Call To Climate Action

To link with the ‘International day of action against racism’ on March 21st the group Rising Tide are calling upon “concerned people and grass roots groups to launch a season of carbon action and organise their own autonomous actions.” The aim is to highlight the links between social injustice, climate change and other ecological problems. Overwhelmingly those first to be affected by climate change and other environmental problems are people of colour, both within industrialised countries themselves as well as outside them.

The ‘solution’ (proposed by leaders in forums like Den Haag) is carbon trading meaning that less industrialised countries can sell their unused quota of carbon emissions to companies and countries who have exhausted their supply. In effect commodifying the atmosphere. So the industrialised countries create the problem, watch others suffer its effects, buy their way out of it cheaply, then sit back and watch the profits roll in from the cleaner technologies they sell to the poor. Another example of neo-colonial relations between ‘the west’ and the rest of the world.

Rising Tide are asking anti-racist and environmental groups to make links locally and work together to take action. See www.risingtide.nl for more details and useful links

Contact risingtide@post.com / info@risingtide.nl