IFG and Allies Launch Cancun Mobilization For Cop 16

kristyGreen Prosperity, Earth Systems Science

Linking local leaders with international allies to drive global decisions

IFG recently convened another landmark meeting near Cancun, where the world’s governments will soon meet to pick up the pieces from Copenhagen’s frustrating failure to forge a global climate deal. UNFCCC’s COP 16 could yield some useful decisions to set real ecological limits on the global economy, but only if the Obama Administration drops its proposed “ new paradigm” for global climate governance, insisting that the world abandon the current Convention’s strong principles for ecological integrity and social equity.

IFG has reconnected with old allies who turned out for the 2003 WTO Ministerial in Cancun—and invited in many new ones—to help inform and inspire a diverse “movement of movements” to act for global change. We’re linking our international allies with local leaders from the regions’ indigenous, forest, and farming communities, as well as urban youth, progressive labor, responsible business, and thoughtful government officials. All have vowed to mobilize their members. Cancun’s local media coverage of our activities explained what’s at stake.

Why Cancun cares. How Mexico is mobilizing

Communities in and around Cancun see climate change as an urgent issue. Why? Mayan corn crops are failing due to a decade-long drought, despite the region’s recent floods, fires, landslides, and hurricanes that are also destroying Mayan tropical forests. Increasing ocean temperatures and acidification are bleaching the Caribbean coast’s rare coral reefs, while extreme weather is accelerating the erosion of its endless white sand beaches. IFG is working with these constituencies to help draw the links between these very real local impacts on rural and urban economies and the global decisions governments must make at the UN climate talks. Click HERE to see more.

How COP 16 can protect forests, plus the people who protect forests

Foremost among IFG’s priorities for Cancun is the formal recognition and full implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples and forest dependent communities in any and all decisions, especially those aimed at Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (or REDD). Mexico’s forest community’s success with control over forest resources has provided a lot of lessons learned for how REDD should proceed. IFG’s convening on “Rights in REDD at COP 16” follows on an important consensus we created before Copenhagen whereby non-indigenous NGOs agreed to support the positions of the Indigenous Caucus with respect to indigenous rights in COP 15. IFG aims to keep this consensus, and deepen commitments to the UN Declaration.

Click HERE for more.