Paris. 05 December 2015.–In a jam-packed conference hall in Le Parole errante in Paris representatives of groups and movements from the Climate Space discussed their prognosis of the Paris talks, and the collective message was the much touted deal to save the world from the climate crisis will most likely end up burning the planet.

Pablo Solon, of Fundacion Solon and former Bolivian climate negotiator asserts: “The biggest issue of emission cuts is not even on the table in the negotiations here in Paris. Instead what we have are pledges from both developed and developing countries through their intended nationally determined contributions or INDCs. Assessments of these INDCs show that even if all of these pledges materialize, we will be on a path of 2.7-3.9 degree warming. The planet will burn!”

Around 150 countries have already submitted their INDCs, which will amount to 90 percent of global emissions.  Assessments done by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the UNFCCC Secretariat, and a Civil Society review are unanimous in saying that the combined pledges are inadequate to meet the target of limiting global emission levels to 42 billion tonnes in 2030, and we will surely breach the 2 degree limit that the negotiations are aiming for.

This path will have devastating impacts on agriculture and fisheries, on land, water and forest resources, and on the communities whose lives depend on these resources.

Antolin Huascar Flores of the Confederacion Nacional Agraria in Peru, a member of La Via Campesina laments on the push by corporations and governments for false solutions to climate change: “In Peru, we are experiencing El Nino, and we are seeing that money is coming in (to solve the problem) while poor rural communities are further and further exploited.”  He asserted however that farmers have for the longest time pushing for a real solution that of peasant agroecology. “We are producing food that is feeding the world and at the same time cooling the planet,” Huascar asserted.

The climate talks are also pushing for more technology based solutions.   As Pat Mooney of the ETC Group explained: “there is a big push for geo-engineering as the solution, the big ‘techno-fix’ to the problem of climate change.” Mooney spoke about technologies like solar radiation management, a solution akin to creation of artificial volcanoes that can spew ash into the atmosphere thereby creating a blanket that would block radiation from the sun. Mimicking an effect observed with the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991.

The panel of speakers which also included Marylou Malig from the Global Forest Coalition, Lyda Fernanda of the Transnational Institute, and Cindy Wiesner of the Grassroots Global Justice, all called for a rejection of these false solutions that have become instruments of the corporate agenda and the promotion of real solutions that are coming from grassroots and frontline communities.

“The planet has a week to go, its time to get angry, we have got to fundamentally challenge this deal exhorted Pat Mooney.  #J. Purugganan