Category: Rest of Europe

16 December 2009
Indymedia action timeline &  live radio stream.

Today is the first day of the ministerial phase of the COP15 summit, that so far has made little progress. The Reclaim Power! Action, aims to take over the summit for this one day to turn it into a people assembly (call for action, latest press release). Similar assemblies have already been taking place outside the UN summit for a week, as part of the Klimaforum09 people’s climate summit with an estimated 25.000 people having taken part in discussions.

Early in the morning, multiple marches tried to make their way to the Bella Centre where the COP15 is held. The group meeting at Orestad station (Green) was surrounded by police and some were arrested [pic], but others managed to move towards COP15. A second block (Blue), of more than 1000 people, made their way to the Bella Center whilst resisiting attempts from the police to break it [Video 1 | 2 | 3 | 4] [Pics 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5] The bike block was blocked by police and redirected away. At the same time a group of protestors managed to get into the area of the COP15-Summit with a raft [pics]

Police have been repeatedly attacking the crowds with baton charges and pepper spray, as well as arresting protesters throughout the morning, and arresting medics [pics]. Corporate media report 200 to 250 arrests [video] Following yesterday’s arrest of Tadzio Muller after the Climate Justice Action press conference, at  more spokespeople were violently snatched out of the crowd today. At 18:00 a CJA press conference will address the arrests of 4 media spokespeople that aim to limit their freedom of speech.

Meanwhile at the COP15 Friends of the Earth, Avaaz and Via Campesina were refused entry despite acquiring a second accreditation. Delegates staged a sit-in protest [pic, video], whilst 200 others from NGOs, indigenous people and the Global South marched out [Pics 1 | 2 | Videos 1 | 2] but police with batons and pepperspray prevented them from reaching the People’s Assembly. An hour later a protest broke into the COP15 plenary with the slogan “Climate Justice Now!”, and the Indian delegation burned its badges [vid].

The People’s Assembly took place at midday outside the Bella Centre [Pics 1], without those from inside the Bella Centre – they were prevented from getting out. After speeches the assembly decided to move towards the centre [vid] of town, while the police have been snatching people, and blocking progress intermittently. 

[ Reports from corporate media: 1 | 2 | Video of whole Reclaim Power protest day ]

Timelines Indymedia DK | Motkraft.dk (dk) | Motkraft.net (se, en) | Global Project (it)

15th December 2009

The Resistance is Ripe Agriculture protest started today at 12pm and has marched through the centre of town under a banner reading “Food Climate Justice, not Climate Change” [pic]. Hundreds of people stopped outside the Netto supermarket for speeches about the importance of food sovereignty and the links between climate change, agriculture and exploitation of people.

See Indymedia Timeline | Modkraft Timeline [en] | icop15 on Agriculture action

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Pre-event press release:

To farmers around the world the false solutions that are proposed in this climate summit are as much a threat as drought, tornadoes and new climate patterns.

At this moment the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is discussing how to include farmland into CO2 emission trading. To highlight that this is a false solution we will hit the street on the 15th of December.

Bente Hessellund of the Danish CJA: ‘In spite of the urgency of the climate crisis the UNFCC process fails to question an economic model that is based on infinite growth on a finite planet. Governments have done nothing to move beyond setting up market mechanisms to combat the climate crisis. These mechanisms are not aimed at pushing back the use of fossil fuels or greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial countries. The possibility of including agricultural land into CO2 emission-trading is one of the false solutions to climate change. It can lead to farmers being forced into dependency of agro-industrial projects. Instead, agriculture needs to be removed from the profit-driven market in order to develop a radically ecological food system that cools down the planet.’

To make clear that large scale industrial agriculture aggravates climate change rather than solve the climate problem, Climate Justice Action (CJA) is organising a demonstration in Copenhagen on the 15th of December. Our motto is “Food System Change, not Climate Change”. CJA is one of the networks that actively mobilises the critical voices around the Copenhagen climate summit.

The agriculture manifestation will be taken to the streets of Copenhagen, calling attention to the positive alternative that non-commercial, organic agriculture for human needs offers. In a creative manner, the attention will be drawn to companies that are responsible for the industrial food model. Will it be a blockade on the Monsanto premises or do the agriculture activist have something else in store? Let yourself be taken by surprise on one of the many stops on their way through town.

To farmers around the world the false solutions that are proposed in this climate summit are as much a threat as drought, tornadoes and new climate patterns.

In the South, forests are burnt or cut down and small farmers are cleared off their land to make way for large scale industrial mono-cultures as soy and maize to supply the European intensive livestock breeders. In factory farms, millions of animals are fattened as fast as possible, creating vast amounts of dung and methane and consuming a great deal of energy.

Stimulating agrofuels and bio-plastics to combat the crisis will only increase the pressure on the people currently living from the land. Already in the developing countries large areas of land are grabbed by multinationals, small farmers and indigenous people driving off their territories.

‘Small scale, organic agriculture remains the best way to combat hunger, malnutrition and the food and climate crisis.’ argues activist Flip Vonk of Climate Justice Action (CJA) and part time farm hand on an organic farm. ‘Native seeds offer the best opportunity for adaptation to current and future changes in the climate. Sustainable local food production costs less energy, makes us independent from imported animal foods, captures CO2 in the soil and improves biodiversity.’

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Earlier in the day activists protested at an exclusive meeting between business and government ministers organised by The Climate Group, an international lobby group who represent business interests – there were 17 arrests see report below [ video]

At around 4.45pm, police suddenly arrived unannounced at the Candy Factory (Boljsefabrikken) in the city’s northwest district. In this space, activists from the ‘Bike block‘ have been building bicycles for tomorrow’s ‘Reclaim Power‘ action. People inside the Candy Factory were told to leave the building while it was being searched, and then they were eventually brought back inside, into the library, and their details were taken. An activist who was in the building at the time describes the situation:  “We all got placed in one room, after that the police started to search the place. People got registrated before they were allowed to leave the place. They got some kind of identification-forms, where they noted name and address, but also length, hair color and which clothes people where wearing”. By 18.15 the search seemed to be over. The coach that police had brought left with one arrestee. Police then blocked off the building with red and white tape and set up spotlights onto the building. By 19.45 reports came in of police trucks taking away two bicycles as well as some computers [photos | report]. Due to this raid, an indymedia benefit party had to be cancelled.

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Climate Activists Invade Meeting of Senior Politicians in Copenhagen

Seventeen climate activists invaded an exclusive meeting between business and government ministers at a Copenhagen hotel this morning. The meeting, called the “Climate Leaders Summit” was organised by The Climate Group, an international lobby group who represent business interests in tackling climate change.

The activists entered the invite-only meeting at the DGI Byen complex at 11.00am, with a banner saying “Climate Group: Leading us into Climate Chaos”. They invaded the foyer and got to the entrance of the meeting room, where politicians including Segolene Royal of France, First Minister Alex Salmond of Scotland, Premier Mike Rann of South Australia, and Prince Albert of Monaco [1] were addressing business leaders and a wide
cross-section of the global media. The activists disrupted the meeting with loud chants of “Climate Justice not Climate Profits” before being seized by security guards and police and dragged out of the building. The protesters were placed on the pavement outside the entrance of the building with their banner. However, they refused to remain silent and instead displayed their banner, chanted, sang, and read a prepared statement to the watching media and members of the public. The statement [full text at the bottom of this press release] began:

“We’re here today because climate change is not a business opportunity. It is already responsible for 300,000 deaths per year – it’s a global emergency, not a chance to make money. The Climate Group supports carbon trading as the “solution” to the climate crisis, but carbon markets are nothing more than an excuse to continue to pollute as usual, while also profiting from a whole new market in hot air.”

The Climate Group meeting was targeted not just for the policies being discussed, but in protest at the undemocratic way in which these kind of events give privileged access to industry lobbyists. According to one of the protesters, Sara Horne: “It’s not surprising that delegates from the Global South have started walking out of the COP15 summit, when the interests of their people are being sidelined in favour of business
interests at cosy backroom meetings like this one. The Climate Group is pushing an agenda based on profits, dubious technical fixes and failed market ‘solutions’. We need real climate solutions – food and energy sovereignty, localisation of production and consumption and full recognition of Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights. These solutions don’t make any profit for industry, however, so you won’t hear them discussed by the Climate Group.”

The activists were then led away one by one by police and arrested. The last protester was removed at around 12.00 noon.

ENDS

ACTIVISTS’ STATEMENT IN FULL:

“We’re here today because climate change is not a business opportunity. It is already responsible for 300,000 deaths per year – it’s a global emergency, not a chance to make money. The Climate Group supports carbon trading as the “solution” to the climate crisis, but carbon markets are nothing more than an excuse to continue to pollute as usual, while also profiting from a whole new market in hot air.

We’re here as part of Climate Justice Action [2]. Like you, we have travelled to Copenhagen because of a deeply-held belief that the world must act now to prevent runaway climate change. Unlike you, we believe that the solutions to climate change must be based on effectiveness and global justice, not the needs of big business.

The Climate Group presents itself as a network of organisations who are seeking equitable solutions to climate change. Yet with members from the oil, aviation, and global finance industries [3], it is hard to believe it is free from vested interests. Relationships with profit-seeking multinationals are at the very heart of the organisation.

We want to highlight the deep hypocrisy of this meeting. The Climate Group claim that they want to “reconcile development goals and climate protection”, but carbon trading is simply a way for the Global North to retain its dominance and effectively privatise the future of our planet. Similarly, the exclusivity of this meeting is an excellent example of the way in which climate negotiations favour the rich countries who have caused the climate crisis in the first place. Where are the cosy meetings with indigenous peoples and Southern farmers’ movements? Why are the voices of those most affected by climate change being excluded, while business gets this kind of exclusive access? None of this can “reconcile development goals and climate protection”.

Markets fundamentally cannot solve climate change. Their purpose is to maximise profits, not reduce emissions. Putting business concerns, rather than social concerns, at the forefront of solving climate change completely ignores the fact that corporations and economic growth have caused this problem in the first place. There are real solutions to climate change, but you won’t find them in this room.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The full list of attendees was: Steve Howard (CEO, The Climate Group); Helen Clark (Administrator of UNDP); Prince Albert II of Monaco; Shai Agassi (CEO of “Better Place); Alex Salmond (First Minister of Scotland); President Nasheed (Maldives); Premier Jean Charest (Quebec); Premier Mike Rann (South Australia); Governor Jose Sierra (San Paolo); Minister Christa Thoben (North Rhine-Westphalia); Predisent Jean-Paul Huchon (Ile-de-France); President Jose Montilla (Catalonia); Governor Jim Doyle (Wisconsin); Premier Greg Selinger (Manitoba); First Minister Carwyn Jones (Wales); Premier Gordon Campbell (British Colombia); Premier Eva Aariak (Nunavut); Governor Chris Gregoire (Washington); Minister Kate Jones (Queensland); Minister Erik Van Heljningen (South Holland); Minister John Gerretsen (Ontario); Minister Dr. Markus Soeder (Bavaria).

2. http://www.climate-justice-action.org/
3. Members of The Climate Group include BP, Tesco, Virgin Atlantic, HSBC and Barclays. See http://www.theclimategroup.org.

13 December 2009

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline
Call for witnesses: If you have been pepper sprayed whilst detained get in touch! +45 528 792 04

The main actions around the COP15 for the 13th December are Hit the Production at the Harbour, and a Farmers action called by Via Campesina. The farmers actions starts at 12:30 with an attendance of about 300 people, doing street theatre about Farmers and big business. At 12:40 hundreds of people march towards the harbour, with banners reading “Our planet not your business”, and giving interviews about the mass arrests yesterday. Riot police walk alongside them and less than an hour later the police blocks the demonstration by surrounding it, taking the music truck away [Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Videos 1 | 2] Mass arrests start, and at about 14:45 coaches arrive to take people away. Read our eyewitness report and report of first release. By the evening, DRL TV station reports a total of 257 pre-emptive arrests today.

At the same time the Via Campesina march has progressed more peacefully, but demonstrators found that police lines have their blocked access to the Klimaforum.  Live video feed of Via Campesina Farmers action. It arrived in its final destination, near the Råhuset infopoint, despite the police attempts to disrupt it. (Report and press release).

The CJA has issued a condemnation of the unprovoked police actions while other groups are planning on launching an official complaint regarding the inhuman treatement of prisoners yesterday (press conference). First reports from those released point to similar detention condition: “They offered us no food and water. I am a diabetic and when I spoke to the police and recovered my stuff to take insulin I could not find it. After I was told by the doctor there that they did not keep insulin there, the released me.” At 17:00 a solidarity demo started outside the Vålby detention centre, that has been kettled within an hour.

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline | Listen to Climate Radio show for Dec 13.

See Modkraft Timeline [eng] | Motkraft.net Timeline [eng] | Nocop Imc Italy | icop15 aggregation

Yesterday’s Feature: 100,000 Protest at COP15, Police Make Mass Arrests

Meanwhile the official Summit seems to be falling into further disaray as the days go by. The Guardian newspaper reports today that “the Copenhagen climate talks hit trouble tonight as a number of African countries indicated their leaders would refuse to take part in the final summit unless significant progress was made in the next three days.” The main sticking points seem to still be about emission cuts, long-term finance, and when poor countries should start to reduce emissions. Read full article here.

CJA press release:
Copenhagen Police Accused of Violating Human Rights at UN Summit

Sat 12 Dec

Danish police have indiscriminately arrested hundreds of climate justice activists during a climate change protest made up of 100,000 people that took place today in Copenhagen. Questions have been raised about the fact that the arrests occurred in a different time and place to where some trouble had momentarily flared earlier in the day. Journalists have been restricted from reporting at the site of the arrests since 1800hrs.

It’s estimated that 100 people are still being held on the road in extremely cold weather, cuffed and forced into seated positions in lines (1). They have expressed severe physical discomfort and have no access to water, medical attention or toilet facilities since 1530hrs. Many activists are reported to have urinated themselves while detained on the ground.

An estimated 200 have been removed from the site and taken away in coaches. Several people are reported to have fainted around 1945hrs.

Helga Matthiassen, who was detained for an hour before being released due to an injury she had recently sustained, said, “Of course we’re angry – people all over the world are angry about being lied to by governments who are making a corporate deal at the climate talks, and now when we try to protest against this on the streets we are randomly held by police.

“Not only have we been denied the right to protest, but our basic human rights have also been ignored in this ludicrous, staged police exercise. It seems Danish Police have a new motto: why just criminalise protesters, when you can dehumanise them too?” (2)

ENDS

Contact: 0045 5066 9028 (International)
0045 4129 4994 (Danish)
media@climate-justice-action.org

_______________________________________

NOTES TO EDITORS
(1) http://twitpic.com/t7dts
(2) See Helga interviewed on TV2 News, 2015 broadcast http://news.tv2.dk/?channel

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Video

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At the demo in Copenhagen on the 12.12.09, some demonstrators smashed in the windows of the Stock Market, also the ministry of foreign affairs had its windows broken.

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Timeline

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COP15 EASIER access to Denmark and COPENHAGEN

The Danish and German police forces and the intelligence services (PET, FE, BND) of both countries, and probably also some other countries, “violence services” has made it more difficult to enter Denmark in order to avoid political activist to enter the country and join the demos at COP15 etc.

BUT, there are more, perhaps, less controlled borders to Denmark, they follow below, and also warnings against the more controlled border crossings.

DONT TRAVEL THROUGH:

Copenhagen Airport or Billund Airport

and;

The land border crossing at PADBORG, KRUSÅ, in other words AVOID any land border crossings in Jylland!

TRAVEL BETTER THROUGH THESE CROSSINGS
(so far):

RED ROUTE ONE;
Travel to Rostock in Germany (old DDR), best by train/bus/car, then jump on the ferry (SCANDLINES) to GEDSER port in Denmark, less heavy controlled, at the moment.

Then jump on the train/bus to Copenhagen, takes two hours.

RED ROUTE TWO;
Travel to Helsingborg in Sweden, best by train/bus/car, then jump on the ferry (SCANDLINES or HH-ferries) to HELSINGØR port in Denmark, less heavy controlled, at the moment.

Then jump on the train to Copenhagen, takes one hour.

Or take the local train to Hillerød (half an hour) and then the S-train to Copenhagen, 40 mint. travel time.

RED ROUTE THREE;
Travel to Oslo in Norway, take the ferry direct to Copenhagen (DFDS).

RED ROUTE FOUR;
Travel to Bornholm, then by ferry to Køge, then S-train to Copenhagen (half hour).

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aggregating radical news about Copenhagen

iCOP15

Report your news from the streets of Copenhagen on http://indymedia.dk.
Report from actions worldwide at http://climateimc.org and/or at you local IMC.
Any feed missing? Check on http://icop15.org/feeds.

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Climate Radio is filing daily audio bulletins from inside the Bella Centre where the most important talks in human history are happening. During the second week we’ll also have reports from the street actions and parallel People’s Summit aka Klimaforum. Copenhagen Daily has a running time of 60 minutes

Earth First! Rome press:

All’alba di sabato 12 dicembre un gruppo di attivisti di Earth First! Roma hanno scelto l’Ara Pacis Augustae come cornice per il proprio appello ai leader presenti al vertice Copenhagen. Abbiamo infatti colorato la fontana dell’Ara Pacis di verde e affisso uno striscione sul muro di fronte a via Tomacelli che recitava “Earth First! Act Now”. Riteniamo non più derogabile un vero impegno sul fronte ambientale che evidentemente non può limitarsi alla tassazione delle emissioni di co2 ma che deve risolvere tutti i nodi della crisi ambientale mondiale e nazionale: rifiuti, consumo del territorio, OGM, viabilità.
“Prima la Terra, Agisci ora!”

At sunset of Saturday 12th December a group of Earth First! Rome’s activists had choosen the Ara Pacis Augustae as the right place for their call to the leaders at G20 of Copenhagen. We had coloured the Ara Pacis’s fountain with green and put a banner on the wall in front of Via Tomacelli where it was written “Earth First! Act Now”. We believe that a truly engagement on the ambient front can’t be derogated much longer and can’t concern only on the taxation of co2 emission but also has to resolve the problema of global and national crisis of ambient: garbage, the waste of territory, OGM, road network.
“Earth First! Act Now!”

AGENZIE RIPORTATE DAI GIORNALI/NEWS FROM ALL NATIONAL NEWSPAPER: (ITA)

CLIMA: ROMA, ECOLOGISTI TINGONO DI VERDE ACQUA FONTANA ARA PACIS

Roma, 12 dic. (Adnkronos) – Dopo il Colosseo anche l’Ara Pacis e’ stata fatta oggetto di un’azione dimostrativa da parte di una non meglio precisata organizzazione ecologista. Intorno alle 6.00 del mattino, infatti, ignoti hanno incollato un manifesto di circa 2 metri di lunghezza al muro esterno dell’edificio Meier, sotto la scritta ”Ara Pacis Augustae”, e tinto di verde l’acqua della fontana antistante il piazzale.

Il manifesto recava in inglese la scritta ”La Terra prima di tutto. Agisci ora” (”Earth first. Action now”), che lascia pochi dubbi sulla matrice e lo scopo del gesto, che cade in coincidenza con il vertice mondiale di Copenhagen sul clima. I funzionari e gli addetti al Museo, immediatamente intervenuti, hanno rimosso in pochi minuti la scritta e svuotato la fontana, per evitare danni permanenti alla struttura.

In relazione a quanto accaduto, il Sovraintendente ai Beni Culturali del Comune di Roma, Umberto Broccoli, ”invita chi manifesta in questo modo le proprie, pure condivisibili, preoccupazioni per le sorti del clima del pianeta a farlo con maggiore senso civico e nel rispetto dei monumenti di Roma e di quanti lavorano per la loro tutela e valorizzazione”. Ulteriori indagini, grazie all’esame delle registrazioni filmate del circuito di videosorveglianza, potranno dare maggiori informazioni sugli autori e le modalità del gesto.

ARA PACIS, COMUNE: BLITZ ECOLOGISTI, TINTA VERDE ACQUA FONTANA
“Dopo il Colosseo anche l’Ara Pacis è stata fatta oggetto di un’azione dimostrativa da parte di una non meglio precisata organizzazione ecologista. Intorno alle 6 del mattino di sabato 12 dicembre, infatti, ignoti hanno incollato un manifesto di circa 2 metri di lunghezza al muro esterno dell’edificio Meier, sotto la scritta ‘Ara Pacis Augustae’, e tinta di verde l’acqua della fontana antistante il piazzale”. Lo rende noto il Campidoglio. (omniroma.it)
(12 dicembre 2009 ore 16:11)

IL MATTINO, 12/12/09:
Manifestazione all’Ara Pacis. Un manifesto di circa 2 metri con la scritta in lingua inglese «La Terra prima di tutto. Agisci ora» è stato incollato stamani al muro esterno dell’Ara Pacis, e l’acqua della fontana del monumento augusteo è stata colorata di verde. I manifestanti fanno parte del movimento ecologico ‘Earth First’. I funzionari e gli addetti al museo hanno rimosso in pochi minuti – spiega una nota del Campidoglio – la scritta e svuotato la fontana, per evitare danni permanenti alla struttura.

10 December 2009

11th Dec: For latest news coverage of events see Timeline Reports | Live Video from Cop15live | Modkraft.dk Timeline (dk)

From “the inside”:
The climate actions started last night with fifty American activists taking over a conservative hosted climate denier conference. Today activists created a “climate storm” inside the Bella Centre and spoke against “suicide pacts” for low-lying nations, that would be destroyed by unchecked climate change. Yesterday the climate summit halted, when one of these threatened nations, Tuvalu, demanded commitment to a legally-binding agreement.

At the borders:
The police has been more active controlling the borders around Denmark, for instance near the German city of Flensburg, but it’s still possible to enter Denmark. There are also reports of people have been rejected through to Denmark from Sweden.

In the streets:
The cops in Copenhagen are generally quite active patrolling and stopping and searching people at several climate active points, when they aren’t just harassing people with paint.

While being a quiet day, the police hasn’t been on the slow side with breaking legislation by making deals with Danish offices regarding surveillance data of public roads.

Yesterday’s feature

For more coverage see: Climate Justice Chronicle Newspaper Issue #2 | Democracy Now! Broadcasting Daily | OneClimate

10.12.09

The Trade and Climate Caravan [more] will finally arrive tonight to Copenhagen [report], meanwhile hundreds of activists are already in town putting the final touches to different aspects of the mobilisations [2]. Police also seem to have stepped up their activity, and in a move apparently designed to harass protestors they raided the Ragnhildgade accomodation space in the early hours of 9th December [Feature | Press Release], a few days after a raid at activist housing in Teglholmen.

Meanwhile protests have already started in Copenhagen. On the opening day of Cop15 there was a Die-in protest at the Bella Center along with many interventions from different goups demanding Climate Justice. Naomi Klein spoke at the opening event of the Klimaforum, saying “Let’s not restrict ourselves to polite marches and formulaic panel discussions” [report + video]. The second day of Cop15 saw protests by African groups and others following the leeking of the so-called ‘Danish text‘[2].

On wednesday, the Summit negotiations were suspended after interventions by Tivalu and other small Island states and their supporters, while youth activists took over a live webcast of climate change denial.

Information about the intended policing of the Danish borders is also becoming clearer. Borderwatchcop15 reports about police controls on the motorway near Flensburg, as well as reports of coaches getting into Copenhagen being stopped and searched. But this is not discouraging people from travelling to Copenhagen, nor is it stopping activists from setting up infrastructure in the city itself: the Be The Media / Indymedia Media Centre has now been set up and it is open for business, a First Aid Cop15 group has been set up, as well as Street Medics, a Trauma Support Group [more], infopoints and accomodation [see google map 1,2].

For more coverage see: Climate Justice Chronicle Newspaper | Democracy Now! Broadcasting Daily | OneClimate

See also:

• Climate Bottom Meeting
• Peoples’ Movement on Climate Change Bangladesh
• Naomi Klein speaking at Kilmaforum