Radio Mundo Real

Once again, peasants are present at the activities parallel to the UN climate talks, this time in Cancun, Mexico. The message is “peasant agriculture cools down the planet” and La Via Campesina is a leader in this struggle. Anyway, the lack of trust in the negotiations is increasing.

“La Vía Campesina has a clear goal, against the false solutions of green capitalism”, said Luiz, leader of the Landless Rural Workers Movement of Brazil (MST) in an interview with Real World Radio during the march to downtown Cancun on Sunday.

The project of peasant agriculture to cool down the planet goes in the opposite direction than industrial agriculture and the international food market. Industrial agriculture is one of the most polluting activities at global level, and so is the transport sector. “We support peasant agriculture, local trade, agroecology as the technological production model, and cooperation among peasant families”, said Luiz.

The leader said that La Via Campesina Brazil has been following the UN negotiations for years, and he expressed his dissatisfaction. “What we are witnessing is just a big theatre”. “There isn´t a real negotiation, the governments do not listen to the demands of the people, our proposals are left aside, and systematically put out of the negotiation table, although we had a great conference in Cochabamba”, he added. In April, 2010, the World Peoples´ Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Luiz also made reference to the COP15 held in December, last year, in Copenhagen, Denmark and said: “Copenhagen, Cancun, these are not climate conferences, they are green capitalism conferences and deal with how the green capitalism can continue expanding in a time of systemic crises and find new ways to profit”.

La Via Campesina will carry out several activities at the “Global Forum for Life, Environmental and Social Justice” which is taking place in Cancun with peasants from different countries. On Tuesday there will be a big mobilization called a few months ago by La Via Campesina. Also, it is expected that Bolivian President will arrive to Cancun on Thursday. Evo Morales will participate in a public event, together with a delegation of La Via Campesina.

In addition, the network of peasants from the five continents will also support the proposal by President Evo Morales to have a world referendum on climate change. “We support Evo´s proposal and we hope other countries, especially ALBA countries, do so as well so that the people can hear throughout the world what the peoples have to say about climate change issues”, he said.

Photo: Real World Radio