New Delhi Climate Justice Summit

Join us!

New Delhi, India

October 26-28, 2002

Climate Change is REAL. It is no longer a question of whether the climate is changing, but rather how bad the impacts are going to be. Recent extreme weather patterns in India, China and Europe, for example, are just initial reminders of what we, as a global community, will face if nothing is done to address climate change.

The burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) results in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse (heat trapping) gases, leading to a rise in temperatures (Global Warming). The implications of a changing climate are huge. Changes in rainfall patterns have led to drought, resulting in the loss of livelihoods for farmers and agriculture workers, and starvation for many. Flooding in other parts of India, Europe and China have left hundreds of thousands homeless. Recent heat waves in India left over 1,000 people dead -- mostly the poor and the elderly. Rising sea levels displace coastal dwellers and threaten fishing patterns -- directly impacting fishworkers. Changes in the climate also lead to the rise in certain diseases and agricultural pests-threatening public health and forests. The list goes on and on. Climate change may very well be the most threatening issue to face humanity and a matter of life and death for many. The biggest injustice of climate change is that the hardest hit communities are the least responsible for climate change.

The solutions are clear -- we have to move away from our addiction to oil, coal and gas, and move towards clean, renewable energy. Current attempts to solve the climate crisis, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), have been derailed by oil, coal and gas industries as well as the automobile and utility industry. Along with countries such as the US, they are using the negotiations to further economic globalization in order to increase their profits at the expense of communities and the environment. Instead of sustainable development, we are faced with sustainable destruction. Fossil fuels are the driving force behind globalization, and opposing fossil fuel based model of development is a crucial part of the anti-globalization struggle.

The next Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC (COP8) will be held in New Delhi from October 23-November 1. JOIN US for the Climate Justice Summit as we expose the false solutions being promoted by corporations and Northern governments, and more importantly, articulate and demand a solution to climate change from a human rights, environmental justice and worker's perspective -- from a people-centered perspective.

Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27 will be public forums (panels, workshops & cultural events) at the Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi, from 9 am 7 pm. There will be a march and rally for Climate Justice on Monday, October 28. Bring your banners!

We invite you to participate in the Climate Justice Summit by attending as well as participating in shaping the program. We are offering space for 60 (2 hour) workshops and efforts are already underway to mobilize communities from all over India to the Summit. Please send your requests and ideas for workshops, panels, plenary speakers and themes immediately to amit@corpwatch.org

For updates, please visit www.CorpWatchIndia.org and www.corpwatch.org

From the Organizing Committee of the India Climate Justice Forum: CorpWatch, Mines, Minerals & People, National Alliance of People's Movements, National Fishworkers Forum and The Other Media

• 100 Climate Justice Initiative
• 107 Energy