Much of 2009 was defined by the visibility of Climate Justice organizing throughout the world, and the Bay was no exception. Mobilization for Climate Justice-West, led some of the strongest CJ organizing in the country leading up to Copenhagen. As we close out the year with the Failed Climate Negotiations, what next for Climate Justice organizing in the Bay Area and beyond?

As organizers and activists in the Bay Area committed to building a transformative Climate Justice movement led by front-line communities fighting together for systemic change; now is the time to take stock of the past year’s organizing and vision the future.

Where has the Climate Justice Movement landed after Copenhagen? What lessons have we learned and what kind of organizing is needed in the coming year and beyond?

Logistics:
* Childcare available upon request.
* ACRJ has a shoeless office environment. Please remove shoes upon entering. Feel free to bring your own slippers if you prefer. Socks and barefeet are welcome!

For more information or to request childcare call (510) 649-1475 or email michelle@movementgeneration.org

Hosted by the Mobilization for Climate Justice-West and  Movement Generation.
The Mobilization for Climate Justice  West is an alliance of San Francisco Bay Area organizations, organizers and activists  who have joined together to build a movement that emphasizes nonviolent direct action and education for effective and just solutions to the climate crisis. We are a part of the the North American network Mobilization for Climate Justice . As a member of MCJ-West, Movement Generation is co-sponsoring this event.

Rich and poor countries are in this together. If either fails to step up, the planet is in trouble. A climate deal must take into account the Global North’s responsibility for nearly 70 percent of greenhouse pollution and the Global South’s need to move out of poverty. The North must cut back sharply on emissions while the South leapfrogs over the industrial age to clean-energy prosperity. Read more…

The Story of Cap & Trade is a fast-paced, fact-filled look at the leading climate solution being discussed at Copenhagen and on Capitol Hill. Host Annie Leonard introduces the energy traders and Wall Street financiers at the heart of this scheme and reveals the “devils in the details” in current cap and trade proposals: free permits to big polluters, fake offsets and distraction from what’s really required to tackle the climate crisis. If you’ve heard about Cap & Trade, but aren’t sure how it works (or who benefits), this is the film is for you.

Take a look at the whole issue, or check out the following articles by Movement Generation:

• Carbon Fundamentalism vs. Carbon Justice
• Resilient Cities: Building Community Control
• Interview with Adrienne Maree Brown
• War, Climate and Women
• The Case for Holistic Economic Transformation

On December 7, 2009, world leaders and international NGOs will meet in Copenhagen to chart out a course for a new global climate deal, and in doing so, try to set up a new post-WTO framework for economic globalization. Outside the conference halls, a convergences of climate justice activists from the Global South will be waiting to say “Another World is Possible.” Join environmental and climate justice activists for a lead up discussion to the November 30th day of action and on the road to Copenhagen.
Speakers will kick us off with some thoughts on these questions:

* From an environmental justice perspective, what’s the best thing that could come out of Copenhagen? What’s the worst?

* How will differences between the Global South and powers in the north be resolved? Who will shoulder the impact of these changes?

* How are social movements in the Global South organizing around Copenhagen and how are these movements different than in the United States?

* Are there any openings that progressive activists in the US can build on to advance environmental and climate justice?

$5-$10 donation requested, no one turned away for lack of funds

Co-sponsored by Movement Generation, the Center for Political Education and Bay Area Climate Justice Activists

On Monday, December 7th at 7am, on the first day of climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, join us at the world headquarters of Chevron in San Ramon to tell one of the world’s worst climate polluters “our climate is not your business!” and demand that they stop lobbying our government against science-based emissions targets and blocking climate change solutions.

More details coming soon!

http://actforclimatejustice.org/west

1) When: 11:30am, Monday, November 30th
Where: Meet at Justin Herman Plaza and go from there to actions at the offices of several corporate climate criminals.

On Nov. 30th, the 10th anniversary of the global justice movement’s successful non-violent shut-down of the WTO, join us for a national day of action for climate justice. We will expose some of San Francisco’s worst climate criminals, demanding that they stop financing climate change and blocking a strong international agreement at Copenhagen. The following targets have been chosen for the national day of action: Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Chevron, British Petroleum, American Electric Power.

What you can do: To get involved in organizing for N30, pull together an “affinity groups” of your friends or groups/community members or join an affinity group at a spokescouncil meeting.

For more details, and to find out about upcoming spokescouncil meetings and trainings see http://actforclimatejustice.org/west or email mcjbay@gmail.com

2) On Monday, December 7th at 7am, on the first day of climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, join us at the world headquarters of Chevron in San Ramon to demand that they stop blocking climate change solutions.

View an excerpt of his speech as seen on from Democracy Now, 10/26/09.
(Climate Justice coverage begins at minute 1:18 of video above)

Democracy Now Transcript:
International Day of Climate Action Marked in 181 Nations
Activists across the globe rallied on Saturday to call on world leaders to take strong measures at the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen. In an international day of action, people in 181 nations organized more than 5,200 events. The main organizing group 350.org called Saturday the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history. The events centered on the number 350. Scientists say 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We are currently at 387 parts per million. Around the shore of the Dead Sea, Israeli activists made a giant 3, Palestinians a huge 5, and Jordanians a 0. In the Maldives, protesters took part in an underwater protest to raise awareness of how rising sea levels might affect the island nation. In Ethiopia, some 15,000 people gathered in a massive rally on Friday calling for a strong international climate change treaty. Gopal Dayaneni of the Movement Generation spoke on Saturday at a rally in San Francisco

Gopal Dayaneni: “The story of the solution to our problems begins with the communities on the ground, on the front lines of the root causes of this problem: the communities in Richmond who are fighting Chevron, the communities in Appalachia who are fighting coal, the communities in Alberta who are fighting tar sands, indigenous peoples all over this planet fighting to protect their forests and their livelihoods, fisherfolk all over this planet fighting industrial trolling. Those communities on the front lines of this struggle are the source of our solutions.”

Download a copy in Spanish

Download a copy in English