#cop25

BLOG BLANCHARD. Sam 07.12.2019, 8:29. MISE À JOUR. http://jfsaby.com/blogs/index.php/blanchard/aB8Z Article modifié. 1 PHOTO, 1 DESSIN DE PRESSE. C'est le moment ou jamais. COP 25. Sans aller jusqu'à Madrid, (mais avec la complicité de Charlie-Hebdo)…

De COP en COP ... ces grandes messes internationales, me font de plus en plus un effet soporifique. “ disait Pierre Rabhi

Après cela, certaines élites s’étonnent que le Mouvement Climat est “poussé dans le dos par des radicaux” . L’impatience croît.  Et... l’éco-anxiété gagne du terrain. Les moyens d’actions traditionnels que sont les manifestations du dimanche ont montré leur limite à peser sur le monde politique. Les militants du Mouvement Climat sont désespérés face à des décennies d’immobilisme et non-décisions politiques. Désobéissance ou voie politique classique ? Choisis ton camp... “Le monde politique reste toujours peu perméable à l'idée d'un changement en profondeur du système actuel.”  Michel De Meulenaere  dans Le Soir du 3/9/2018

COP27 – A bit like Groundhog Day

Do you remember the movie Groundhog Day released in 1993, where a weatherman is sent to cover a story about a weather forecasting “rat” (as he calls it) and finds himself in a time loop until he gets it right? Somehow the annual COP-shindigs remind me of exactly this situation: At each conference lots of promises, financial and other commitments and of course the obligatory back slapping but with…

In Vanessa Nakate’s A Bigger Picture, she discusses her journey in climate activism and why it’s important to stand up for what you believe in. 

One thing that Nakate said that has struck out to me is:

“ Every activist has a story to tell; every story has a solution to give; and every solution has a life to change” (Nakate 96).

The impact she discusses through this quote is one in which summarizes the lifespan of a cause. Activism is driven by narrative, without it there wouldn’t be a any impact. Nakate describes her life as a normal girl that starts to understand the inequitable effects of climate change in the global south, more specifically in Africa. Although Africans are not part of the majority contributing to industry carbon emissions, they are a community that is hit hard by the geological changes in the climate. Unpredictable and extreme weather has led to many Africans experiencing drought and floods, simultaneously across the continent. Nakate questions why should Africans be hit the hardest with the lowest contributions made to this crisis?

Vanessa Nakate, the founder of Rise Up Movement and a successful activist, began her days protesting in front of Ugandan parliament and busy streets. After gaining traction on social media, Nakate was invited to a multitude of events about climate activism. One of the events is taken from the photo above, where Nakate was cropped out of the original image. During a conference in Davos, Nakate was invited to speak about African climate activism and change in a global scale alongside the familiar youth climate activist, Greta Thunberg. When taking a photo all together by the Associated Press, they had cropped out Vanessa Nakate in an attempt to erase her mark left in Davos. Nakate had confronted the AP to which the CEO had tweeted her stating that the sole purpose she was cropped out was due to the photo composition and the building in the background. This was a blatant act of racism done against Nakate, where they had not only cropped her out, but an entire continent to fit their narrative of white saviorism. Yet, this does not erase any of Nakate’s accomplishments as an activist.

On Nakate’s Twitter and in her book, she explains the project she had done with Tim Reutemann, a climate expert, in bringing more efficient stoves and solar power to local schools in Uganda. 

The act upon this Green School initiative allowed for less usage of wood and more sustainable power systems with less harmful effects on the microclimate of Uganda. Nakate mentioned in her book that she wanted to start a donation drive to provide more resources to more schools across Africa. To see this idea come to fruition is amazing, as she was able to exceed her goal of 45,000 CHF and gain about $49,000 USD in funding for this movement. Children would no longer have to worry about bringing wood to school or the power going out, and focus more on learning. 

"Nakate is conscious of the power her voice wields, and the world would benefit from listening." (Kirkus Reviews)

The power that Nakate holds is something that no one can take away from her. Her growing social media presence and knowledge on the climate crisis is what the rest of the world would benefit from listening to. Continually, her project of the Rise Up movement brings light to social inequities upon the African populus. In interest, Nakate reaches to teach girls in schools about climate activism. She is fighting against child marriages in Africa and focusing on affordable education for girls throughout many African countries. 

Seeing the Rise Up movement in its entirety and Nakate’s involvement is amazing in the developmental aspect. Nakate began the movement with a sign and a purpose in attempting to raise awareness of climate change in Uganda. Nakate realized she had been taken seriously when people began asking her what organization she is from. That is when she came up with the Rise Up movement, as a way to empower people to rise up and make a change. Through Nakate’s hardships, her endurance to racism and sexism allowed her to continue the fight as opposed to discouraging her. She explained that having people of color promoting climate justice is extremely important in representation and influence. 

In Voices of Change: Climate Change is About the People, a UN production, Vanessa Nakate explains a main theme of her book, inequity. Inequity is portrayed in the effects of the climate crisis on the people in the frontline, more specifically from the global south. Africa being one of the continents this refers to, Nakate describes heightened poverty levels due to the warmer climate. She brings a stronger sense of narrative in that, it’s not only the planet that’s dying, it’s also the people. In a quote by one her friends, she states, “money is useless on a dead planet.” The economy won’t circulate, thus the production of air pollution emitted from the fossil fuel industry is merely wasteful. We simply will have no use for it. 

New Post has been published on https://www.aneddoticamagazine.com/rodriguez-who-cares/

Rodriguez: "Who Cares?"

Of course, the main political character who doesn’t care about the dramatic climate change on the planet and even claims it is a fake news, is Donald Trump.

Chile tiene todo para hacer su economía cada vez más circular #Cop25 #Opinion

La economía circular ofrece múltiples oportunidades para la actividad productiva del país. Ya sea para aumentar la eficiencia de los procesos, reducir los impactos negativos de las empresas, aumentar el valor agregado de los productos y aportar en la sostenibilidad financiera, social y ambiental de las compañías. A la larga se trata de operar de forma más eficiente, disminuyendo las…