1st May 2008 - A Day of Climate Action, everywhere

from email, 20 April 2008:

May 1st, international workers day, has traditionally been a day to challenge the capitalist system and a celebration of solidarity and workers' struggle for a more just social system.

On this day we are calling on people to make the link between capitalism, economic growth, climate change and social struggle.

As climate change is starting to hit people around the world, a huge number of techno-fixes are forming a new economic sector: from biofuels to nuclear power, carbon-trading to hydrogen fuel cells, carbon capture and storage. Everywhere corporations are seeking the elusive elixir which allows us to continue business as usual. All this whilst our planet is burning and people are loosing their homes, their livelyhoods and their lives to climate chaos.

All of these technologies are a distraction from the root cause of climate change: an economic system based on endless economic growth not only at the cost of the environment we live in but also based on an exploitative social system.

Many of these technofixes are also directly counterproductive to stopping climate chaos and pose new threats to people's livelyhoods and the survival of the planet.

Agrofuels expansion is direcly responsible for subsistence farmers being cleared of their land, food shortages and enormous price rises, whilst doing nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Nuclear power is heralded as a green fuel, but the environmental hazards of uranium extraction, radiation leaks during use and storage, the danger of melt-down and fatal applications in warfare are as dangerous as they have always been.

Scientists promise genetically engineered wonder plants to cope with climate changes, but people in third world countries have yet to see any benefits and fight against the patenting of the genes of traditionally used plants, whilst multinationals are lining their pockets.

The real solution to climate change must be a massive reduction in our consumption, the end to economic growth and a society based on equality and mutual aid.

Technofixes are not the answer to climate change - what we need is far reaching social and economic change!

This Day of Action on Climate Change is called by the Network for Climate Action in co-operation with the Rising Tide Network and the Camp for Climate Action.

Please email maydayNO@SPAMdaysofclimateaction.org.uk if you would like further info.

See http://daysofclimateaction.org.uk/mayday.html