Yes, the United Nations did its almighty best not only to silence, exclude and ignore Indigenous people from the climate conference in Cancun, it also aggressively denied press coverage of their treatment of Indigenous people protesting their exclusion. Dissent with the empty promises of those ‘welcomed’ to the talks was not allowed. This is another example of the divisions among people based on fundamental values. It’s clear the developed countries, especially the United States, accepts NO responsibility for being the major contributor to green house gases. It’s clear that profit agendas are hard at work for REDD and whatever else that will fill the coffers of industrial interests while refusing to take real action for addressing environmental issues. The president of the United States snubbed the entire Cancun scene by not attending. BUT Wal-Mart’s Big Dude Rob Walton weighed in with his sustainability spin message. When questioned about Wally World’s practices in local economies he REFUSED to answer any journalist. No one wants to hear anything from the people who seriously desire to address the problems of Climate Change. From what I can tell the only thing on the agenda of the rich developed countries is HOW TO MAKE A PROFIT while continuing to pollute and yapping about the responsibility of developing countries to counter-act the damage already DONE.
I apologize for all the links to news coverage. The problem at hand is so large in scope that just venting seems inappropriate. It also seems to me that another very serious problem has become clear–voicing dissent and disagreement is not allowed on the agenda of maintaining business as usual. So–it becomes more important to find sources of information that do cover dissenting voices that would otherwise be silent and their speakers invisible.
Apparently the “yes” folks didn’t think too much of Bolivia’s refusal to say “yes” to the weak “agreement” reached. “People here in Cancun have no idea what it is like to be a victim of climate change.” Morales, UK Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/11/cancun-talks-evo-morales
Bolivia to Appeal Cancun Agreement in International Courts:
http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2010/12/13/28391/bolivia_to_appeal_cancun_agreements_in_intl_court.html
Excluded, silenced, participation denied:
Thomas Goldtooth, Director of Indigenous Environmental Network:
Indigenous and Youth Environmental Activists Groups
–La Via Campensina, world federation of peasants and smallholder farmers
–Youth for Climate Justice:
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/8/indigenous_youth_groups_hold_climate_justice
Climate Connections on protest against being silenced:
Reuters photographer Jorge Silva beaten by UN security at Cancun for covering protest.
These videos speak for themselves.
om mani padme hum jewel in the lotus wahupa qi prana universal life energy
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slpmartin said,
December 13, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Excluding and ignoring Indigenous people from just about everything is nothing new…it is just another scene from Black Elk Speaks. 😦