This is John Bellamy Foster at the Climate Change | Social Change conference that was held in Sydney April 11-13. Resistance was once of the sponsors and participating organisations in the conference.

 
                                                                   

Climate Change | Social Change

A conference to strengthen radical social action to stop climate change

 

April 11-13, 2008, Sydney, Australia Redfern Community Centre, 29 Hugo St,Redfern, day sessions Friday April 11; Sydney Girls HighSchool, AnzacPde, Surry Hills, Friday night, April 11– Sunday April 13. To register and for more information, visit http://www.greenleft.org.au/conference.php

The world is teetering on the brink of unstoppable climate change. Many now recognise the need for serious change in the way we produce and use energy, our transport systems, food production, urban design and forestry practices. Yet politicians are still mouthing platitudes while allowing corporations to continue to profit from polluting our atmosphere and destroying our ecosystem.

The need for social change has become an urgent part of preventing catastrophic climate change. Can the market fix the problem? What is the real record of carbon trading? How can we build a social movement capable of averting this disaster? What models and experiences can offer real solutions?

On September 27, at a United Nations forum on climate change, Venezuelan deputy foreign minister Jorge Valero slammed First World governments and the Airrational capitalist model of consumption for causing the current climate crises. AThe majority of poor people aren't at all responsible for global warming. Those who are responsible intend to continue their consumption of natural resources in order to maximise their profits, favouring multinational corporations without measuring the environmental impact or sustainable development.

Below are a number of the speeches from the Youth Blocs at Walk Against Warming.

KATE FLETCHER: Wollongong Youth Bloc

The impacts of climate change will be the challenge of our generation – it's quickly going to become our problem and the current 'leaders' of this country are refusing to give us a voice. Many of the young people here today won't be able to vote at the election, but it is important that our voices are heard because climate change isn't going

Building a youth climate movement Nicky Ison 17 November 2007 Climate change is the challenge of our generation and we need to do everything we can to stop it. What is our role as young people? How can we be most effective? After the Walk Against Warming rallies around the country, where young people came together in youth contingents, where to next for the youth climate movement? 1. We can cut through the crap. We can demand, and create, what others think is impossible — but what we know is absolutely necessary. Weak targets here, a couple of million for a small renewable energy project there — what political parties, business and many NGOs are doing and calling for — is not going to cut it when it comes to stopping climate change. As young people, we don’t have vested financial interests: our vested interest is in the future health of the planet; we will have to deal with the consequences of climate change. This puts us in the unique position of being able to speak the truth without spin.