From Global Justice Ecology Project
For Immediate Release
11 December 2009
New Voices on Climate Change Speakers Address the Flawed Process, Forest Fraud, and False Solutions, at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen
Copenhagen, Denmark–Participants from Global Justice Ecology Project’s New Voices on Climate Change initiative are in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Conference. As the first week comes to a close it is evident that the negotiations involve back room deals without real input from people suffering from the climate crisis.
New Voices on Climate Change is designed to connect reporters and journalists with representatives of communities impacted by climate change, fossil fuels and false solutions to the climate crisis like carbon offsets.
New Voices on Climate Change works with community representatives and Indigenous Peoples from all over the world. A major focus of many of the New Voices participants is REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). This scheme seeks to include forests in the carbon market so they can be used to offset the emissions of industries in developed countries.
Mass demonstrations begin tomorrow to protest the exclusiveness of the UN climate negotiation process. Our New voices speakers can provide analysis why there is such discontent.
“We started New Voices on Climate Change in response to the flawed UN Climate process,” stated Orin Langelle, Co-Director/Strategist of Global Justice Ecology Project. “Year after year we see these climate negotiations being increasingly dominated by corporate interests, while voices of Indigenous Peoples and other impacted communities are completely ignored. Those voices must be heard if we are to avoid climate catastrophe,” he continued.
Our New Voices speakers address climate debt, geoengineering, and impacts of climate change from the Arctic Circle to the South Pacific, as well as the effects of climate change on women. In addition to people from impacted communities, New Voices on Climate Change includes people who are experts regarding some of the hottest issues in the international climate negotiations-including forests and REDD, ecological debt and finance and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights.
“People around the world desperately need to have information of what is actually happening with the climate crisis in local communities,” stated Hallie Boas, Coordinator of New Voices on Climate Change. “Our intent is to provide people with the necessary information to make informed decisions, and to motivate people to become involved in a dialogue to find real solutions to climate change,” she added.
New Voices on Climate Change will be in Copenhagen until 19 December.
Contact: Hallie Boas, New Voices Coordinator, +45 52.72.84.01 (Danish mobile)
Global Justice Ecology Project’s headquarters is in Vermont (U.S.) +1.802.482.2689 with desks in California and Brazil
