The peasant organization issued a statement to express its position in terms of the climate change solutions that will be promoted by them in Cancun and to reject “false solutions”

“Climate negotiations have turned into a huge market place. Developed countries, historically responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions are inventing all possible tricks to avoid reducing their own emissions. For example, the "Clean Development Mechanism" (CDM) under the Kyoto protocol allows countries to continue polluting and consuming as usual, while paying low prices supposedly so that developing countries reduce their emissions. What actually occurs is that companies profit doubly: to contaminate and to sell false solutions”, reads the statement.

La Via Campesina also considers REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) as a false solution and rejects geoengineering, which involves large-scale proposals to deliberately alter the climate. It also rejects any participation of the World Bank in the management of funds and policies related to climate change.

“Many governments of developing countries, attracted by the potential profits, are betting on these false solutions and refusing to implement measures that effectively confront climate change, such as supporting sustainable peasant agriculture, orienting production towards internal markets, establishing effective energy saving policies for industry, etc”, states La Via Campesina.

Endorsing the proposals of the Cochabamba Peoples´ Agreement, celebrated by over 35,000 people gathered last April at the World Peoples´ Conference on Climate Change and for the Rights of Mother Earth in Bolivia, are among the solutions proposed.

“Scientific research shows that peasant and indigenous peoples could reduce current global emissions to 75% by increasing biodiversity, recuperating soil organic matter, replacing industrial meat production with small-scale diversified food production, expanding local markets, halting deforestation and practicing integrated forest management”, reads the statement.

Also “peasant agriculture not only contributes positively to the carbon balance of the planet, it also gives employment to 2.8 billion people, women and men around the world, and it remains the best way to combat hunger, malnutrition and the current food crisis.”

For these reasons, the solutions promoted by the peasant movement involve the right to land and the reclaiming of territories, food sovereignty, access to water as a common good and a human right, the right to use, conserve and exchange seeds, and the de-concentration and promotion of local markets. These are the proposals that the organization will take to Cancun, so that peasant and indigenous communities continue feeding the world and cooling the planet.

Photo: La Vía Campesina