On the way to participate in a rally organized by the international peasant group Via Campesina in Cancun, a Bolivian indigenous farmer took some coca leaves out of his hand-woven satchel and pressed them into my hand. “You will need these during the climate talks in Cancun to keep you from getting tired or hungry,” he insisted. “Pachamama—mother earth—gives us these leaves. She takes care of us if we take care of her.” Bonding as we chewed the bitter leaves together, the wizened Bolivian farmer shared his hopes that the negotiators would listen to his president, Evo Morales, and come up with an accord that would allow the world to live in harmony with nature.

The climate agreement that was ultimately hashed out in Cancun did not reflect the viewpoint of Bolivia’s indigenous community, their President Evo Morales, or Bolivia’s passionate UN negotiator, Pablo Solon. The Bolivian government and its grassroots allies wanted a binding agreement that would force significant reductions in greenhouse gases. They wanted an agreement that respected indigenous rights. They wanted an agreement grounded in a new concept – the rights of nature – that acknowledges that she who gives us life and abundance (and coca leaves) has as much right to exist as humans.

Many mainstream environmentalists were quick to defend the Cancun agreement, insisting that that a weak agreement is better than nothing, since it allows the international process to go forward and allows activists to keep fighting for better outcomes in the future rounds, including at next year’s talks that will take place in Durban, South Africa. No agreement, they suggest, would have stopped the process cold.

But we should be clear that the minimalist agreement from Cancun is totally inadequate to address the climate crisis. It acknowledges that deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions are required, but does not set binding targets. This is due, in large part, to the refusal of the United States—from the time of the Kyoto Accords—to agree to mandatory cuts.

The agreement sets up a much-needed Green Climate Fund to help poor nations obtain clean technologies but does not lay out clear sources of financing or how the fund will be controlled. The governments agreed to give an interim trustee role to the World Bank, a move that angered groups in the global south that have suffered at the hands of Bank and activists who have opposed the Bank on a policy level.

The agreement embraces a policy on “deforestation mitigation” known as REDD, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries. This gives polluters in the north a chance to buy carbon credits for protecting forests in the global south. Bolivia, and most organizations on the ground and in the streets of Cancun for the past two weeks, object to REDD on the grounds that it commodifies the forests of the global South, endangers indigenous control over the forests and their right to livelihood, and allows northern polluters to keep polluting. Bolivian negotiator Pablo Solon said handing out carbon credits for protecting forests makes it easier for industrialized nations to achieve their emissions reductions targets without taking domestic action to rein in greenhouse gases. “We want to save the forest, but not save developed countries from the responsibility to cut their emissions,” Solon said.

At the 11th hour, the negotiators—desperate for an agreement—were annoyed at what they saw as Bolivia’s obstructionism. “The experts that know about climate change know that we are right,” Solon insisted. “This agreement won’t stop temperature from rising by 4 degrees Celsius, which is just not sustainable. But they just want an agreement, any agreement, so they are pushing this through.” While inside the confines of Cancun’s Moon Palace Bolivia was left isolated, outside Bolivia was seen as the superhero standing up for the poor, the indigenous communities, and the rights of nature.

Addressing a news conference in Cancun on December 9, Bolivian President Evo Morales—himself an indigenous former coca farmer–made some dire forecasts. “We came to Cancún to save nature, forests, planet Earth, not to convert nature into a commodity or revitalize capitalism with carbon markets.” He predicted that without strong, mandatory emissions reductions, the world’s governments would be “responsible for ecocide”.

I think Evo and my Bolivian coca farmer friend would agree that if we are to avoid ecocide, we cannot rely on government officials meeting in plush golf resorts. Instead, the solutions will come from organic farmers and social entrepreneurs. They will come activists who confront corporate polluters. They will come from passionate environmentalists putting even more pressure on their governments. They will come from those fighting for climate justice on their communities around the globe. Ultimately, they will come from a grassroots global movement steeped in the values of mother nature.

Medea Benjamin is cofounder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange. See Global Exchange’s new report on the Rights of Nature http://bit.ly/gAoFw3.

The eco-friendly LEAF rolls into international auto shows next month in Los Angeles and San Francisco kicking off an electric revolution. Interest in hybrid and all electric vehicles are quenching a driver’s thirst to end oil dependency, giving an alternative to years of gas-guzzling SUVs and Hummers.

Unlike the Hummer which got 14-mpg on city streets, the LEAF is estimated to get 116.1 miles on a single charge, but similarly to the Hummer the Nissan LEAF has a binding partnership with military contractors in supporting U.S. oil wars abroad.

Military contractor AeroVironment, which is partnering with Nissan, will produce and install the LEAF’s home-charging systems. AeroVironment provides the Department of Defense (DoD) with drones (remotely piloted vehicles) in Iraq and Afghanistan. The company landed a $17M contract with the DoD to provide logistical and training support for its Puma drone.

How is it that a multi-million dollar military contractor AeroVironment landed a deal with Nissan to facilitate home charging set up for the new “eco-friendly” LEAF?

The U.S. has spent years occupying Iraq and Afghanistan as part of its so-called war on terror. Billions of U.S. taxpayers monies have been poured into the occupations and military contractors have made a killing.

It’s time for Nissan to turn over a new leaf and promote companies which are part of the green movement, not part of the military industrial complex.

If you’re going to Go Green, Go Green All the Way & Stop Military Contractors from Green Washing!

Call Nissan today and tell them to drop its contract with AeroVironment (615) 725-1000

The marriage between a new and exciting green electric car and a military contractor seem like an odd match, but it’s true these two industries have tied the knot.

Military contractor AeroVironment Inc. based in Monrovia, CA makes a number of small drones which fit in a soldiers back pack and can be hand launched in the field. They also make a little lethal drone called the Switchblade. It weighs less than six pounds, it sends video and GPS coordinates for surveillance and it can turn into a mini bomb. AeroVironment supplies the military with thousands of drones. The company just landed a $35.3M order from the U.S. Southern Command.

The new Nissan Leaf is an exciting compact 5-door hatchback “all-electric car.” It has the advantages of “producing no tail pipe pollution, lessening our dependence on oil, and its total cost of ownership improves in comparison as the price of gasoline rises.” In January 2010 the Leaf received the Green Car Vision Award by the Green Car Journal.

Nissan awarded AeroVironment a large contract to make the home charging stations and facilitate home set up for the Leaf meanwhile neglecting to mention that there are other companies that can do the same work.

So what is the alternative to having a military contractor facilitate your home charging unit?

There are companies such as Coulomb and ECOtality that already make home charging stations as part of the larger, global renewable energy industry. With these companies already doing the work, it’s a bit strange Nissan would award a huge contract to AeroVironment.

Coulomb has electric charging stations all over the country as well as home charging stations. The EV Project funded by the Department of Energy is also setting up electric charging stations. Beginning in 2010 the EV Project will deploy charge infrastructures in California, Oregon, Texas, Washington State, Texas, Tennessee, and DC.

The Leaf is to be unveiled by the end of the year and will be tested in Tucson AZ, Franklin TN, Portland OR, Seattle WA and various other cities in California.

The U.S. military is the single largest consumer of oil in the world and the world’s larger polluter, generating 750,000 tons of toxic waste annually. It maintains over 700 bases worldwide, contaminating local communities and causing increased rates of cancer, kidney disease, birth defects and miscarriages.

If you’re going to Go Green, Go Green All The Way & Stop Military Contractors from Green Washing!

Take a look–serene beauty and outrageous boldness can coexist!

Since 1995, at the Conference to Extend the Non-Proliferation Treaty, civil society has been calling for the establishment of an International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).  Recognizing the “inextricable link” between nuclear weapons and nuclear power, and urging a phase out of nuclear power, the Abolition 2000 global network for the elimination of nuclear weapons drafted a model statute for such an Agency and lobbied nations around the world.   Joining with other grassroots sustainable energy networks working to avoid catastrophic climate change, activist spoke up at numerous international meetings and conferences, traveling to world capitals, conferring with national environmental departments, seeking support for an energy agency focused solely on clean, safe, renewable energy.

In January 2009, one year ago, Germany, Denmark and Spain launched the founding meeting for IRENA in Bonn, bringing this long campaign to fruition.  This month, IRENA met for the third time at its new interim headquarters in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.  Out of the 192 member states of the United Nations there are now 142 nations as well as the European Union which have signed the IRENA statute in the one year since the Agency was launched.  Branch offices for IRENA have been established in Bonn and Vienna, and its first Interim-Director General, Helene Pelosse, a former French environmental minister who held positions in trade and finance as well, is determined to hire a staff comprised of at least 50% women.

IRENA is committed to becoming the main driving force in promoting a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of a renewable energy on a global scale. It has a mandate to promote increased adoption and use of all forms of renewable energy produced in a sustainable manner such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, and appropriate bio energy.   It will provide practical advice and support for both industrialized and developing countries, helping them to improve their regulatory frameworks and build capacity.

For this year, Director General Pelosse said that “IRENA will focus on building a network of international renewable energy experts, starting to map the global potential of renewables and build up a comprehensive database of policies to promote renewable energy.”  It “will become a one-stop-shop for up-to-date and relevant information on renewable energy.”   As a pilot project, IRENA will assist a number of islands within the Kingdom of Tonga which lack basic electricity.  Starting with Tonga and subsequently assisting other less developed countries, IRENA will develop it own systematic advisory approaches and methodologies for policy advice on renewable energy.

Every 30 minutes, enough of the sun’s energy reaches the earth’s surface to meet global energy demand for an entire year.  Wind can satisfy the world’s electricity needs 40 times over, and meet all global energy demands five times over.  The geothermal energy stored in the top six miles of the earth’s crust contains 50,000 times the energy of the world’s known oil and gas resources. Tidal, wave and small hydropower, can also provide vast stores of energy everywhere on earth, abundant and free for every person on our planet, rich and poor alike.

While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been committed to promoting nuclear power and the International Energy Agency (IEA) was established in the 1970s to handle the crisis in fossil fuel distribution, only IRENA will be solely dedicated to promoting clean, safe, renewable energy from the abundant energy resources of our planet.  Since IRENA is a derivative of the Greek word, eirene, meaning “peace”, it is particularly well-named.  The rapid development of renewable energy will enable us to forego our reliance on fossil and nuclear fuels, the continued misuse of which will lead inevitably to climate catastrophe, nuclear proliferation and perpetual resource wars. Universal reliance on sustainable energy will instead create a promising path to creating peace on earth.

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Alice Slater wrote this article for YES! Magazine, a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas with practical actions. Alice is the NY Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Convener of the Abolition 2000 Sustainable Energy Working Group

Few ecologists appear to acknowledge the impact of war on our ecological crisis, and few peace activists discuss the ecological consequences of war. However, Barry Saunders, in his book The Green Zone, states his view that as the crisis of imperialist war continues to threaten the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and beyond it is in fact turning every being in the world into collateral damage by the sheer scope of the environmental impact it is having. Never have the peace and ecology movements had so much in common.

War devastates ecosystems with radiation, wasteful burning of oil and destructive use of resources that are needed for positive social purposes. Saunders explains:

“Here’s the awful truth: even if every person, every automobile, and every factory suddenly emitted zero emissions, the Earth would still be headed head first and full speed towards total disaster for one major reason.  The military…produces enough greenhouse gases, by itself, to place the entire globe, with all of it’s inhabitants large and small, in the most imminent danger of extinction.”

Does this mean that what ecologists and environmental activists are currently focusing on is meaningless? Not if we consider that our current system of consumption and economy is also related to war. The choices of North American citizens and governments affect the entire world.

Peace activists and ecologists have both known since the inception of the Iraq War that it is a war about oil, a war to continue the North American consumption and economic model as is — an impossible illusion as oil is non-renewable and running out. Rex Weyler, founding Greenpeace member and ecologist, says, “Global warming is a symptom of human overshoot: the consumption and waste that exceeds the biophysical capacity of the Earth. If we attempt to reduce the fever, but ignore the disease, we will, at best, extend the suffering.”

The same thing could be said about war: war is a symptom of the consumption and waste that exceeds the biophysical capacity of the earth, and its people. War is a tool to maintain the current economic model of consumption for the powers that be for as long as possible.

When considering the facts about oil consumption, and carbon emissions, Saunders notes:

“The United States leads the world in oil consumption, using approximately 20.6 million barrels of oil daily…(“Americans use more oil for their motor vehicles than the total combined amounts used by Russia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.”)…while the United States represents about five percent of the world population — about 330 million people — it consumes a quarter of the world’s oil…If the military used fuel in the same proportion as the entire civilian population in the United States, then we could expect it to consume about 100, 000 barrels of oil per day.  We know it consumes at least something in the order of ten times that figure.”

The sooner that wars in Afghanistan and Iraq end, the less global warming will impact on future generations. Our media and politicians treat the consequences of war as localized, affecting perhaps the troops and civilians in the general area. But the devastation of war remains global. The land of Iraq and Afghanistan are increasingly polluted and all people, worldwide, will pay for the consequences of the emissions expended in war.

As peace activists, we must educate ourselves about ecology. Ecologists need to learn about the impact of war.  Together, only together, we can face the sheer immensity of the challenges before us.  We have the opportunity to double our effectiveness by supporting one another in solidarity. Any movement sincerely concerned with solving the challenges of war and ecological destruction must merge the two challenges of peace and ecology.
 

Andrea Peloso lives in Toronto and coordinates CODEPINK Toronto.