It Takes Roots heads to Santiago to support the Chilean social movements and uprisings throughout Chile and Madrid, Spain for the UN Climate Talks- the UN COP25

Overview of Context and the Political Moment:

The global conditions for the struggle to protect Mother Earth, humanity and many life systems threatened by the severity of the climate crisis face very difficult conditions, as we are well aware.  The rise of far rightwing leadership over key lungs of Mother Earth with Bolsonaro in Brazil and Modi in India, alongside the dominant super power of the US under the Trump administration are major set backs in a critical historical moment.  In this context, the impacts of the global climate negotiations are very unclear, and remain operating within a corporate/capital captured logic where we are seeing very low ambitions, and a lack of real regulatory and divest/invest interventions that are essential to actually cooling the planet.

For It Takes Roots, COP25 is a significant moment as the first time in many years when the UNFCCC COP was scheduled to return to the Global South where popular frontline movements are much more deeply rooted.  Chile is particularly significant in this historical moment because of the massive popular uprising rejecting neoliberalism and demanding a new constitution. 

The spark for the revolt that started October 14 was a 30-Peso increase to the subway fare in Santiago, the country’s capital and largest city. But demonstrations quickly escalated into a general protest against the decades of neoliberal economic policies carried out by successive governments that increased the cost of living and marginalized and disenfranchised the population, leading to greater social and economic inequality. As a popular slogan of the protest goes: “It’s not about 30 pesos; it’s about 30 years.”  “Neoliberalism was born in Chile and will die in Chile” has become a rallying cry for the movement.

In an effort to block global attention to the popular movement, and to hide the brutal violence of the Chilean police, President Piñera announced on Oct 30th that Chile would no longer host COP25.  The official COP meeting was quickly moved to Madrid, Spain on the same dates. A number of our social movement allies, including the World March of Women, La Via Campesina, the Trade Union Confederation of Chile, and a number of other Chilean popular movements announced that the COP was moving to Spain, but the Cumbre de los Pueblos would still continue in Chile . Social movements are focusing on the Cumbre de los Pueblos from Dec 2-8.  The core objective of the La Cumbre de los pueblos seeks to mobilize and build a global social force, in order to build an alternative to the neoliberal production and consumption model that overcomes the social and ecological crisis that puts the future of life on the planet at imminent risk.

Goals of the ITR Delegations

Madrid

Strategic alignment with social movement allies in the context of the UNFCCC and global climate movement a number of our global movement allies are mobilizing to the COP.  We are coordinating most closely with Friends of the Earth International, Corporate Accountability, La Via Campesina, DCJ (Demand Climate Justice) and European climate activist forces. 

• Frontline intervention against Carbon Markets and Article 6 to disrupt the entrenchment of a global carbon market regime through article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the Techno Fix dangerous false solutions of geoengineering
• Advance social movement articulation of Just Transition as a strategy for addressing the climate crisis at the root–capitalism and the extractive economy. Release Just Transition Primer & engage in discussion and events around Just Transition frames with organized labor and other movement forces.
• Build Practice around the Frontline Green New Deal. Bring attention to our strategies and our frames.  Engage with the North American popular front broader forces who will be present at the COP to keep frontline voices and frameworks at the center, including the Feminist Green New Deal Press Event

Chile

• Support for Popular Movements in the Americas & Strategic engagement with social movement allies in the context of a the popular uprisings in Chile and Ecuador, and the contestation for power between popular movements & a global rightwing realignment of power from Bolivia to Venezuela, Brazil, Honduras, and across the Americas. 
• In Chile we would be most deeply engaged with the World March of Women, ANAMURI and La Via Campesina, Amigos de la Tierra, the Movement of People Affected by Dams, the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, and Indigenous Peoples Movements from across the Americas
• Political Education & Member Leadership Development to sharpen our articulation of Feminist Economy & challenging Neoliberalism & Neofascism through participation in the Cumbre de los Pueblos, the womens, campesino, and workers assemblies, as well as the escuelita feminista in Chile.
• Advance social movement articulation of Just Transition as a strategy for addressing the climate crisis at the root–capitalism and the extractive economy.  Just Transition exists alongside buen vivir, agroecology, Indigenous sovereignty, land reform, food sovereignty, energy sovereignty/democracy, 21st Century Socialism and other system change frameworks within the climate movement and the challenge to Neoliberalism

Stay tuned for more information on the delegates, actions, panels, and releases that we will be sharing from on the ground in both locations. 

To read more about It Takes Roots at last year’s UN COP24 on the home page of https://ittakesroots.org/cop24-itr-delegation/

Please visit http://co2colonialism.org/ to learn more about Carbon Pricing. Toolkit created by Climate Justice Alliance and Indigenous Environmental Network.