As a movement of the left, we need to do more than just shout into our own echo chamber. Instead, we need to urgently find creative ways of convincing those who remain sceptical. This will require us to present realistic solutions, and to do this, we will need a range of different approaches and alternatives – both big and small.