Photo: Climate activists form human chain in Paris on Nov. 29 at the opening of the COP21 climate talks.
By Nancy Price, Randa Solick and Joan Brannigan
WILPF women, defying the French ban on marches, joined the Nov. 29 Human Chain for Climate Justice that lined Blvd. Voltaire from the Church of St. Ambroise to Place de la Nation to hold signs. On Dec. 6, WILPF holds two panels at the People’s Climate Summit: “Nuclear Energy Doesn’t Save the Climate” and “Women Facing Climate Change.” Keep checking news from WILPF at COP 21.
At the same time, on Nov. 28 and 29 over one-half million people joined the #GlobalClimateMarch breaking records around the world for 785,000+ people participating in 2500+ events in 175+ countries. This is the kind of grassroots bottom-up mobilization that’s needed to make the leaders from 147 nations meeting in Paris listen to the people for a change.
As Pablo Salón, former chief negotiator on climate for Bolivia as well as Bolivia’s former ambassador to the UN, emphasized to Amy Goodman on Dec. 2, each country’s pledge, submitted early October, is totally insufficient and will lead to a 2.7 to 3.9 degrees C temperature increase. Remember 1.5 degrees C is considered the safe limit, even though global warming and extreme weather is taking place now. We’ll have to wait until the final days to see what in fact emerges from COP21. In 2016, will we need to take more dramatic action – such as a People’s Climate Strike?
In a brilliant move, just before Nov. 28, the Brandalist art activists took over advertising spaces in Paris with more than 600 works by 80 renowned artists from 19 countries emphasizing the links between advertising, consumerism, the dependence on fossil fuels and climate change.
Santa Cruz Marches for Climate Justice
By Randa Solick
Santa Cruz, California, joined the world climate marches with 350 people attending! We marched across town, lots of tourists and visitors took pictures and told us they agreed that we need to pressure our representatives in Paris to take effective steps to control climate change - not allow business as usual. Marimba and drum bands along the way added their support, and we ended at a rally in our beautiful downtown park.
The most important thing about the march was that it was at least half young people, some of them from our local University of California campus. Their speakers demanded that Paris yield real results, and acknowledged that saving the planet will be the continuing issue of their lifetimes. UC students are working hard on getting the university to divest from fossil fuels. One speaker, who had attended the previous COP meeting, received loud applause for giving voice to our universal demand that this final Paris round go far beyond the ineffective previous meetings on reduction CO2 emissions. All of us - experienced activists and new ones alike - are determined to continue in this attempt to save our planet and all the living beings on it.
Top Photo: Earth democracy marchers, from left, Mathilde Rand, Judy Geer and Randa Solick in Santa Cruz.
Inset Photo: Signs by Jeri Bodemar on left; and Paula LeRoy at the Santa Cruz climate march.
St. Louis Branch
St. Louis Branch members joined with others including Avaaz and the Sierra Club in St. Louis, MO, in a Nov. 29 march past Peabody Coal headquarters to City Hall to demonstrate the need for clean energy. They called for the government to listen to the people not international corporations, reports Joan Brannigan.
These presentations were preceded by brief remarks from Lucy Lewis, Triangle WILPF Steering Committee, outlining key highlights of WILPF and local branch history. Triangle WILPF was founded in 1935 by Charlotte Adams, and has a long history in our community for independently organized vigils, protests, and advocacy but also as catalysts for other organizations and activities. Members were active in the local civil rights movement in the 1960s. From 1968-1973, Triangle WILPF conducted a weekly Wednesday peace vigil in opposition to the Vietnam War. In the 1970s, members Charlotte Adams, Tan Schwab and Beth Okun founded the Orange County Dispute Settlement Center. WILPF was active in Central America solidarity work in the 1980s as well as the local Rainbow Coalition.
Rojava occupies a sliver of land in northern Syria along the border with Turkey. Its people, mostly Kurds along with Arabs and Armenians, have attracted world attention for their efforts to build a new society based on gender equality and democracy in defiance of the misogynist and medieval practices of ISIS terrorists. Kurdish women are playing a leadership role in this movement and can be seen taking up arms alongside men to fight off ISIS as well as soldiers from Turkey, which has long been antagonistic to Kurdish independence movements.
We introduced our special honorees, longtime local branch members Millee Livingston, now of Auburn, CA (recent WILPF national treasurer and past president of our branch), and Margaret Stein (branch president during the Vietnam War – our most active, highest membership period - and frequent chair of human needs task forces for the branch).
