“We are expressing our voices, we are exposing the policies of the Mexican government”, said Alfredo Acedo, media coordinator at Via Campesina. Acedo said that these destructive practices led by Mexico include the pollution of rivers and open pit mining, as carried out by Canadian companies.

“We demand that rich countries commit to real measures to cut greenhouse gases emissions”, said Acedo in an interview with Real World Radio. Acedo also mentioned the agreements reached in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at the Peoples´ Conference which took place early this year.

“We also demand that rich countries recognize the environmental and climate debts they owe the rest of the countries in the world, because they are the main drivers of the climate and environmental crises. It is their industrialization, production and consumption model that uses fossil fuels in an excessive way, and this is what has put us on the brink of a climate catastrophe”, he added.

On Wednesday, a caravan left Mexico City to Cancun, and will travel through all the States between the cities, from the north of the country to the peninsula.

Around 1000 people are participating in this caravan, not only members of the peasant movement, but also activists from other social movements and unionists who are denouncing a mass dismissal which took place recently. However, almost 2000 more people will join the caravan to Cancun, and will set up a campsite on Friday night.

“From that day to December 10th we will carry out several forums and mobilizations in Cancun, among them a big mobilization on December 7th called by La Via Campesina to create 1000 Cancuns throughout the country and in the rest of the world”, said Acedo to Real World Radio. “The voices of those who reject the climate crisis” will be heard in the mobilization, so that the governments “feel the pressure of a society that is worried”, to allow the establishment of binding agreements in all the countries. The fundamental thing would be for the rich countries to commit to reduce their fossil fuel consumption in a drastic way.

“The aim of this movement is for all people to understand the seriousness of the situation. With the pressure of social movements and each individual, the governments will be forced to reach binding agreements at the COPs”, said Via Campesina´s media coordinator, and he added: “The COP 16 in this case is in Cancun: after 16 years we see that we haven´t reached anything specific. The risk is that if we don´t reach important agreements here in Cancun or at the next COP, the Kyoto Protocol will end on 2012 and there won´t be any agreements that allow that a series of weak measures as those of the KP -which even as weak as they are they weren´t supported by the US, continue, because the Kyoto Protocol will end in 2012”.

This is why Acedo called everyone in the world who is “worried about the planet, life and future generations” to mobilize.

Photo: http://www.cancunforos.com/