Real solutions to the Climate Crisis

Real Solutions to the Climate Crisis (Maputo Meeting)

On the 21-23 April 2015 a meeting on Real Solutions to the Climate Crisis took place at the Kaya Kwanga Conference Centre in Mozambique (Maputo), to build solidarity for Climate justice and provide peoples solutions for the climate crisis.

The conference, “Seeding Climate Justice” brought together more than 135 people from movements such as La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth Africa, the Rural Women’s Assembly, World March of Women, WoMining as well as people from local organisations from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria and Kenya. The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) being one of the local organisations invited to partake in the conference. 

The conference took place over 3 days. Within these days participants from different places got to share their distresses to do with the Climate Crisis.  On day one, a welcome and introduction of the conference was done by Annabelle Lemos (Director-JA/FOE Mozambique). Participants were asked to introduce themselves and say which country they are from.  A presentation on the Planetary Crisis was done by Meena Raman (Friends of the Earth Malaysia). Participants then shared their life stories; Alfredo Morais (member of Zambezi community) shared his story about how fishing is a very important part of his life and many other Zambian people. He went on to say that, “without fishing they would have no source of food, they would have no life”. A representative from the Mozambican Farmer’s Union (UNAC) talked about the impacts of agriculture in their community. Jose Elosegui (from the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organisations) spoke about the impacts of climate change in Latin America. He said that there were more floods and that people who fish for a living are suffering because of it. SDCEA’s coordinator Desmond D’sa was asked to give a presentation on Organising for an Energy Transformation at a National and Community level. 

In terms of a way forward participants drew up a Maputo Declaration for Real Peoples Solutions to Climate Crisis, which included their issues and concerns/demands. A press release was then done on Xenophobia because of the xenophobic attacks that were taking place in South Africa.

With all that I have learnt from the conference, I can now share this information and educate people in my community about the Climate crisis and real solutions for it.  It was great being part of the Seeding Climate Justice conference, I learnt a lot and enjoyed the meeting and networking with people from different countries. 

Done by: Joanne Groom

SDCEA volunteer