Home Environment Copenhagen 2009: the predictable failure

Copenhagen 2009: the predictable failure

Details
Published on Monday
21 December 2009 18:20
Written by Radical Socialist
 

Michael Lowy

We – I mean the Marxists, the Ecosocialists, the radical climate justice activists – were quite pessimistic about the so-called United Nations Conference on Climate Change and had predicted that Copenhagen would end in a failure. We argued that the capitalist system doesn’t know any criteria other than more accumulation, greater expansion and higher profits, and therefore is unable to take the minimal measures necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change. And since we knew that the vast majority of the “world leaders” present in Copenhagen are nothing but faithful servants of the capitalist’s interests, we thought that the Conference would limit itself to vague promises about a 50% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2050. In one word, we believed that the Copenhagen mountain would give birth to a mouse.

Well, I must admit that we were wrong. We were not pessimistic enough. The Copenhagen conference did not give birth to a mouse but to a cockroach. Kyoto was already a big failure, since its aims were ridiculously low – a reduction in 5% until 2012 – and the methods used, such as the “market of pollutions rights”, absolutely unable to achieve any significant progress. But Copenhagen is much, much less than Kyoto, which at least acknowledged the need for internationally agreed commitments.

What happened ? China accused the US of not committing itself to any meaningful measures to reduce emissions; the US accused China of not accepting any international commitment to reduce emissions; and Europe explained that they couldn’t take any initiatives without the US and China. The only thing they all agreed, and happily so, is on the urgent need to do nothing.

So we have got only an ugly cockroach, called “The Agreement of Copenhagen”, concocted by the “world leaders” before hurriedly leaving the Conference by the back door. It is a completely void document saying that, as everybody knows, one should prevent temperature of raising beyond 2°C. Not a word about limitations of gas emissions, no percentages of reduction mentioned, not even as a wishful thinking, not even in a very far future. Nothing. Nihil. Zero content.

So, where is hope ? The only hope that exists is in the 100 thousand people that demonstrated in the streets of Copenhagen, coming from Denmark, Scandinavia, Germany, Europe and the whole world, asking for radical measures, denouncing the irresponsibility of the “responsible leaders”, claiming for climate justice, and proposing to “Change the system, not the climate”. Or, in the thousands who peacefully marched till the doors of the Conference, trying to open a dialogue with the “official” representatives, but were received by tear gas and police clubs, and saw their spokesmen – like Tadzo Müller – arrested for “incitation to violence”. Or in the thousands who took part in the discussions of the alternative KlimaForum, which adopted a resolution denouncing the pseudo-solutions of the system (“carbon trade”, etc). There is also hope in political leaders like the Bolivian President Evo Morales – among the very few exceptions – that showed solidarity with the Climate Justice movement, and denounced capitalism as the system responsible for disastrous global warming.

Conclusion : many years ago, the famous poet and singer Joe Hill, from the American International Workers of the World ( IWW) said, just before being shot by the authorities on fake accusations : “Don’t mourn, organize”. We must return to our countries, and organize people, in the fields, in the factories, in the schools, in the streets, to build a large international movement fighing against the system, to impose radical change, to save, not “the planet” – it is not in danger – but life on this planet from destruction.

 

From Eeurope Solidaire Sans Frontieres

RELATED ARTICLES

The Struggle for Food Sovereignty in Tunisia

Details Published on Wednesday 07 November 2018 16:20 Written by Radical Socialist

IPCC recognizes inequality as a key for “climate risk”. But we must go much further than that.

Details Published on Saturday 19 April 2014 10:40 Written by Radical Socialist

Most Popular

Statement on Cuba by Executive Bureau of the Fourth International

Details Published on Thursday 22 July 2021 08:02 Written by Radical Socialist In view of the popular mobilizations in Cuba and imperialist aggressions   Copyright Yerson Olivares - unsplash.com - End the imperialist...

France: 2nd Congress of NPA debates

Details Published on Friday 11 February 2011 16:42 Written by Radical Socialist Tribune of 4 positions (January 6th) The New Anticapitalist Party of France (Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste) is  the...

Algeria No to neoliberalism

Details Published on Saturday 22 January 2011 18:05 Written by Radical Socialist Algeria   No to neoliberalism! No to the free market! For a politics that serves the needs of...

BRAZIL: REBELLION BURNS STAGES

Details Published on Tuesday 26 March 2013 02:54 Written by Radical Socialist BRAZIL: REBELLION BURNS STAGES The mobilizations in Brazil began on June 6, with two thousand demonstrators...

In Sri Lanka’s crisis, a new president and old problems

Details Published on Wednesday 27 July 2022 02:13 Written by Radical Socialist B. SKANTHAKUMAR Sri Lanka has a new president. On 20th July, parliament in accordance with the...

Islam, sexuality, and the politics of belonging in the Netherlands

Details Published on Wednesday 08 September 2010 02:21 Written by Radical Socialist Paul Mepschen Sex seems to play a key role in the Dutch politics of belonging. Sex –...

Left movement in Bangladesh and CPB(ML)

Details Published on Sunday 04 March 2012 17:15 Written by Radical Socialist A note from Radical Socialist We publish below a presentation by a Central Committee member of the...

The ulama and the rights of women

Details Published on Tuesday 12 July 2011 15:52 Written by Radical Socialist The ulama and the rights of women by Masood Ashraf Raja | If woman is just an appendage and...

Proletarian Socialism and Women’s Liberation

Details Published on Tuesday 13 October 2009 05:41 Written by Radical Socialist

Contribution from Argentina

Details Published on Tuesday 15 December 2009 12:12Written by Radical Socialist