The timid actions that different governments have taken to face the climate crisis, despite the commitment made in Paris in 2015, motivated environmental, social and citizen organizations and movements to seek to advance in the climate crusade without being caught in the entanglements of politics. international.
What is the Glasgow Agreement about? Its purpose is to recover the initiative of governments and international institutions and create an alternative tool of action and collaboration for the movement for climate justice. Until now, the climate justice movement – Greenpeace among them – has focused primarily on pressuring governments to take action on the climate or push for stronger international agreements within the framework of the United Nations. The problem is that, in the meantime, emissions continue to rise. That is why the Glasgow Agreement (GA) proposes that civil society create its own plan of action, instead of waiting for governments and international institutions to act with the required ambition. The GA aims to use a wide range of strategies and tactics, including civil disobedience, to achieve the emission reductions necessary to keep the global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100.
The name of the Agreement refers to the Scottish city of Glasgow because the initial proposal was to adhere to this agreement during the official United Nations conference on climate change (COP26) that was to take place last year and was postponed due to the resulting health emergency. of the pandemic.
Greenpeace formally joined the GA recently, recognizing that we cannot wait for politicians and the United Nations process – the POPs – to save us; and that a stronger global climate justice alliance is required that demands the initiative of governments and international institutions to address climate change and create an alternative tool. Participating in this alliance does not exclude, in the case of Greenpeace, leaving aside advocacy work in the development and compliance of public policy. In certain circumstances, working outside and inside a convention center has its utility, since it contributes to strengthening multilateralism and global governance. However, this is not the focus of attention or the working methodology within the GA. Participating in this agreement also means strengthening alliances with organizations and social movements, as well as building a counter power to detonate real, disruptive, decentralized and coordinated actions at the global level to face the climate crisis and stop it.
As part of this partnership work, three main points are raised: building strong and strategic relationships with climate justice groups; collaborate in the creation of an inventory that identifies the worst polluters and actors responsible for emissions in their territory; and collectively create a “climate agenda” to end the root of this global problem that transcends generations.
Regarding the above, in Mexico we are doing the following: articulating the work of 30 organizations around the issue of water and adaptation to climate change with a focus on Mexico City; pointing out the inconsistencies between the energy policy and the climate commitments acquired by Mexico, as well as the sectors that mostly cause the problem (electricity and transportation sectors); and raising public awareness about how to modify excessive consumption habits can complement collective, national and even international measures to reduce the climate footprint.
The fight to recover the planet’s climate began just over three decades ago and was limited to a small group of activists and researchers. Currently, the issue of climate change is a widespread and public domain issue that crosses hundreds of political and citizen work agendas. This makes the movement in favor of the planet’s climate grow and diversify … so much so that at the time of closing this collaboration there are more than 130 organizations that are members of this recently created initiative called the Glasgow Agreement.
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