People Rising Up at COP17!

Posted by karooney on December 9, 2011 · 2 Comments

By Karen Rooney

As I am writing this youth and civil society from around the world are storming the halls of the International Convention Center in Durban, South Africa.

This is the voice of the people. It can’t be stopped and it can’t be deafened any longer.

People are tired of empty promises and tired of watching their futures be decided by those who are profiting from their misery. People are tired of feeling misrepresented by the very people they have elected to stand for their rights.

The rights of the people and of the earth have been stomped on and cast aside for too long. Today is the day that people are standing up for their rights and their beliefs.

COP17 has been referred to as a cultural genocide due to the inaction of wealthy, co-opted governments who have been imposing a stalemate on the negotiation processes for years. During COP17 many countries have stood strong and stayed true to their convictions that the time is now for a political shift and a binding agreement that would help to avert a climate crisis. Canada, among others, has continued to ignore these countries and attempt to convince them to back down from their positions.

People are reaching out, singing and chanting that the time is now for climate justice, that the time is now for youth to rise up and take control of their future. People are taking back their power and refusing to stand silently any longer.

AMANDLA!!

AWETHU!!!!