This document is online at:
http://ratical.org/ratville/350AgentSaboteur.html
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Source for this file is combined from
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/19/350-agent-saboteur/ and
http://wrongkindofgreen.org/2014/09/18/350-agent-saboteur/.
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The Bolivia Debacle
350: Agent Saboteur
by CORY MORNINGSTAR
19 Sept 2014
counterpunch.com
Knowledgeable people and authentic activists that are going to the
"People's" Climate March must re-ignite the "People's Agreement" of the
World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth,
22 April 2010, Cochabamba, Bolivia, reject 350's corporate agenda, and step
aside for the Indigenous nations to resume their proven leadership in
protecting Mother Earth.
IMAGE: participants at World People's Summit on Climate Change
PHOTO: THE CITY PROJECT
Participants sit in bleachers at the packed World People's Summit
on Climate Change and Mother Earth's Rights, 22 April 2010.
The World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother
Earth that took place in April of 2010 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, was the
first and only climate conference that
1. was led by Indigenous Peoples (approx. 35,000 people attended),
2. was hosted by a state with an Indigenous President (Bolivia's
first Indigenous President)
3. was presented by a state with a very strong position on climate
change (still to this date, the state that holds the strongest
position in the world), and
4. produced the first democratically written document by its
members as an answer to climate change--later to be submitted
and recognized by the United Nations (due to the State of
Bolivia representatives, no thanks to climate justice groups.)
The People's Agreement declaration that resulted from this conference,
would come to represent the only climate declaration ever written that
could serve as an ideological and scientific foundation to build upon; that
could have possibly (and realistically) averted, or at least mitigated,
advancing climate crisis and ecological collapse--if only it had been acted
upon at that time.
It was during this conference that American 350.org co-founder, Kelly
Blynn, had a tantrum. The People's Agreement was calling for a maximum of
300 parts per million of carbon dioxide. When pressed (by the former Green
Party Canada leader and activist, Joan Russow, and myself) to consider the
necessity of changing the 350.org logo (by crossing it out with an x and
placing the new number/logo "300" beside it), an irritated Blynn stated
that she and her co-founders would never agree to do so as 350.org was "the
most powerful brand in the world."
For the moment, let's ignore the fact that "the most powerful brand in the
world" aside, 350 ppm is a death sentence for coral reefs, small island
developing states, and billions of people living along low lying
coastlines. A fact disclosed in an Alliance of Small Island States Briefing
prior to COP15.[1]
The People's Agreement called for a maximum of 300 parts per million of
carbon dioxide
Whiteness & Aversive Racism
In the ultimate display of arrogance, it was clearly demonstrated that
350.org's sole purpose for attending the conference in Bolivia was to
literally undermine the host country's official policy position on climate
change (300 ppm, 1 degrees C limit, etc.). After exhausting all resources
to have the "brand" (numeral 350) adopted as the official target cited in
the evolving text of the draft document (350 ppm rather than 300 ppm),
their efforts were finally defeated after both Russow and I challenged the
350.org colonial superiority at that evening's plenary, which was packed
with Bolivian citizens. Ultimately, the pre-industrial measurement of 280
ppm was rightfully added to the document.[2]
Ironically, the Bolivian-hosted conference was created in direct response
to the December 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15 or
"Hopenhagen") in Copenhagen, Denmark, where Avaaz and 350.org, under the
umbrella of TckTckTck (a campaign created by Havas advertising agency),
undermined the necessary targets and radical emission reductions
courageously put forward by the some of the Earth's most vulnerable states.
The Copenhagen conference's proposed climate goal was a full one degree
Celsius higher than the one put forth by the State of Bolivia, thereby
knowingly sentencing these populations to certain death in order to
maintain white Euro-American privilege.[3]
While the State of Bolivia demanded that a 1 degrees C temperature increase
not be exceeded, and the G77 called for severe, radical and necessary
emission cuts, the non-profit industrial complex (NPIC), including most
"climate justice" groups called for double this: the target of a full 2
degrees C temperature increase. A few of the more legitimate groups barely
mustered the valour to "demand" the world not exceed 1.5 degrees C. One may
wish to note that over 20 years ago, both Greenpeace and Friends of the
Earth fully recognized the global average temperature increase must not
exceed 1 degrees C (as clearly evidenced in documents). Yet at COP15, two
decades later with climate change advancing rapidly, both groups under the
TckTckTck umbrella participated in the 2 degrees C lie[4] and the
manipulation of civil society.[5]
FILM
Part II | "Capitalism as Pathology: The Illusory "Green Economy"
vs People Solutions," youtube, 25 Nov 2012
FILM
Raw Footage, Lumumba Di-Aping, December 11, 2009 [Running time: 12:30]
"I would rather die with my dignity than sign a deal that will channel
my people into a furnace." --Lumumba Di-Aping
One of the most inspiring leaders present at the COP15 was the ever so
eloquent Lumumba Di-Aping, chief negotiator of the G77. (The G77 bloc is
the major group of developing countries, many of which are among the most
threatened by effects of climate change, as well as the largest developing
country bloc represented at the COP15.) Although Di-Aping was Sudanese by
birth, his parents (who called themselves "Lumumbist") named Di-Aping after
the famous Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. (Lumumba, the anti-colonialist
democratically-elected prime minister of the Congo, was assassinated in
1960 having been deemed a severe threat by the U.S. due to his
uncompromising ideas of freedom and African unity. He played a leading role
in the struggle for the liberation of Africa and all of Africa's
resources.)
At the historic press conference which took place on November 11, 2009 in
Copenhagen, Di-Aping addressed the international NGO community. The
conference room was packed with representatives of the non-profit
industrial complex and corporate media complex, which includes the
so-called progressive media. In a most direct approach, Di-Aping asked NGOs
to support the demand that developed countries cut emissions 52% by 2017;
65% by 2020; and 80% by 2030 (based on a 1990 baseline). Further, Di-Aping
asked the NGOs to demand GHG emission cuts well above 100% by 2050, which
would (perhaps) keep the global temperature from exceeding a rise of no
more than 1.5 degrees C. These targets, if met, would perhaps allow Africa
to merely stay alive.
A 2 degrees C rise in global temperature, which the non-profit industrial
complex campaigned upon, would mean a 3.5 degress C rise for Africa. This
temperature is certain death for the African peoples --certain death for
billions. In addition, a 2 degrees C global temperature rise guarantees a
minimum 4 degrees C+ global temperature for future generations. In the film
footage provided below, one bears witness to Di-Aping speaking directly to
the Climate Action Network (International) representatives.
One must note the disturbing irony. After the press conference was
finished, a standing ovation erupted. The room shook with an audience both
inspired and enraptured. Depending on one's depth of understanding of
foundations, corporate power structures and the non-profit industrial
complex, one may or may not be surprised at what happened afterwards, which
was, quite simply, nothing. The white ivory towers, ever so acquiescent to
their hegemonic rulers, wrote off the African people by continuing their
"demand" for "a fair, ambitious, binding agreement." In other words: "Sorry
about your bad luck, Africa. Enjoy your future of hell on Earth ... and
screw you."
The non-profit industrial complex, with CAN and TckTckTck at the forefront,
stuck to their 2 degrees C and other suicidal (non)targets. The climate
justice groups dared on occasion to demand that temperatures not exceed 1.5
degrees C, while any discussion demanding that 1 degrees C be supported and
campaigned upon sent this faction, too, running scared like frightened
field mice. Climate justice amounted to nothing more than a branded
trademark. Silence and compliance reigned as the champagne circuit
discussed career options over cocktails.
Below are excerpts from the only transcript that exists.
"The second issue is the issue of reductions of emissions. There must
be radical reductions of emissions starting from now. In our view, by
2017 we should cut, developed countries must cut by 52%, 65% by 2020,
80% by 2030, well above 100 [percent] by 2050. And this is very
important because the more you defer action the more you condemn
millions of people to immeasurable suffering. So the idea that you
start from 4% today and you achieve 80 or 50 in 2050 simply means that
you do not care about the lives of those who will be devastated in this
period, until you pick up the pace.
"... and I will say this to our colleagues from Western civil society
-- you have definitely sided with a small group of industrialists and
their representatives and your representative branches. Nothing more
than that. You have become an instrument of your governments. Whatever
you say, whether you think it's because it's tactically shrewd or not,
it's an error that you should not continue to make.
"So ask yourself, are your executive branches climate skeptics,
notwithstanding their addresses like the prime minister of the UK that
the cost of inaction on climate change is irreparable. His actions say
he's worse than the worst of climate skeptics. If he had asked bankers
to pocket 300 billion dollars because of `incentivizing' profit-seeking
activities and he says 500 million is the maximum that the United
Kingdom government can afford to pay to support climate change, what
are we saying? What are you saying? I wonder what the distinguished
colleagues from CAN are saying about that.
"Many of you equally, and I will say this, and I would have never
thought that one day I will accuse a civil society of such a thing.
Dividing the G77, or helping divide the G77, is simply something that
should be left to the CIAs, the KGBs and the rest [not the NGOs].
"It's mind boggling, and I say this having been the beneficiary of
absolute support from civil society. Many of you may not know this, I
come from southern Sudan. We've been through wars for almost 90% of our
lives since independence, so I'm not sure what happened exactly to the
civil society that I do know or at least knew.
"If you have received help that enabled you to rebuild your economies
and to become prosperous, how come suddenly you have turned mean?
Because that 2.5 billion dollars is definitely what some of the big
western industrialists lose without a sleep over a trade [lose over a
trade without losing any sleep]."
Notes
1. See local PDF copy of original white paper: "What Is The Right Target
For Co2?: 350 ppm Is A Death Sentence For Coral Reefs And Low Lying
Islands, The Safe Level Of Co2 For SIDS Is Around 260 Parts Per
Million," by T. Goreau, PhD Delegation of Jamaica Scientific &
Technical Briefing To the Association of Small Island States United
Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen, Denmark, December 7-18
2009.
2. "Developed countries shall take the lead and strive towards returning
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to well below 300 ppm
CO2eq with a view to returning concentrations to levels as close as
possible to pre-industrial levels in the longer-term, and to limit the
average global temperatures to a maximum level of 1 degrees C with a
view to returning temperatures to levels as close as possible to
pre-industrial levels in the longer-term, with deep and adequate
economy wide emissions reductions in the medium and long terms and
taking effective measures to fulfill their commitments relating to the
provision of substantial financial resources, capacity building and to
provide technology development and transfer of environmentally sound
technologies and know how to developing country Parties. These enabling
means are critical and an important measure to enhance the contribution
and voluntary efforts of developing country Parties to the efforts of
stabilizing of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere."
Paragraph 2, Section "A. Shared vision for long-term cooperative
action," in "Submission by the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the
Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action"
3. See "The Most Important COP Briefing That No One Ever Heard | Truth,
Lies, Racism & Omnicide," 12 Dec 2012
4. See the explication of this in "Expose | The 2 degrees Death Dance
- The 1 degrees Cover-Up," Part I (10 Dec 2010) and Part II (24 Dec
2010), by Cory Morningstar, The Art of Annihilation
5. Op. Cit. "The Most Important COP Briefing..."
Cory Morningstar is an independent investigative journalist, writer and
environmental activist, focusing on global ecological collapse and
political analysis of the non-profit industrial complex. She resides in
Canada. Her recent writings can be found on Wrong Kind of Green, The Art of
Annihilation, Political Context, Counterpunch, Canadians for Action on
Climate Change and Countercurrents. Her writing has also been published by
Bolivia Rising and Cambio, the official newspaper of the Plurinational
State of Bolivia.
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