A-Infos (en) Britain, First Meeting of Norwich Rising Tide!

Tuesday, February 27th, 7.30 PM at the Greenhouse, 42-46 Bethel St., 
Norwich, NR2
Tired of watching politicians and corporations screw up the planet? 
Think that an obsession with endless economic growth is at the heart of 
the climate crisis? Uninspired by sending £3 a month to Charity X, but 
not sure where to put your energy? Want to help build just, sustainable 
solutions here and now? Then come to the first meeting of Norwich Rising 
Tide!
What is Rising Tide?
Rising Tide is a vibrant grassroots network made up of groups and 
individuals who take creative direct action to confront the root causes 
of climate change, and promote local, community-run solutions to our 
energy needs. Rising Tide argues that climate change is an issue of 
social injustice, and is linked to the economic domination of Northern 
interests and transnational corporations. Rising Tide is skeptical of 
market-based ‘solutions’ to climate change such as carbon offsetting and 
sequestration schemes, and calls instead for a just, community-led 
transition to a non-carbon society. Rising Tide believes that an 
immediate end to oil exploration and a dismantling of the fossil fuel 
economy are necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change. To learn 
more about what Rising Tide stands for see the Rising Tide political 
statement <http://www.risingtide.org.uk/about/political>

Rising Tide is a non-hierarchical network, and organises through 
decentralised local groups and consensus-based decision making.
----------------------------------------------------------
The Rising Tide Coalition for Climate Justice Political Statement
/The Rising Tide political statement was written by a coalition of 
groups who came together to organise protests and events at the United 
Nations Climate Conference of Parties (COP6) in The Hague, in November 
2000. The groups who came together under the name of Rising Tide have a 
unique approach to climate change based around the issues of social 
justice and a critique of business-led solutions. The statement defines 
the position of the Rising Tide network. At an international Rising Tide 
meeting in Barcelona in February 2002, the statement was updated and 
re-written in its current format./
Rising Tide is an international network of groups and individuals 
committed to a grassroots approach to fighting for climate justice. We 
believe that the Kyoto protocol will fail to combat the climate change 
crisis. Instead the protocol promotes the self-interest of corporations 
and industrialised nations and marginalises issues of global equity and 
the environment.
Equity
We believe that social and economic equity between and within countries 
lies at the heart of all solutions to climate change.
These must include:

* A Just Transition to renewable energy sources, ie. a transition
which doesn't fall hardest on low income communities, communities
of colour or low income employees of industries reliant on fossil
fuels.
* Repayment of the ecological debt of the north to the south.
Ecological debt is caused by the extraction, use and destruction
of southern resources such as fossil fuels, minerals, forests,
marine & genetic resources. These resources are usually exported
to the north under unequal terms of trade, typically to pay back
third world debt. Northern industrialised countries have an
obligation to help repair and reverse the damage caused to the
biosphere.
* Equal access to, and responsibility for, common global resources
amongst all peoples.

Diversity
We believe that successful solutions will be defined by those most 
severely affected by climate change and who have been systematically 
excluded from negotiations, for example developing countries, island 
states, indigenous peoples, women, children and refugees of all kinds.
We need to recognise the plight and the rights of refugees fleeing from 
the effects of climate change, economic collapse or wars, which always 
have inequality and exploitation at their core.
Energy to meet basic needs is an essential element of climate justice. 
Subsistence emissions of marginalised groups must not be targeted by any 
plans to reduce global emissions.
Challenging sexism and racism are at the core of Rising Tide's 
principles and actions.
We must take responsibility to protect all living species which face 
destruction in the wake of climate change.
Effectiveness
The targets agreed for industrialised countries in the Kyoto Protocol (a 
5.2% average reduction of 1990 carbon emission levels by 2012), 
dangerously underestimate what is needed. We believe that this protocol 
is another aspect of the economic globalisation which is also promoted 
by international institutions like the World Trade Organisation (WTO) 
and World Bank. This globalisation, with its accelerating demand for 
fossil fuel consumption, is triggering ever-faster climate change.
We need to make a minimum of 60% reductions in carbon emissions now, as 
proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In 
fact, we need to go beyond the IPCC recommendations to achieve cuts of 
90% in coming years. We acknowledge the magnitude of these changes, but 
are convinced that only cuts of this kind can hope to stabilise the 
climate.
Reducing carbon emissions has to mean ending fossil fuel exploration and 
shifting to renewable energies. These could play a substantial role in 
achieving the cuts we need, but only when coupled with a low-consumption 
lifestyle.
We believe in grassroots action to challenge the corporate and other 
elite interests responsible both for climate change, and for blocking 
real efforts to
find solutions to it.
Colonialism
The market in carbon emissions trading is colonialism with a modern face.
The biggest polluters have not only evaded responsibility for their 
emissions, but have created carbon trading, which perpetuates and 
deepens unequal access to and control of resources. A key element of 
carbon trading is the carbon sink, which is a strategy designed to 
appropriate indigenous lands. Other development projects, such as 
nuclear energy, large dams and other large-scale, hi-tech projects have 
come to be known as Joint Implementation and Clean Development 
Mechanisms in the Kyoto Protocol.
These are false solutions which are being dumped on marginalised 
communities, thus widening the gap between rich and poor. They create 
the illusion that southern countries are benefiting, while masking the 
fact that it is rich countries and companies which are profiting from 
access to emissions permits and control of new southern markets. People 
are being cheated in the name of sustainable development.
Rising Tide advocates

* A Just Transition to renewable energy sources, with a low
consumption lifestyle
* Repayment of the ecological debt of the north to the south.
* Equal access to - and responsibility for - common global resources
for all peoples.
* That solutions to climate chaos and the achievement of climate
justice must be defined by those most severely affected.
* Current and future support for refugees of all kinds.
* A minimum of 60% reductions in carbon emissions now leading to a
90% cut.

Rising Tide is against

* New fossil fuel exploration
* Emissions trading, carbon sinks, the 'Clean Development
Mechanism', 'Joint Implementation' and other false solutions being
used as a way to escape responsibility for emissions reductions

*The Rising Tide network will take action until the threats of climate 
change have been resolved in an equitable and effective way.*
_______________________________________________
A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
http://ainfos.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
http://ainfos.ca/en