50 days to Copenhagen: The Countdown Has Begun!

Climate Change and Poverty was a key theme for Stand Up and Take Action this year , with many groups standing up over the weekend 16 – 18th October to demand Climate Justice.

In Ghana, GCAP partners co-ordinated a Climate Justice caravan that travelled for 10 days to different regions of the country documenting the effects of climate change on the lives of communities and families and ending with a rally attended by over 47,000 people. They called on the Government to take serious action to address climate change, before it is too late.

In Peru, representatives of seven different regions travelled to the capital Lima to testify how their lives have been impacted by climate change. The public hearing was broadcast live on television and attracted wide attention.

In the Dominican Republic, the GCAP coalition worked with local governments to include an education Guide related to climate change and poverty. Using the guide, school children collect information on the causes and consequences of climate change and document its effects not only in their own country but in different regions of the world. A Climate Justice hearing was also scheduled to coincide with Stand Up in Kenya.

From devastating floods to endless droughts, from water shortages to failed harvests, the testimonies of people whose lives and livelihoods have been destroyed by climate change are very real.

Over the next 50 Days, GCAP partners in over 25 countries will be organizing 'Climate Justice Hearings' and 'Women's Tribunals on Climate Justice' with the objective of urging leaders to integrate the interests of people – most notably, women and socially excluded communities – to the negotiations that will be held at the UN Summit on Climate Change. Our efforts are aimed towards ensuring that the agenda of Climate Justice is fundamental to the negotiations that will be held at Copenhagen (Denmark) in December this year.

We call on you to add your actions to this global countdown by sending us details of climate justice events, lobbying and media advocacy efforts that you are organizing to reinforce that poverty and gender are inextricably linked to the questions and solutions of Climate Change

Watch out for further updates on the Climate Justice Events that will be organized across the network!

For further information and to get involved, please write to Fionuala Cregan (fionuala.cregan@whiteband.org)