When President Morales of Bolivia launched his invitation to the world to come to Bolivia to develop a Peoples’ Agenda for Climate Change, we never imagined the overwhelming response it would generate. With less than a week to go before the conference, here are some of the astonishing statistics related to the conference:
- At least 15,000 people are expected to attend from 126 countries
- Around 70 governments are expected to attend to listen to the voices of civil society, including Presidents of Ecuador, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Vice-President of Comoros Islands, government ministers, delegates and parliamentarians from Europe, Asia and Africa.
- The following international organisations will also be sending representatives: UNICEF, FAO, UNESCO, UNFPA, WTO, OICA, OPS, FIDA
- 180 self-organized events have been registered by different networks on every aspect of climate change policy
- More than 50 scientists, social movement leaders, researchers, academics and artists have agreed to speak on 14 panels including NASA scientist Jim Hansen, Bill McKibben, environmental journalist and leader of 350.org, Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva, best-selling author Naomi Klein, Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, Miguel D’Escoto, former President of UN General Assembly, Lumumba Di-Aping, former lead negotiator for the G77 along with leaders from leading environmental organizations and communities at the front line of climate change.
- More than 300 press have registered including major news networks and newspapers such as BBC, Radio France International, Guardian in the UK, Telesur, l Jazeera, and Democracy Now
It is clear that the conference and its objective of putting forward a just and effective response to climate change have touched a chord worldwide. It shows more than ever, after the failure of Copenhagen, that the hope that we can address the climate crisis lies with the people of the world.
Cochabamba comes to the World – cmpcclive.org
The world is not only coming to Cochabamba, we are determined to bring Cochabamba to the world. As the conference opens on 20 April, we will launch a new interactive website that will allow anyone in the world with an internet connection the possibility to watch debates live, send in comments, join virtual meetings, listen to radio coverage, watch daily shows by Democracy Now, and follow the stories and analysis by many of the conference participants. Stay tuned for more information in the next couple of days on https://pwccc.wordpress.com
Bonn opens doors for Cochabamba
During UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in Bonn, 9-11 April 2010, the G77 plus China successfully resisted attempts by the US to make the disastrous Copenhagen Accord the basis for future negotiations.
Most significantly, negotiations in Bonn opened the door for Cochabamba to have a direct impact as it was agreed that the new UNFCCC negotiation text will take into consideration proposals that are presented before 26 April 2010.
Help us get the word out
If everyone attending the summit invested a little time in communicating their participation and the importance of the conference, we could become a much bigger news story and make a greater political impact. Here are some ways you can help:
- Write an article on your own website, to newspapers, your networks and allies on why you are attending the Peoples’ Climate Conference
- Contact mainstream and grassroots media in your country offering interviews and analysis
- Look to place an opinion/comment piece by your organisation or by a high profile ally in a major news outlet
- Become a fan of the conference on Facebook
- Tweet about the conference using the hashtag #cochabamba and #cmpcc Stay in touch with latest news at http://twitter.com/boliviaun This is the best way to get breaking news from the conference.
- Organise an international action or event in solidarity with Bolivia. For more information, visit https://pwccc.wordpress.com/category/intl-actions-events If you would like to organise a live interactive meeting between Bolivia and any large meetings you are holding simultaneously with the Peoples’ Climate Conference, email alfredo@mayfirst.org
Difficulties: Visas, registration, accommodation
The scale of worldwide response has caused difficulties for the conference organisers, especially as this conference has barely a fraction of the resources compared with the UN conference in Copenhagen. We apologise if this has caused inconvenience to you. Extra resources have been put into these areas in the last days before the conference to expedite all your requests. Please email:
- registro@cmpcc.org for all enquiries about registration
- visas@cmpcc.org if you need a letter of invitation to travel (please see https://pwccc.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/visa
- hotel@cmpcc.org if you are unable to find accommodation
Peoples’ Climate Summit in the News
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2010/mar/19/bolivia-conference-on-climate-change
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/apr/13/bolivia-climate-summit
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-mckibben/bless-bolivia-for-re-char_b_521509.html
http://www.progressive.org/huff041210.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/richardblack/2010/04/earth_spirits_twin_visions_on.html
World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth 
5 comments
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April 15, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Gordon Spafford
I am delighted with the huge response and wish you a successful conference. Further, I wish you success in bringing the world climate issues home to all of us. Also I think it shameful that we of the developed world should have been so ineffective in dealing with a problem we have caused while Bolivia, a country with a negligible carbon footprint, is willing to take the lead in its solution. My deepest thanks and admiration for your efforts. I wish I could be there. My prayers will be.
Gordon Spafford, Winnipeg, Canada
April 16, 2010 at 4:32 am
blog.cat.org.uk » World People’s Conference on Climate Change
[…] The world comes to Cochabamba.. […]
April 16, 2010 at 6:28 am
Frans C. Verhagen, M.Div., M.I.A. Ph.D.
The Bonn recognition of the CMPCC is encouraging, in no small measure due to the intervention of Ambassador Solon as reported in the Guardian story a few days ago. More important is its willingness to consider the recommendations coming out of the CMPCC. Having made the case for the practical proposal of a UN Commission on Monetary Transformation and the Climate Crisis both in the CMPCC Working Groups and in a one hour meeting with Ambassador Solon on March 19, I hope the Conference recommends the establishment of such Commission, so that the UNFCCC can recommend that the GA passes a resolution to establish the Commission in a similar way it did with the UN Stiglitz Commission in September 2008 under the leadership of H.E. Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, MM. One of the main agenda items of such Commission would be the consideration of the Tierra Fee & Dividend system which uses a transformed international monetary system for low carbon and climate-resilient development by adopting a de-carbonization monetary standard with the accounting unit of the Tierra. It would lead nations to deal with global ecological/carbon imbalances via their carbon accounts in the adjustment mechanism of a modified balance of payments. I am appending here an abstract that I submitted for a presentation at the UNITAR/Yale Conference in medio September emphasizing the position that the international community has to go beyond simply reforming present institutions by transforming them in order to make real progress for the climate and development. It is a position that seems to be close to the purpose of the Cochabamba Conference.
Abstract
The Tierra Fee & Dividend System:
A Monetary Approach to Low Carbon and Climate-Resilient Development
For
2nd UNITAR/Yale Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy: Strengthening Institutions to Address Climate Change and Advance a Green Economy Event Application
By
Frans C. Verhagen, M.Div., M.I.A., Ph.D., sustainability sociologist
President, International Institute of Monetary Transformation
New York City
April 15, 2010
This research builds on reformist efforts in the international monetary system or rather non-system to achieve a transformed international monetary system that is to be used for low carbon and climate-resilient development in both the global North and South. As such it does not strengthen present institutions dealing with climate change and the Green Economy, but transcends them by transforming them into a higher level of unification.
The Tierra Fee & Dividend (TFD) system consists of the carbon reduction methodology of the Fee & Dividend approach as suggested by climatologist James Hansen in opposition to the cap-and-trade approach and of Tierra Monetary Paradigm which is based upon the de-carbonization monetary standard with its accounting unit of the Tierra. In the first phase of the TFD the Tierra will be a carbon-based international reserve currency that is part of the carbon account of a nation’s balance of payments. Replacing the present hard currency reserves, the TFD would free up $100 billion annually for the developing world which can be used for domestic investment and consumption. Like global financial imbalances global ecological or carbon balances have to be balanced via the adjustment mechanism of this modified balance of payments.
One of the main effects of and the rationale for the TFD is the creation of joint financing of the MDGs and climate mitigation and adaptation measures. As such it has been presented at the ECOSOC and GA debates in March 2010 at the UN Headquarters. The full impact of this bold, transformational Tierra Fee & Dividend system is expressed in the attached draft Tierra Scenario of 2025 which resembles Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward, 2000-1887.
Given the complexity of integrating monetary transformation, carbon fees or taxes within a political context where governments are regulators and drivers the forthcoming book length publication on the TFD discusses the need and feasibility of having the UNFCCC in COP 16 or 17 and other UN organizations recommend to the General Assembly passing a resolution to establish the UN Commission on Monetary Transformation and the Climate Crisis.
April 21, 2010 at 1:47 am
Charles Fraser
I am at the conference at cochabamba now, reading up on fee and tarrif which is why I came here to bring people who can make it happen on a supra national scale to our conference at houses of parliment in london in september. I would love to talk with you about what you are doing. Please call or email me: +447801073913
Charlie@SustainableMedia.coop
I am meeting with the Ecuadorian government at their presentation of the Yasuni-itt [http://www.yasuni-itt.gov.ec/] scheme to talk about it tomorrow at 16h30. I hope to see you there.
Praises
May 2, 2010 at 9:57 pm
SWEECTCHIET
Hey
Really glad to get into this forum
It’s what I am looking for.
Hope to know more member here.