"We Are Living in Times of Multiple Crises"

... holds international schools of ecology. This year for example Indian Ocean, Southern African and international as well as Mauritian participants discussed the systemic causes of climate and ecological degradations on a scientific basis as well as systemic alternatives and new politics l- ike Ecosocialism, Nature Rights, Well-Being, Eco-feminism, Deglobalisation and degrowth rowth.

Furthermore, CARES has also ardently supports social and ecological movements to actively resist beach grabbing politics which are not only weakening the resilience capacity of the local environmentally sensitive areas in the face of climate change, but also dispossessing people of their birth-rights to the beach. Last month CARES initiated a new platform called 'Lavwa Losean Indyen ('The 'Voice of the Indian Ocean') to voice out the Islanders’ concerns on Ocean Warming and the depletion-plundering, extractivism and re-colonisation of the ocean."

... through different levels and ways having class, gender and race privileges as their main drivers, this ranges from extraction and generation - from big hydro-dams in Mexico and Central America to coal in Colombia, and oil and gas in Patagonia - to consumption - from unequal access to unfair tariffs. RLS supports the fight of people in defending their territories, livelihoods and rights.

On the other hand, we are exploring what an alternative path would look like. If we just replace one energy source by another  we might stay with the pattern of exporting natural resources for Northern consumption (or Chinese, or Indian, or whatever new hegemon constructs there will be). For example, Latin America, which holds the biggest deposits, is being pushed to export massively raw lithium, a key resource for batteries. But tthere are already numerous initiatives that push the boundaries of imagination: public or common property of  facilities, unions, communities, new forms of fair, democratic and sustainable energy. These initiatives range from small scale generation utilities to agro-ecological production to the battle of de-commodifying public utilities while securing universal access, jobs and internal democracy.

All these projects show the multiple breaches of capitalism. The solutions to the multiple crises we face will be rooted in the territories and communities and need to combine multiple strategies and visions. Only a bottom-up approach will bring us climate justice."

... climate change is not only a scientific, political and economic problem caused by the side effects of our model of development and its way to a sustainable development. We rather must consider climate change as an epistemic, axiological, political, economic and practical problem caused by our  predominant cultural and civilizatory model. That is why it is not enough to have reforms within our social system. We need to transform the system itself. 

Secondly, the measures taken in many countries to mitigate climate change and to adapt to it conceal the real intentions of those who want to privatize and monetarize  certain spheres of life through mechanisms as REDD+, CO2 market and agro fuels. Those mechanisms contribute to expropriating local communities from their territories and ancestral knowledge. Instead, they become big business for transnational companies and states.

We have to transcend the false negotiations and fight for climate justice and social justice. We must change the predominant cultural and civilizatory model that turns life into a commodity. We need  to build alliances to combat the false speech of 'sustainable development' and a 'green economy'."

... a small island in the Indian Ocean. An above 1.5° C global average temperature increase means genocide for us - if we are to consider the accelerated thermal expansion of the Indian Ocean, accrued coral bleaching, or flash flooding. We wish our government and the UNFCCC to come to sense and decouple themselves from this logic of nature CO₂ commodification. At the crucial and unprecedented moment we are now at, only a radical in-depth socio-economic transformation could halt the ecocide.

We however doubt, whether change will come from above. The present political and economic power structure is part of the problem, not part of the solution! It is only when the people, especially the ordinary citizens from the south to the north come into movement for the radical change so needed, that can transformation start rolling."

... to attend the UN negotiations like the intersessional negotiation in Bonn this year. In Katowice I am officially negotiating for Mexico. While engaging for the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines I primarily focus on strongly promoting human rights, gender equality, just transition of the work force, food security, inter-generational equity, traditional knowledge and indigenous peoples' rights, right to participation and avoiding environmental harm.

This year I am very much interested in the outcome of the resolution on Just transition of the work force, as well as the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Platform. I look forward to engaging with activists from all around the world to promote an ambitious outcome as a whole."

... with Feminist Participatory Action Research which method is not only focused on collecting data, but also on strengthening women in communities as well as encouraging them to develop collective advocacy strategies. The research is about Women’s Rights to Land where we identify and analyze how mining, large scale plantation, and forestry projects impact women‘s lives in four regions in Indonesia – by land grabbing and the destruction of the environment. Furthermore, we are conducting research on how a gender justice perspective is integrated into climate policies and actions in Jakarta and Makassar. We also work together with different civil society networks voicing demands of feminist climate justice and climate justice in general. This year we also took part in the World Beyond Banks Assembly (being a reaction to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund annual meetings) engaging for example in the thematic working group „Land, Territory, and Climate Justice“ and taking part in action opposing dirty energy.

All our activities aim at showing how women and communities experience the climate crisis. It also a part of our struggle to consolidate the climate justice movement and to advocate climate policies, and projects in order to integrate climate justice and gender justice principle."

... of climate action based on equity and climate justice. We have challenged many problematic formulations in the original drafts, both as experts and as advisors to the Government of India on the governments review stage. I also participated as a Government of India delegation member at the 48th Session of the IPCC that reviewed and adopted the final report.

COP24 is likely to be difficult and contentious. I look forward to a Paris rulebook and a Global Stocktake procedure that is based firmly on equity and climate justice. Currently the prospects of even adequate differentiation is grim, let alone equity, in this context. I expect India should take a firm stand based not only on scientific and technological assessment of feasibility of 1.5 deg C but also on the economic, social and political feasibility of the 1.5 goal. 2 deg adaptation will suffice for 1.5 warming but not the other way around. While at COP24 I hope to stay in touch with the government delegations of some G77+China countries as well as civil society groups with a stake in these issues."

... it comes from grassroots and individual level. The disadvantaged people, who are affected most by climate change, shall be empowered to participate in the fight against climate change. They themselves know best about their respective situation and solutions working in their local contexts.

That is why we support university lecturers and youth groups  in developing capacities for an ecological lifestyle. We do training of trainers for young students on climate change impacts, efforts by the government and international organizations to adapt and mitigate climate change. So far, five universities started to integrate the elements of our approach into their work. Additionally, C&E supports the Kotu indigenous people in central Quang Nam to legalize their collective ownership rights over their traditionally used forest, which is not recognized by the government legal system.

At the COP 24 sideline activities, I expect to share and learn lessons from other civil society groups in supporting women, youth and ethnic groups improving resilience to climate change. I demand from COP24 to come out with clear commitments to implement the Paris Agreement by taking concrete actions to make those "commitments" become reality. Particularly, I expect governments of developed countries, countries in transition as China and India further commit in cutting down GHG emission. I demand rich countries to contribute to the Green Climate Fund and to commit to support developing countries in technology transfer. I request cooperation and support to the most vulnerable groups of people like women, ethnic minority people, people in developing countries to fill the gaps of climate injustice. Governments, especially Vietnam, should show more commitment on the fight against climate change by reducing the share of fossil fuel, especially coal, l in the national power master plan. I hope Vietnam will receive international support to develop clean and renewable energy, protect and increase forest coverage, and support vulnerable groups in society to adapt to climate change. Grassroot levels (individuals and affected communities) shall be empowered to pariticiapte more actively in the climate change adaptation process."

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Toolkits for training about waste, garden and shopping
Toolkits for Training about food, tourism and water

... empowering indigenous women at grassroots level who are implementing community based adaptation and mitigation initiatives.

For COP24, I expect that state parties will come to agreement on the key issues like respect for rights for indigenous peoples, access to finance for local /community actions and setting up of the indigenous knowledge platform.
I will be participating in the negotiations following discussions that touch on gender issues and climate change and local communities and indigenous knowledge platform. I look forward to participating with the other women and gender constituency and indigenous peoples constituency caucuses in advocacy for indigenous peoples rights and women’s rights in the key agenda items.

My message to the policy makers : As policy makers you are representing people and you have the power to make the right decisions and address climate change with the seriousness it requires. Indigenous communities are on the frontlines of climate change and our resilience is threatened and we are exposed to conflict, disasters and involuntary migration. Act Now!"

... on conservation agriculture to ensure food security and access to freshwater. As a local women’s leader, I work to support in building capacity of indigenous women in my region to participate in local development planning to ensure we are not left behind.
I demand that discussions will result in decisions to invest in indigenous and local communities where actions are needed to enable people to effectively respond to climate change.
I'm interested in discussions on climate change and gender discussions following up on previous decisions and finance. Resources are critical at local level to implement community based adaptation."

... we had rain for the first time in five years and our village was flooded. We experienced loss of livestock, people and homes. The competition for water and pasture resources  across the region has also resulted in conflict causing displacement of people and impacting the children and women more.

During the past months I have been focused on working with women to ensure indigenous women are economically empowered and can participate in local leadership and advocacy forums for women land rights and peace issues.

For COP24 I expect that the policy makers will give the seriousness of climate change as a security threat to indigenous women and children. I look forward to engaging with RLS team at COP 24 and other indigenous peoples in the conference. Since it is also my first time, I want to experience how our governments make policy decisions."

... but the realization is still not there. During the past months I have been focused on work with indigenous women on environmental conservation, economic empowerment and  engaging local leadership in addressing indigenous women issues of water access etc. Aim of advocating for women land rights is because indigenous women are dependent on land for sustenance and when they have rights they can ensure food security etc.

I expect that the policy makers will give the seriousness of climate change as a security threat to indigenous women and children.
I look forward to engaging with RLS team at COP 24 and other indigenous peoples in the conference. Since it is also my first time, I want to meet our government negotiators and interact with indigenous peoples from other parts of the world and other women groups."