Reposted from Philippine Development Initiatives for Rural Sectors Inc.

Last October 14, PDIARS, in partnership with The Women's Global Call for Climate Justice, Amihan Federation of Peasant Women, and Pamalakaya Pilipinas (Federation of Fisherfolks in the Philippines) and KMP (Farmers Movement in the Philippines), successfully conducted a forum cum workshop on climate change. The event sealed a unity declaration that demanded climate justice – accountability of top world polluters, which are rich and industrialised countries such as the United States, European Union and China. It also gathered experts to educate rural sectors on how to draw and strengthen people's initiatives and alternative solutions in combating the effects of global warming.

The event was also supported by Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law & Development (APWLD), Global People's Surge (GPS), Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP), Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Union of Agricultural Workers), and Anakpawis Partylist.

Panel of speakers were scientists, professionals and leaders of rural sectors. Dr. Giovanni Tapang of AGHAM, Kalikasan-PNE discussed the root causes of climate change while Anakpawis and NAFLU-KMU leader Ariel Casilao shared how Mindanao people, through their own initiatives, rose from the impacts of Typhoon Pablo in 2013. Joan Haway of indigenous people's organisation Katribu discussed how mining and other extractive industries in IP communities worsen the effects of climate change. The second panel focused on capacity building to enable farmers, peasant women, fisher folks, and indigenous people develop their own solutions to combat the effects of climate change. Dr. Chito Medina of farmer-scientist group Masipag gave a lecture on how to achieve farmers' resiliency by mitigation, adaptation and disaster-risk reduction, while Ms. Estella Catarata, executive director Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes (PNFSP) shared best practices on community-based initiatives of socio-economic programs. Healthy lifetyle expert Nona Andaya-Castillo informed a very responsive audience the importance of eating indigenous food for sustainable consumption and avoiding meat, dairy and other processed goods created through industrial agriculture that produce large amounts of green house gasses (GHGs). Towards the end, PDIARS acting executive director and APWLD member Tess Vistro gave and update on the status of climate talks and the increasing people's call for climate justice all over the world.

After enriching and informative discussions, there was a break-out session which grouped participants per sector – farmers & fisher folks, peasant women, indigenous people and advocates & experts. They were asked to come up with their alternative solutions and express this in creative posters.

The highlight of the event was the approval of declaration of unity against the climate crises was formulated and approved by the participants in a plenary session. Below is the official declaration:

RURAL POOR AND PEOPLE'S DECLARATION ON CLIMATE CRISES We, the rural women and men who are farmers, fisherfolks, agricultural workers, and indigenous peoples, with scientists, professionals and members of the academe today declare in unity that:

The root of the climate crises suffered by the world today is due to the unending production for profit, primarily by foreign corporations and rich and industrialised countries;

These countries and corporations greedily use dirty industries, plundering natural resources to create more wealth, by stealing our lands, polluting our seas and destructing our sacred mountains;

We are the primary victims of the climate crises as our land, water, livelihood, food and lives are always put in danger;

We have the ability to adapt and create solutions to the effects of climate change, but this is hampered by government neglect and development aggression that destroys our livelihood, drive us away from our farm lands, ancestral domains, seas and sacred mountains;

To combat the effects of climate change and defend our rights, we will nurture our lands, seas and mountains for sustainable practices using traditional knowledge and sustainable technology which we will develop through collective action and consolidation of experience and knowledge;

We will amplify active and equal participation of women in all processes in the struggle for climate justice. We will overcome obstacles to ensure that women contribute their abilities, experience and knowledge in fighting the effects of climate change, including their distinct solutions culled from their experiences in managing farm lands, mountains and even seas;

Because our world's future of our depends on them, youth and children participation will be intensified by raising their consciousness about the climate crises and empower them to be instrumental in the struggle for climate justice;

Recognizing these, we strongly DENOUNCE: Continuing government neglect to victims of calamities caused by climate change, including corruption of donations and public funds allotted for relief and rehabilitation;

The Aquino government's continuing subservience to imperialist countries guilty of plundering our natural resources and polluting the environment at the expense of our rights, interests and sovereignty;

The money-making schemes of capitalist financial institutions led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – World Bank (WB) / Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the guise of combatting climate change;

The climate change mitigation plans of the government under the United Nations program such Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), and local projects like the National Greening Program (NGP) which will displace indigenous peoples and in most cases, pave the way for entry of foreign capital through programs such as expansion of plantations that use chemical-intensive farming practices, and thus will not reduce green house gasses (GHG) emission;

Continued construction of new coal power plants which is the dirtiest type of energy;

False solutions such as renewable energy programs which is actually to sustain energy needs of corporations and rich countries, leading to the seizing of our lands which are meant for food production, shelter, and other basic needs of the people;

The continued non-committal of rich and industrialised countries to owe up to their responsibility of compensating the disaster damages caused by climate change and even passes the responsibility to poor countries like ours which has not yet even recovered from its devastating effects;

Repression and different forms of human rights violations against our ranks as we oppose these government projects which destroy our livelihood; Recognizing these, WE COLLECTIVELY STAND FOR: Genuine solutions to climate change lies in the hands of the people, which are inextricably linked to our struggle for genuine agrarian reform and national industrialisation, nationalisation of resources such as energy projects for the people's welfare – not for corporations and foreign countries;

The climate crises will be effectively fought only by ending imperialist plunder and their capital;

We will advance our struggle to end the crises in different levels – in our communities, schools, streets and in the halls of Congress with the help of progressive and nationalistic lawmakers;

We will combat the effects of climate change in different forms, including sustainable consumption rich in indigenous food, and keeping away from foods like meat and processed goods, produced through industrial agriculture that produce large amounts of GHG;

We will forge solidarity with other victims of the effects of climate change – the workers of the world who are exploited by foreign capital to rake profit, peasants and indigenous people whose lands are grabbed, and natural resources/raw materials exploited to create dirty energy that emits GHGs causing global warming;

We will oppose and denounce the climate treaty to be signed in Paris on December, as this anti-people accord is corporate capture of climate – a creation of imperialist/rich countries to further damage the environment and worsen the ill effects of climate change. Expose and oppose the corporate capture of climate!

End corporate greed!

System change to end climate change!

End imperialist plunder and exploitation, end the climate crises! October 14, 2015

Balay Kalinaw, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

Philippines

Filipino text:

DEKLARASYON HINGGIL SA KRISIS SA KLIMA

Kaming mga magsasaka, mangingisda, manggagawang bukid, manggagawang agrikultural, at katutubo, na mga kalalakihan at kababaihan, mga siyentista, propesyunal at miembro ng akademya, ay nagdedeklara ngayon na:

Ang ugat ng krisis sa klima na dinaranas ng mundo ngayon ay bunga ng walang hanggang pagproduksyon para sa tubo, pangunahin ng mga dayuhang korporasyon at mayayamang bansa. Itinutulak nito ang walang patumanggang paggamit ng likas na yaman para sa higit na tubo, pag-agaw sa mga lupa, karagatan at kabundukan;

Kami ang pangunahing naaapektuhan ng krisis sa klima. Apektado an g aming kabuhayan, pagkain, kalupaan, tubig at kabuhayan;

May kakayahan kaming umangkop at lumutas sa mga epekto ng pagbabago ng klima, subalit nalilimitahan ito dahil sa kapabayaan ng gobyerno at sa mga proyektong kaunlaran na sumasagasa sa aming mga kabuhayan at karapatan at nagpapalayas sa amin sa aming mga kalupaan, karagatan at kabundukan;

Paunlarin namin ang ating lupa, karagatan at kabundukan para sa sustenableng agrikultura at sustenableng pangangasiwa sa karagatan, gamit ang ating mga tradisyunal na kaalaman sa teknolohiya at iba pa na aming mapapaunlad sa pamamagitan ng sama-samang pagkilos at pagtitipon ng karanasan at kaalaman;

Aming pauunlarin ang aktibo at pantay na partisipasyon ng kababaihan sa lahat ng proseso sa pagbaka sa krisis sa klima. Babakahin ang lahat ng balakid,upang sa pinakamaksimum na paraan ay maiambag ng kababaihan ang kanilang kakayahan, karanasan at karunungan sa pagbaka sa epekto ng pagbabago ng klima kabilang na ang kanilang natatanging solusyon mula sa kanilang karanasan sa pamamahala ng lupa, kabundukan at maging ang karagatan;

Pauunlarin din namin ang partisipasyon ng mga kabataan at bata, itaas ang kanilang kamulatan sa krisis sa klima, at makapag-ambag sa laban sa pagbaka sa krisis sa klima, dahil aming kinikilala na nakasalalay sa paglaban ng kasalukuyang henerasyon ang mamanahing lipunan at mundo ng mga kabataan sa mga susunod na panahon;

Kaugnay nito inutuligsa namin ang:

Patuloy na pagpapabaya ng gobyerno sa mga biktima ng mga kalamidad na ibinunga ng pagbabago ng klima, kabilang na ang pangungurakot sa pondo na nakalaan sa rehabilitasyon ng mga nasalanta;

Patuloy na pangangayupapa nito sa mga imperyalistang bansa tulad ng US, at pagsunod sa interes at kagustuhan nito habang isinasakripisyo ang kapakanan at interes ng mamamayang Pilipino;

Ang IMF-WB/ADB sa paggamit ng pautang at pagkakitaan ang proyekto sa klima;

Ang plano sa mitigasyon ng gobyerno tulad ng REDD sa kabundukan, na ang epekto ay mapapalayas ang mga katutubo, at sa maraming kaso ay daan upang ang dayuhang capital ay makapasok sa mga kagubatan para sa mga proyektong tulad ng pagpapalawak ng mga plantasyon na kemikal ang basehan ng pagsasaka at kung gayon ay di makakaambag sa pagpapababa ng emisyon ng GHG;

Ang mga solusyon tulad ng mga renewable energy, na pangunahin ay para sa pangangailangan sa enerhiya ng mga korporasyon at mayayamang bansa subalit sasakop sa aming mga kalupaang nakalaan sa produksyon ng pagkain at iba pang pangangailangan ng mamamayan;

Ang patuloy na di pag-ako ng mayayamang bansa sa reponsibilidad para bayaran ang mga nasira ng kalamidad bunga ng climate change; lalo't higit ay ipinapasa pa sa mahihirap na bansa ang responsibilidad bagamat hindi pa nakakabangon sa epekto ng kalamidad;

Ang patuloy na pagtatayo ng mga bagong coal power plants na pinakaduming klase ng enerhiya;

Ang pagpatay at iba't-ibang porma ng paglabag ng aming karapatang pantao kapag tinututulan namin ang mga proyektong ito ng gobyerno na nakakasira sa aming kabuhayan; lalo't higit ang kanilang pagsira sa aming mga pananim, produkto kabuhayan;

At naninindigan kami na:

Ang solusyon sa krisis sa klima ay nasa kamay ng mamamayan at mahigpit na kaugnay sa laban sa pagpapatupad ng tunay na repormang agraryo at pambansang industriyalisasyon; sa nasyunalisasyon ng mga proyekto sa enerhiya tulad ng mga dam para sa kapakinabangan ng mamamayan at hindi ang mga korporasyon at dayuhan;

Tanging sa pagwawakas sa pandarambong ng imperyalismo/ dayuhang korporasyon at kanilang kapital,at ang pakikipagkutsabahan sa gobyerno mabisang malalabanan ang krisis sa klima;

Itutuloy-tuloy ang laban sa paglutas sa krisis na ito sa iba't-ibang porma at antas – sa aming mga komunidad, sa kalsada, sa mga eskuelahan, sa Kongreso, sa tulong ng mga makabayan at progresibong kinatawan; at sa iba't-ibang paraan tulad ng sustenableng pagkonsumo, at pagtakwil sa mga pagkain, tulad ng mga karne na produkto ng industriyal na agrikultura, na siyang malaking pinagmumulan ng GHG;

Makikipag-kaisa sa iba pang biktima ng epekto ng krisis sa klima, kabilang na ang mga manggagawa ng daigdig na pinagsamantalahan ng dayuhang capital, upang magkamal ang tubo, ang mga magsasaka at katutubo na inagawan ng lupa at iba pang natural resources/hilaw na materyales, sa paglikha ng mga produkto gamit ang enerhiya na nagbuga ng green house gases, na itinambak sa atmospera at pinagmumulan ngayon ng pag init ng mundo, upang labanan ang higit pang pananalasa ng dayuhang capital;

Lalabanan at itatakwil ang tratado sa klima na pipirmahan sa Paris, bilang pakana ito ng mga imperyalistang bansa/mayayamang bansa upang higit na palalalain ang krisis sa klima, at magpapalala sa kahirapan na aming dinaranas dahil sa krisis sa klima. ###