Vancouver BC

Metro Vancouver People’s Assembly on Climate Justice

Help build the movement for climate justice!

7:00pm
Tuesday December 7 2010

In the wake of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia in April 2010, social movements from all over the world have continued to forge a powerful movement for Climate Justice.

This first Metro Vancouver People’s Assembly on Climate Justice will begin a series of Assemblies to build a strong and effective Climate Justice movement in the Lower Mainland. We will advance real solutions while taking action against megaprojects in our region that increase carbon emissions. We will also be building the global movement for Climate Justice.This Assembly is part of the December 7 global day of action called by Via Campesina.

A People’s Assembly is a space to develop a common vision of how things could be different, and to plan actions to make the change happen. It started with people’s assemblies on Climate Justice taking place on the streets outside the Copenhagen climate negotiations. These talks failed to produce agreement but the assemblies sparked a movement that led to The World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. For more information on People’s Assemblies see: www.canadians.org/assemblies and the promotional video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk7Yvg48dxw

What is climate justice?

At a basic level, climate justice is about effective and equitable solutions to the climate crisis. Climate justice includes:

• Creating economies and societies that meet human needs and respect the environment, including reclaiming ecological “commons” from increasing corporate con­trol.
• Promoting real solutions to the climate crisis, while challenging false climate “solutions” that do little or nothing to reduce emissions.
• Taking direct action against climate crimes in our communities, such as freeway expansion projects.
• Recognizing that justice for young people and future generations means urgent action to overcome fossil fuel dependency.
• Wealthy countries and people making deep and rapid emission reduc­tions and helping pay for emissions reduction measures in the Global South.
• Affirming the rights of indigenous peoples and communities affected by climate change to speak for themselves.

What to bring:

• Examples of how you or your group has confronted these issues, successfully or not.
• Ideas for what future Assemblies should focus on, and where in the region they should be held.
• Energy, questions, a commitment to take action.
• An understanding that this first Assembly is a starting point, not an end point.