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The aim of the demonstration is both to “demand that the USA and Australia ratify the Kyoto Protocol immediately, and that the entire world community move as rapidly as possible to a stronger emissions reductions treaty that will be both equitable and effective in stabilising ’greenhouse’ gases and preventing dangerous climate change”.
While socialists have many reservations about the inadequacies of the Kyoto protocol itself - and many of the mechanisms that are being used to implement it, such as carbon-emissions trading schemes - there can be no doubt that it is an urgent task for all of us to push the question of climate change higher up the political agenda.
Hurricane Katrina, as well as the less well-covered Hurricane Wilma - which displaced 1 million people in the Yucatan peninsula and Hurricane Stan which killed more than 1 thousand in Guatemala, have graphically demonstrated what those socialists who have been campaigning on the issue of global warming have consistently argued - that while climate change affects everyone, it will always be the poor and exploited who suffer most extensively from its devastating effects.
Katrina has raised the profile of these debates, both in the United States itself and more generally through the developed world. In many countries of the South, the environmental movement has long been one of the most dynamic and militant of the social movements.
December 3 is an opportunity to show the strength of these movements internationally and to make demands on governments and international institutions, who once again put profit before people, to stop their deadly dicing with the very future of humanity.
For further information see www.globalclimatecampaign.org
Current info on Climate Demos on December 3:
AUSTRALIA - A "Walk against Warming" in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Cairns. Details and local contacts are at http://www.walkagainstwarming.org
BANGLADESH
BRITAIN
London - a march in central London at noon. Details at www.campaigncc.org
Edinburgh
BULGARIA - Group of 8-9 leading environmental NGOs and 1 scientific institution organising small demo in central Sofia;
CANADA - a march in Montreal, outside the UN climate talks. See www.3dec2005.org
FINLAND - See www.ilmastomarssi.org
FRANCE - a demonstration at the Trocadero in Paris, organised by Les Verts and supported by Attac France.
GERMANY - an action by the ’Bund’ (Friends of the Earth Germany) in Berlin, on 5th December. www.bund.net
GREECE - a march in Athens.
IRELAND - a march in Dublin. Starts outside the Dial.
ITALY - Legambiente are organising demonstrations and meetings in many cities. For Legambiente see www.legambiente.com
JAPAN - a march, place still undecided.
PHILLIPINES - Manilla : A Rally and probably march on the US embassy.
PORTUGAL - A march from the Ministry of Transport to the US embassy, variety of NGOs involved.
ROMANIA - a conference in Craiova, followed by a petition or a march. Contact Roxana Dindere, Romanian Ecological Action, aer@oltenia.ro
RUSSIA - a demonstration in Moscow organised by IPROG.
SOUTH KOREA - A demonstration in Seoul.
TURKEY - a demonstration in Istanbul, coordinated by the Coalition for 3 December.
