The Earth is the Biggest Employer: RioRaps

Vandana Shiva "The Earth is the Biggest Employer"

As the elite group of world leaders launch the official Rio talks tomorrow, activists and representatives of "the 99%", are reporting on innovative and people-powered events from outside the official negotiating chambers.

The Womens Major Group and  Global Connections are  two key resources providing platforms for the 'disenfranchised' to voice their objections to the official Rio talks and provide context on the fiasco at the summit.

In an pre-conference article IS THE “GREEN ECONOMY” THE NEW WASHINGTON CONSENSUS?, author "Christopho" labels the vision of the negotiated green economy as the latest attempt to extend the reach of capitalism to include everything that remains of nation, by stamping price tags on biomass, biodiversity and the functions of the ecosystems. Filtering water, storing carbon and pollinating crops become tradeable units, he says.

For the “Green Economy,” the food crisis, the climate crisis and the energy crisis share a common characteristic: the failed allocation of capital. As a result, they try to treat nature as capital – “natural capital.” The “Green Economy” considers it essential to put a price on the free services that plants, animals and ecosystems offer to humanity in the name of “conserving” biodiversity, water purification, pollination of plants, the protection of coral reefs and regulation of the climate. For the “Green Economy,” it is necessary to identify the specific functions of ecosystems and biodiversity and assign them a monetary value, evaluate their current status, set a limit after which they will cease to provide services, and concretize in economic terms the cost of their conservation in order to develop a market for each particular environmental service. For the “Green Economy,” the instruments of the market are powerful tools for managing the “economic invisibility of nature.”

The People's Summit and Rio+20 represents the key issues as:

    • Ethical and philosophical fundamentals: subjectivity, domination, and emancipation     • Human rights, peoples, territories and defense of Mother Earth     • Political subjects, the architecture of power and democracy     • Production, distribution and consumption, access to wealth, common goods and the economies in transition

All energy systems are not created equal

The Women’s Major Group Members at Rio+20  yesterday called for an end to Nuclear Power and Support for Safe Energy at Rio+20. Their joint statement was issued following a workshop  “Development Dialogue on Energy”, which was sponsored by the Brazilian government and which the Group perceived to promote nuclear expansion.

 “I don’t see very much hope in addressing this in the Rio negotiations now," said Makiko Imai, Board Member of the Japan Civil Network for the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. "However, we believe that Rio Principle 10 (Citizen Participation in Decisionmaking) and Principle 15 (the Precautionary Principle) from 1992 –are critically important to apply to technological evaluation and assessment of energy for the future.What we would like to see in the outcome document here in Rio is a clear statement that [governments] should be more careful in dealing with nuclear and other dangerous technologies.”

“Women say No to land grabbing”, “Women say No to Green Economy”, and “Women say Yes to women’s liberation!”

Later today, the Women's Major Group is organizing a silent demonstration to protest governments' minimizing the role of women in sustainable development.  This is one of the daily events promoted by WEDO signifying the collective strength and commitment of women of the world to resist unsustainable policies. Yesterday, thousands gathered for a march to protest the 'green economy' and stress the importance of including the voices and wisdom of women in negotiations.

 “Rio+20 could be our last chance to mobilize world leaders and civil society to assure a real paradigm shift away from greed and unsustainable growth towards societies based on human rights and gender equality,” saidSascha Gabizonof Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF). (Source)

Sailing for Sustainability

Going to Hel and playing theatre on a thinking ship. The first sail for sustainability left port yesterday in the first of four voyages ...

The future shouldn’t get lost in a Bermuda Triangle of “green economy”, “green growth” and “green new deal”. We won’t accept that the discourse on sustainability becomes a tool for human self-deception and an item for greenwashing.

As part of a global movement, we invite everyone to join our open network. We will be sailing for three weeks on a ship to tackle graspable approaches for sustainable lifestyle. A moving social laboratory in the Baltic sea that serves as vessel to experience and develop practical approaches to degrowth and collective economy, renewable energy, radical democracy and a conscious handling of limited resources. During the trip, we will look behind the curtains of mainstream socialization as consumers and redefine our needs for a good life both as individuals and global society. Like millions of acupuncture needles, we will prickle the body of exploitation and profit-making to heal for a better. For us and for future generations.

Third World NetworkWEDOClimate ConnectionsWomen on the Road to RioDevelopment Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)

Hashtags #RiopPlusSocial #EndFossilFuelSubsidies #RioPlus20 #WomenRio @WECF_INT

(stay tuned for updates)