CCS Events - Other Events

The First South-South Forum on Sustainability South-South Forum on Sustainability

THE EMERGING COUNTRIES CRITICAL COMPARATIVE STUDIES

The Emerging Countries Critical Comparative Studies Project seeks to examine the socio-political and economic experiences of a sample of 7 emerging countries (China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Venezuela, Turkey, and South Africa) as a basis for formulating policies conducive to the autonomous development of these and other emerging countries.

This Project has been initiated by the realization that the Development Policies of emerging countries have often been made subservient to external, especially G-8 and multinational corporate, interests. It therefore seeks to critically analyze the historical experiences of the above emerging countries and their erstwhile policy trajectories to improve our understanding of their development. It does not have to take too long for a rigid analysis to reveal that discourses commonly circulating in academic and media circles usually not only blur but in effect “explain away” those rich, diversified and complicated experiences; mainstream scholars and commentators, purposefully or unconsciously at the service of vested interests, have often been too eager to attribute the developmental experiences (often simplified as “success stories”) of these countries to generic and reified concepts such as “marketization” and “globalization, ” etc. This Project seeks analyses free from such conceptual and ideological commitments; instead, it seeks to understand anew with a re-examination of the historical experiences and empirical data.

Envisioning the future, the Project also seeks to articulate common concerns for the emerging countries around the globe in the hope of formulating, where necessary and appropriate, Alternative Policies and Programmes that cohere more closely with the developmental aspirations of these countries.

It is our hope that this Project will be an opportunity for critical scholars from across the E-7 to collaborate and to possibly chart an alternative developmental trajectory that is more inclusive, equitable, and ecologically sustainable.
www.emergingcountries.org

Programme (tentative)

Date: 12-14 December 2011
Venue: LingnanUniversity, Tuen Mun,Hong Kong
Organizers:
(1) Institute of Advanced Studies for Sustainability, Renmin University of China
(2) Kwan Fong Cultural Research and Development Programme,LingnanUniversity
(3) Master of Cultural Studies Programme, Department of Cultural Studies,LingnanUniversity
(4) United Nations Development Programme (China)
Co-organizers:
(1) Institute of Advanced Studies for Humanities and Social Sciences,Tsinghua University,China
(2) Center for Film and Cultural Studies,Peking University,China

2011.12.11(Sunday)

19:30 Welcome Dinner
(Welcome Remark by Mr. Christophe Bahuet, Country Director, UNDP China)

2011.12.12(Monday)
08:30-09:00 Reception and Registration
09:00-10:15 (Monday) Opening Ceremony
Moderator: Prof. Stephen Chan (LingnanUniversity)
Welcome Speeches: (5 minutes each)
(1) Prof. Jes¨´s Seade, Vice President, Lingnan University
(2) Prof. Wen Tiejun, Executive Dean, Institute of Advanced Studies for Sustainability, Renmin University of China
(3) Prof. Dai Jinhua, Director, Center for Film and Cultural Studies,PekingUniversity
(4) Presentations of 3 Field Trip Delegations to China (15 minutes each)

10:15-10:30 (Monday) Coffee Break

10:30-11:45 (Monday) Keynote Speeches(25 minutes each)
Moderator: Dr Li Siu-leung (LingnanUniversity)
(1)Prof. Wen Tiejun (RenminUniversityofChina)
Title: The Challenge of Inclusive Growth¡ªGlobalization and the Widening Gap Between the Rich and the Poor
(2)Dr. Pedro Paez (Former Minister of Economic Policy of the Government ofEcuador)
Title: Global Financial Crisis and Sustainable Security of the South
(3) Prof. Sam Moyo (African Institute for Agrarian Studies,Zimbabwe)
Title: Land and Fresh Water as Common Resources in the Current Global Order

11:45-12:30 (Monday) Commentaries (15 minutes each)
(1) Prof. Muto Ichiyo (People¡¯s Plan Study Group,Japan)
(2) Prof. Tani Barlow (Rice University,USA)
(3) Prof. Patrick Bond (University of KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa)

12:30-14:00(Monday) Lunch

14:00-15:30 (Monday) Plenary Session:
Theme 1£º Macro-Economic Policy and Critical Evaluations
Moderator: Ms Hou Xinan (UNDP Assistant Country Director)
Speakers: (15 minutes each)
(1)Dr. Ebrima Sall (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa,Gambia)
Title: African Economy and Land Policy
(2) Dr Arindam Banerjee (Ambedkar University,India)
Title: The Impacts of Neo-liberal Policy on Indian Peasantry
(3)Prof. Rogerio Faleiros (FederalUniversity of Esp¨ªrito Santo,Brazil)
Title: The Limits of Agrarian Reform in Brazil
(4)Prof. Remy Herrera (UniversityofParis1Panth¨¦on-Sorbonne,France)
Title: State Financial Policies and the Euro-Zone Crisis
Questions and Discussion (30 minutes)

15:30-16:00 (Monday) Coffee Break

16:00-17:30 (Monday) Parallel Sessions
Section 1A Section 1B Section 1C
Livelihood Security and Inclusive Growth Solidarity Economy and Social Resources Integration atGrassroots Level Ecological Civilization and Rural Regeneration

17:45-18:45 (Monday) Dinner

2011.12.13 (Tuesday)

09:00-10:30 Plenary Session:
Theme 2: Ecological Justice and Cultural Diversity
Moderator: Prof. John Erni (LingnanUniversity)
(20 minutes for each speaker)
(1) Prof. Ariel Salleh (University of Sydney,Australia)
Title: Protecting the Body of Mother Earth: Global Climate JusticePost Cochabamba Movement
(2) Dr. Jorge Ishizawa (Project on Andean Peasant Technologies,Peru)
Title: Latin American Aboriginals Responding to Ecological Cataclysm
(3) Prof. Masaaki Ohashi (Keisen University,Japan)
Title: Involvements of NGOs and CSOs in the Earthquake in East Japan and Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima and Present Challenges
Questions and Discussion (30 minutes)

10:30-11:00 (Tuesday) Coffee Break

11:00-12:30 Parallel Sessions(Tuesday)
Plenary Session:
Theme 3: Alternative Local Initiatives and Social Innovations
Moderator: Dr. Chan Shun-hing (LingnanUniversity)
(20 minutes for each speaker)
(1) Dr. Aleida Guevara (William Soler Children¡¯s Hospital, Cuba)
Title: Alternative Medical Care and Livelihood in Latin America
(2)Mr. Jorge Santiago (Movement of CivilSociety,Chiapas,Mexico)
Title: Community Autonomy of the Zapatistas
(3) Dr. Olaseinde Arigbede (Union of Small and Medium Scale Farmers inNigeria)
Title: Knowledge and Practices of Peasant Agriculture in Africa
(4) Dr. Vinod Raina (BGVS,India)
Title: People¡¯s Science for Social Revolution
Questions and Discussion (10 minutes)

12:30-14:00 (Tuesday) Lunch

14:00-15:30 (Tuesday) Parallel Sessions
Section 2A Section 2B Section 2C
Re-building Community Rationality for Rural Sustainability Ecological Cataclysm and Capital¡¯s Appropriation of Modern Technology Rural Reconstruction Movements in Asia

15:30-15:45 (Tuesday) Coffee Break

15:45-17:30 (Tuesday) Section 3A Section 3B Section 3C
Class, Gender andSocial Ecology Reshaping Cultural Diversity in the Global South Intellectuals and the Tradition of Popular Revolt

17:45-18:45 (Tuesday) Dinner

2011.12.14 (Wednesday)

09:00-10:30 Plenary Session:
Rethinking Global South Security
Moderator: Prof. Tani Barlow (Rice University,USA)
(15 minutes for each speaker)
(1)Prof. Li Anshan (PekingUniversity)
Title: Transformation in African Politics and its Implications
(2)Prof Margo Okazawa-Rey (Fielding Graduate University,USA)
Title: Militarism, Conflict and Women¡¯s Activism: Challenges and Prospects for Women in Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone
(3)Mr. Mamdouh Habashi (Arab-AfricanResearchCenter)
Title: Arab Spring: The Dawn of Democracy or Decline of the Geopolitical Order in the Arab World?
(4)Prof. Paulo Nakatani (FederalUniversity of Esp¨ªrito Santo,Brazil)
Title: Brazil-US and Regional Reconfiguration in Latin America
(5)Dr. Hung Ho-Fung (John Hopkins University,USA)
Title: New Setting in Asian Geopolitics
Questions and Discussion (15 minutes)

10:30-11:00 (Wednesday) Coffee Break

11:00-11:30 (Wednesday) Plenary Session:
Sovereignty, Security and Solidarity for Sustainability
Presentations by Group of Moderators and Rapporteurs on themes suggested for working groups

11:30-12:30 (Wednesday) Group Discussions

Working groups on Meeting Challenges and Promoting Alternatives for Sustainability and Solidarity

12:30-14:00 (Wednesday) Lunch

14:00-15:30 (Wednesday) Plenary Session
Moderators: Dr Hui Po-keung (Lingnan University)
Prof Margo Okazawa-Rey (Fielding Graduate University, USA)
Reporting of recommendations from working groups, and discussion of a Statement of the South on Sustainability

15:30-16:00 (Wednesday) Coffee Break

16:00-16:45 (Wednesday) Looking Ahead and Moving onModerator: Dr. Lau Kin-Chi (LingnanUniversity)
Speakers: Prof. Muto Ichiyo (People¡¯s Plan Study Group,Japan)
Prof. Dai Jinhua (PekingUniversity)
Prof. Wen Tiejun (RenminUniversityofChina)

16:45-17:15 (Wednesday) Closing Ceremony
Moderator: Dr. Li Siu-Leung (Lingnan University)
Speakers:
Prof. William Lee (Lingnan University)
Prof. Wen Tiejun (RenminUniversityofChina)

Performances

17:45-18:45 (Wednesday) Dinner

Patrick Bond on CJ at TransNational Institute meeting, 10 December

TNI FELLOWS’ MEETING – DURBAN
Climate crisis, changing contours of power and the political challenges
SICA Guest House, 19 Owens Road, Durban www.sica.co.uk

Day 1: Saturday 10 December 2011
Welcome: Fiona Dove
Session 1: 9h00 – 10h30
Chair: Susan George
The Politics of Climate Change: What prospects for climate justice?
• Praful Bidwai: The politics of climate change
• Patrick Bond: The politics of climate justice

11h00 – 13h00
Chair: Fiona Dove
Changing Contours of Global Hegemony
• Phyllis Bennis: Is US power declining?
• Susan George: The crisis of Europe and its global implications

Session 3: 14h30 – 17h00
The rise of the South and/or reconfiguration of the transnational elite?
Chair: Daniel Chavez
• Pablo Solón: The significance of the ‘emerging powers’
• Panel to discuss further:
- Gonzalo Berrón (Brazil)
- David Fig (South Africa)
- Achin Vanaik (India)
- Dottie Guerrero (China)

Day 2: Sunday 11 December 2011
Session 4: 9h00 – 10h30
Chair: Praful Bidwai
Managing Dystopia
• Ben Hayes: Climate security agendas

Session 5: 11h00 – 13h00
Chair: Kees Biekart
Emerging Paradigms for a Planet in Crisis
• Edgardo Lander: The myth of the Green Economy paradigm
• Vish Satgar: Transitions to Utopia

Session 6: 14h30 – 17h00
Chair: Donna Andrews
The Evolution of Political Agency: where to for the movements?
• Tom Reifer: Global Inequalities and the Occupy Wall Street movement
• Hilary Wainwright: How do we understand today’s political movements?
• Mazibuko Jara*/Brian Ashley: Prospects for structured movements: the Democratic Left Front experiment

Patrick Bond and Baruti Amisi on climate induced migration, 7 December

Will Climate Migrants Face Renewed Xenophobia?
The Case of Durban’s Structured Social Divisions
by Baruti Amisi and Patrick Bond
Centre for Civil Society Team:
Nokuthula Cele, Rebecca Hinely,
Faith ka Manzi, Welcome Mwelase, Orlean Naidoo, Trevor Ngwane, Samantha
Shwarer, Sheperd, and others

Rich countries responsible for climate induced migrants
Staff Reporter

Leaders of different right civilsociety groups at a seminar in Durban in South Africa have said that the issuesof climate induced migrants are the historical responsibility of the developedcountries.

They made the remark whileaddressing the seminar title Climate Induced Migrants and Human RightsPerspective at University of Kwan Zulu Natal (UKZN) later Wednesday, saysa press release issued by the EquityBD from Durban.

The seminar was organised jointlyby Bangladeshi climate networks including Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (BAPA),Bangladesh Indigenous People Network on Climate Change and Biodiversity(BIPNetCCDB), Climate Change Development Forum (CCDF), Campaign for SustainableRural Livelihoods (CSRL), Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh(EquityBD) and Network on Climate Change in Bangladesh (NCCB), andinternational networks including Jubilee South, Asia Pacific Movement on Debtand Development (APMDD), LDC Watch, South Asian Alliance for PovertyEradication (SAAPE), 350.Org, and Trust for Community and Education (TOCH).Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD moderated the function while Dr. Ahsan Uddinof CSRL made the keynote presentation.

Kumi Naido, Executive Director,Green Peace International; Raja Debasish Roy, Chief Patron of BIPNetCCBD, UKZNteacher Prof Dr. Patrick Bond; one of the key organizer of CoP 17 Civil Societyspace Professor Brain Ash of UKZN; Malcolm Demons from Economic Justice Network(EJN)Africa, Willy D Costa, Chairman, Jubilee south APMDD; Raja Debasish Roy,Adviser to the ex care taker government in Bangladesh; Tanvir Shakil Joy,Member of Parliament from Bangladesh; and Ziaul Haque Mukta of OxfamInternational, among others, spoke the seminar.

In his presentation, Dr. AhsanUddin of CSRL said relocation and resettlement of the climate induced migrantsshould come under negotiated adaptation framework.

He also emphasised the need forreplication of Australian Migration Law 2007, framing a legal regime in view ofthe term Universal Natural Person, and detailing Cancun agreement clausesection 14 f. which is on climate induced migrants.

Professor Patrick Bond and BrianAsh urged climate justice movement to take up the issue; they mentioned theexperiences of difficulties from political level of South African authoritieson while they have organized a camp of 2000 climate refugee in Durban duringthis CoP 17.

Malcolm Demons of EJN stated thesituation of climate induced migrants in Africa and expressed his full supportfor the movement.

Willy D Costa, mentioned thecases on how Indian right wing politicians use Bangladeshi migrants issue, heurged to create separate allocation of fund in Green Climate Fund on relocationand resettlement of climate migrants.

Tanvir Shakil Joy, Member ofParliament from Bangladesh and Raja Debasish Roy of BIPNetCCBD urged thatPoliticians has to act fast on climate change issues otherwise people losefaith the multilateral process and the consequences will be irreversible.
www.thenewnationbd.com

Patrick Bond on ecological debt, World Council of Churches, 6 December

Conference Programme

Click to enlarge

Mandla Mbongeni Hadebe
Programme Officer
Economic Justice Network
of FOCCISA
Church House
1 Queen Victoria St
P O Box 2296
CAPE TOWN
8000
Tel : +27-21-424 9563
Fax : +27-21-424 9564
Mobile: +27 72 952 2402
Email : mandla@ejn.org.za
Website: www.ejn.org.za
skype: mandlahadebe

Book Launch: Durban's Climate Gamble, 6 December

Patrick Bond’s Politics of Climate Justice and Related Titles Launched at Ike’s Books

Tying in with the environmentally significant 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17), taking place at the Durban International Convention Centre, last night Ike’s Books played host to the launch of five new titles relating to climate change: Politics of Climate Justice and Durban’s Climate Gamble by Patrick Bond, Earth Grab edited by Sylvia Gar, Nnimmo Bassey’s To Cook a Continent and African Awakening by Firoze Manji

The verandah at Ike’s was crowded with Durban left-wing stalwarts, as well as a number of international visitors. Patrick Bond, political economist and head of the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, facilitated the event while also having two of his own works in the line up – Politics of Climate Justice, which he wrote while on sabbatical in Berkeley last year, and Durban’s Climate Gamble: Playing the Carbon Markets, Betting the Earth, a collection of essays of which he is the editor.

After speaking briefly about these two texts, Bond introduced Sylvia Gar from Uruguay, editor of Earth Grab: Geopiracy, the new Biomasters and Capturing Climate Genes. Gar expressed her concern that companies are “grabbing the earth” through new technologies and warned her audience that it is ‘much worse than we believe’.

Bond then invited Joel Covel, editor of prominent social journal Capital, Nature, Socialism and contributor to Durban’s Climate Gamble, to address the crowd. According to Covel, ‘we are delusional if we think COP 17 is going to make a difference in our economy’. He noted that, although he ‘rails against the psychopath polluters who make the big environmental choices,’ the real purpose of creating literature like this is to ‘go on and do what must be done which is to give this crisis the attention it deserves and break the cycle of exploitation.’ Covel argued that, although this particular collection celebrates Durban’s environmental struggles, an unprecedented revolution is necessary if we want to chance the whole world.

Next up was renowned social activist, Ashwin Desai, one of the major contributors to Durban’s Climate Gamble, who offered many thought-provoking statement. He told activists in the audience they have to be ‘serious about civil society as an antidote,’ questioning the NGOs which rely so much on funding that they forget how to organise. He said that, instead of ‘delivering a constituency to the ruling classes’, we should ‘f*ck them up’. In closing, Desai referred to Hans Christian Andersen’s story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, warning that ‘civil society is not what it says it is’.

Last up was Nnimmo Bassey, Nigerian grassroots activist and author of To Cook a Continent: Destructive Extraction and the Climate Crisis in Africa. Bassey emphasised his belief that Africa is not a lost cause, referring, in particular, to the on-the-ground activism of rural women who ‘will one day rise up and take their destiny’. He warned that, if polluting nations postpone curbing their emissions for another decade, Africa will ‘be evacuated of its citizens’. Bassey proposed that activists connect and learn from one another, forming a united front against so-called “Biomasters”. Each chapter of To Cook a Continent contains ‘snatches of poetry’, culminating in a poem he wrote about Shell’s extraction of oil in Nigeria: ‘we thought it was oil/ but it was blood’.

The launch of these books heralded a much-needed discussion around climate change in Africa, which one hopes will continue to remain in focus once COP17 concludes on Friday.
ukznpress.bookslive.co.za

Culture and Climate conference, 5 December

Time: December 5, 2011 from 9:30am to 7pm
Location: City Hally, Council Chambers, Durban, South Africa
Street: The City Hall, 263 Dr Pixley KaSeme Str (West Str), 1st Floor Council Chambers, Durban City/Town: Durban

Culture|Futures is organising the conference “Eco-Leadership through Culture” on December 5th from 9.30 to 19.00 during the UN Climate Summit COP17 in South Africa. The conference is co-organized with the Municipality of Ethekwini (Durban), the Ecological Sequestration Trust and the Danish Cultural Institute in co-operation with many other partners in Durban and worldwide.

Key notes include Peter Head, one of the world leaders in integrated urban sustainable development and chair of the new Ecological Sequestration Trust, and Prof. Edgar Pieterse, director of the Africa Centre for Cities. They will present global and African perspectives to address major global and African challenges for urban/regional development and discuss the significant role of culture.

The purpose of the conference is to:

Clarify the vision of an Ecological Age by 2050, how to deliver it and the significant role of culture

Inspire cultural institutions and cities in Durban/Africa/World to undertake eco-social leadership.

Build Culture|Futures as a new international network for cultural institutions/actors, cities/regions and other stakeholders on eco-leadership.

http://culturefutures.ning.com

Patrick Bond at the ITF conference COP 17 People’s Space UKZN, 1 December

Patrick Bond on puppet statehood and climate, Unctad conference 1 December

Patrick Bond on puppet statehood and climate, Unctad conference (via video),Geneva, 1 December

CCS Teach-In on Climate Justice, evenings from 29 Nov-8 December

Climate Justice Teach-In:Contesting Money and Power

DATES: Tuesday, November 29th – Thursday, December 8th
VENUE: UKZN Memorial Tower Building L3 (third floor), from 8-11pm
(opening night on 29/11 is simply 8-9pm introduction/films)

Upon completion of class requirements – participation in 10 hour-long
sessions and write an essay for publication in your local newspaper –
participants receive a certificate and memory stick full of books,
articles, films and more! There is no charge – just your commitment.

Coordination by Patrick Bond, Michael Dorsey, Joel Kovel, Alejandro Nadal, and Quincy Saul; lectures by Praful Bidwai, Sarah Bracking, Maxime Coombs, Jeff Conant, Fabrina Furtado, Tom Goldtooth, Karen Hansen-Kuhn, Anne Maina, Edgardo Lander, Larry Lohmann, Robin Milam, Lucia Ortiz, Silvia Ribeiro, Tom Reifer, Teresa Turner, Hilary Wainwright, Kamoji Wachira and Eddie Yuen Sponsored by the UKZN Centre for Civil Society, with the support of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa and the late Michael Jackson’s USA for Africa foundation

Climate Justice Festival of Film to mark COP17 26 November - 9 December

The world's leading climate documentary films are set to screen in a special edition of the Tri Continental Human Rights Film festival designed to inspire climate action and unite people in conversation around the United Nations' Conference of Parties, COP17, climate conference.

The TriContinental Climate Justice Film Festival brings together film enthusiasts and climate and social justice civil society delegates to be entertained, discussand share the pressing issues that are impacting the world's populace.

The Festival, to be held in five venues in Durban from 26 November until 9 December, will showcase 24 documentary films, as well as a tell-all documentary being filmedby Uhuru Productions during COP17 that follows three women from African countries who travel to COP17 to deliver their plea to the delegates.

TCFF Director and Director of this COP17 documentary, Rehad Desai said: Through the festival,we not only celebrate the world's best climate and social justicedocumentaries, but also aim to inspire people to become engaged with not only during COP17 but when everyone packs up and goes home.

We also strongly believe that because COP17 is in our backyard it's vital that we use the opportunity of having the world's eyes on us to tell African stories.

We have chosen a festival format to showcase both climate and social justice films that speak of the critical issues impacting people around the globe, with the aim of generating greater awareness, empathy and dialogue with the fantastic documentary content that is being made, he added.

A festival highlight will be the launch of The Weather Gods on Wednesday 30 November at the Greenpeace Solar Tent, a joint Uhuru Production and Greenpeace film, that looks at the impact of climate change on subsistence farmers in South Africa, Mali and Kenya.

Another festival highlight will be screenings of South African AIDS denial documentary,TAC Taking HAART and the award-winning conservation tale, Green.

First premiered in September at Tri Continental Human Rights Film Festival, TAC:Taking HAART, received widespread audience acclaim for its in-depth review of the impact of government sponsored AIDS denialism between 1999-2010; a period when over two million South Africans died of AIDs despite the existence of antiretroviral treatment. The screening on Monday 5 December will feature Q&A with producer Jack Lewis.

A powerful story that follows the last days of a female orangutan as her forest home is raided, Green has won several awards including; Golden Panda Award and Natural History Museum Award, Wildscreen Film Festival, Bristol, 2010 and Grand TetonAward and Best Conservation Program, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, USA, 2009.

Participating venues include; People's Space at University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard Campus,The Bat Centre, Ekhaya Multi-Purpose Centre in Kwa Mashu, Greenpeace SolarCinema North Beach and The Collective, Morningside. All films are open to thepublic and free of charge.

TCFF is Southern Africa's only dedicated Human Rights film event.

For a full list of venues and to view program visisit www.tcff.org.za

Rehad Desai

Uhuru Productions/Tri - Continental Film Festival
Tel +27 (0) 11 334 6138/48
Fax +27 (0) 11 334 6394

www.uhuruproductions.co.za
www.3continentsfestival.co.za
www.people2people.co.za

Physical Address
Arts on Main,
40 Berea Street
City and Suburban 2000
Johannesburg,
PO Box 1003
Auckland Park 2006

Everyone's Downstream 25-26 November

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EVERYONE’S DOWNSTREAM 2011: Extreme Extraction in Africa and Beyond
Venue: University of KwaZulu Natal, Howard College Campus, MTB L1
Dates: November 25th – 26th 2011

EDS 2011 is a community-led exploration of Tar Sands and other extreme extractions around the world focusing on Africa and other discussions around false and realistic solutions to climate change and violation of human rights.

PROGRAMME

DAY 1 - Tar Sand in Canada and Africa

14h00 – 14h20 – Welcome & Intro

14h20 – 15h30 – Macdonald Stainsby (Oil Sands Truth) & Ben Powless (Indigenous Environmental Network) –Tar Sands in Canada

TEA BREAK – 15 minutes

15h45 -17h45 -Holly Rakotondralambo (AVG) – Madagascar Tar Sands
Congo (Brazzaville) Tar Sands – Christian Mounzeo, President, Engagement for Peace and Human Rights (RPDH)

TEA Break – 15 minutes

18h05 – 18h20 Dru Oja Jay, journalist with the Dominion paper of Canada –analysis of Tar Sands resistance in Canada

18h20 – 18h40 Q & A
FEEDBACK & RECAP SESSION – 20 minutes

DAY 2 – Community narratives about extreme fossil fuel extractions

10h00 -10h15– Welcome and summary

10h15 – 10h50 Lia Tarachansky, independent journalist in Tel Aviv– Israeli oil Shale plans.

TEA BREAK – 15 min

11h05 – 11h45 Bwengye Rajabu Yusufu, Oil Watch Uganda: Heavy Oil projects planned in Ugandas forests.

LUNCH – 11h45 – 12h30

12h40 – 13h25 SDCEA

13h25 – 14h10 Nigeria – Celestine AkpoBari & Sorbarikor Demual, Ogoni Solidarity Forum: Women’s struggles and Community Issues in the Niger Delta and beyond.

TEA BREAK – 15 min

14h30 – 15h30 Jean-Pierre (SAF Melaky) – extreme extractions and community issues for the Melaky region

15h30 – 16h30? WAY FORWARD?
Closing (including closing words from Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action)

Pre-COP 17 Meeting, Durban, November 25-26

Power Point for Presentation by Khadija Sharife and Lars Gausdal

Quick and Dirty - But Not Cheap: South Africa’s Minerals-
Energy Complex Presentation by Khadija Sharife and Lars Gausdal

Qwasha! re-memory; oral history and a new politics of self representation:
Facilitating a space for dialogue as a means for community archiving and alternative narrative practices.
Paper presented by Molefi Mafereka Ndlovu

Conference Programme

Friday 25th November
9.00 Welcome Session and Introductions, Purpose of the Meeting
Discussion about concrete outcomes

10:00 Short coffee break

10:15 to 12:15

Patrick Bond ‘Politics of Climate Justice’

Des Gasper, Ana Victoria Portocarrero and Asun St Clair ‘Climate Change and Development Framings: A comparative analysis of the HDR’

Nancy Tuana ‘Coupled Ethical-Epistemological Analyses in climate Science’

13:00 Lunch provided by Anstey’s

14:30 to 16:30

Petra (Title still to be decided)

Kjersti Flottum ‘A macro- and micro-linguistic analysis of the South African Green Paper ‘National Climate Change Response’’

Jill Johannsen ‘Climate Justice: A vital media narrative?’

17.00 Free time

18.30 Dinner at African Peninsula (within walking distance)

Saturday 26th November

8.00 Breakfast at Anstey’s Guest House

9:00 to 11:00 Summary of day 1

Siri Gloppen and Asun St Clair ‘Climate Change Lawfare’

Jackie Dugard and Anna Alcaro ‘Rights Mobilisation in South Africa in the Context of Acute Environmental Harm’

11:00 Coffee Break

11:15 to 13:15

Khadija Sharife and Lars Gausdal ‘Quick and Dirty, but not Cheap: South Africa’s Mineral Energy Complex

Molefi Ndlovu ‘Qwasha! Re-Memory; oral history and self-representation: Creating a space for Dialogue as a means for community archiving and alternative narrative practices’

Brandon Derman Framings and Opportunity Structures in Advocacy for a Just Response to the Climate Crisis: Copenhagen and After.

13.30 Lunch provided by Anstey’s

14.45 General Discussion about work and collaborations for 2012

15.30 Debate about publication, closing remarks and final thoughts

Molefi Ndlovu and Michael Dorsey lead youth/climate workshop, 21 November

Patrick Bond at Rosa Luxemburg Political Cafe on climate/energy, 21 November

Patrick Bond skype lecture on climate politics to Lahore Cafe Bol series, Pakistan, 16 November

WEDNESDAY LECTURE SERIES: CLIMATE POLITICS AND RADICAL RESPONSES

Venue: Cafe Bol Lahore 50/20 PKR
Date: 16 November
Time: 8 pm

We kick of a season of Wednesday lectures with Patrick Bond talking on Climate Change and radical responses that have been articulated to it.

The lecture will be delivered by Skype and will start at 8 pm.
50 rupees non-students, 20 students.

Patrick Bond (born 1961, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he has directed the Centre for Civil Society since 2004. His research interests include political economy, environment, social policy, and geopolitics. From 1994-2002, Patrick worked for the South African government, authoring or editing more than a dozen policy papers including the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) and the RDP White Paper. He has also taught at the University of the Witwatersrand Graduate School of Public and Development Management from 1997-2004. Bond gave the keynote lecture at the Leeds University Centre for African Studies (LUCAS) conference on ´Democratization in Africa: Retrospective and Future Prospects´ at Leeds University in December 2009.

for more information on Patrick Bond see,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Bond

For more information on event please contact:
hashimbr@gmail.com

NOTE: CAFE BOL HAS MOVED. New location: Main market, Raja Center, opposite Ocean Gallery...if you find optic world take the stairs next to it and walk straight and you will find Cafe Bol!

Patrick Bond at the Cornell Univ development conference, 12 November

RETHINKING DEVELOPMENT
An Interdisciplinary Conference Organized and hosted by the Department of Development Sociology at Cornell University in
conjunction with the Development Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association
Africana Studies Center
310 Triphammer Road
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
November 10 – 12, 2011
The conference is open to the Cornell campus and the wider community
CONFERENCE PROGRAM (with panel titles)

Patrick Bond: Discussing Climate Justice Strategy, 9 November

Patrick Bond Discussion on Climate Justice Strategy for the upcomig UN Conference of Parties Summit on the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 | 3 – 5 pm
Room C201 (Concourse Level)
The CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue, New York 10016

South African Climate Justice activist Patrick Bond will be leading a discussion of Climate Justice (CJ) strategy for the upcoming United Nations Conference of Parties Summit (COP17) in Durban, South Africa regarding the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. The meeting will take place at the CUNY Graduate Center, Room C201 on Wednesday, 11/9/11 from 3 – 5pm.

Patrick Bond is a political economist with longstanding research interests and NGO work in urban communities and with global justice movements in several countries. He teaches political economy and eco-social policy at the School for Development Studies at South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he also directs the Centre for Civil Society and is involved in research on economic justice, geopolitics, climate, energy and water.
>pcp.gc.cuny.edu

Patrick Bond on COP17 politics at Institute for Policy Studies, 8 November

An update from South Africa on civil society plans for ‘outside’ action at the UN climate talks
November 8, 2011, 3:00 pm–4:00 pm
IPS Conference Room
1112 16th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC

Communities living in Durban, South Africa, where this year’s UN climate talks will be held, have a long history of struggle for environmental and social justice. While some countries are calling for a new commitment to the Kyoto Protocol and others are calling for its demise, civil society in South Africa is calling for real solutions to the ecological, economic and political underpinnings of the climate crisis.

Please join IPS’s Sustainable Energy & Economy Network for an update by Patrick Bond, head of the Centre for Civil Society in Durban, on plans for civil society engagement during the climate change summit, and how activities ‘outside’ the official talks will connect with the ‘inside’ negotiations. Patrick is a former IPS visiting scholar and is author/editor of the recent books The Politics of Climate Justice and Durban's Climate Gamble.
www.ips‑dc.org

Patrick Bond talk on population and climate, Pretoria, 1 November

International Conference on Population Dynamics, Climate Change and Sustainable Development
Jointly Organized by Government of the Republic of South Africa And Partners in Population and Development (PPD)

Conference Programme

Patrick Bond on water politics, the IMF and climate in Dublin, 25‑26 October

Mobilizing for Social and Environmental Justice: from Durban to Dublin
Venue: Central Hotel, Exchequer Street
Tuesday 25th October – 7.00 pm

Bloom, Movement for Global Justice and Friends of the Earth invite you to a meeting with Patrick Bond, a leading scholar‑activist based in South Africa, to discuss local and global struggles for climate, economic and social justice

Speakers:
Patrick Bond (Centre for Civil Society, Durban, South Africa)
Patricia McCarthy (Community Technical Aid, Dublin)
Molly Walsh (Policy and Campaigns, Friends of the Earth Ireland)

As resistance to austerity grows in the US and Europe and Durban
prepares to host critical climate change talks in December, Durban based
activist Patrick Bond will talk about the rise of the climate justice
movement in Africa and its connections with other social movements in
Africa and elsewhere, such as struggles for trade and debt justice and
access to social services. Irish climate and community campaigners will
respond to his insights. The meeting will ask what can we learn from
movements in the South, and how can we link the local and global
struggles we are engaged in?

Patrick Bond is a political economist with long‑standing research interests and NGO work in urban communities and with global justice movements in several countries. He teaches political economy and eco‑social policy at the University of KwaZulu‑Natal in Durban, South Africa, where he directs the Centre for Civil Society and is involved in research on economic justice, geopolitics, climate, energy and water.

Patricia McCarthy is co‑Director of Community Technical Aid, which provides support to local communities and projects in north inner‑city Dublin. She has a long‑standing interest and experience in anti‑poverty actions, social inclusion and participation.

Molly Walsh is Policy and Campaigns Manager with Friends of the Earth Ireland. She leads their campaign for an Irish climate law and will be attending the make‑or‑break UN talks in Durban at the end of November.

For more information or to register please contact Fleachta@comhlamh.org

Links
www.indymedia.ie/article/100743
www.comhlamh.org/get‑involved‑upcoming‑comhlamh‑....html

26 October: Patrick Bond talk at Occupy Dublin (tba)
www.occupydamestreet.org

26 October
www.sciencegallery.com

Patrick Bond on energy as a public good in Rome, 24 October

System change not climate change: Energy as a common good in South Africa

A convenant for Energy as a common good

ROME October, 24th
Time: 17.00 – 20.00
Venue: CAE – Città dell'Altra Economia Largo Frisullo

Promoted by: A SUD www.asud.net
in collaboration with: RIGAS Itlian Network for Environmental and Social Justice www.reteambientalesociale.org

CHANGE THE SYSTEM, NOT THE CLIMATE
Towards the &'th Conference of the Parts on Climate Change in Durban
The role and the alternatives of social movements and local administrations
The global governance has failed in its mission to face the worst threat to humanity: climate change. Without a real U-turn, the Economy will not be able to govern productive processes without worsened the ecological crisis.
We need to create the social conditions for a third industrial revolution introducing a new model of society, development and participation. That is why we need to build a public space shared by associations, social movements, local administrations, researchers and intellectuals in order to apply a “convenant for energy as a common good” opening to the implementation of best practices and decisions able to actuate a “U-turn”.

Who will participate: International Guests

Patrick Bond, is a political economist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Development Studies in Durban, where since 2004 he has directed the Centre for Civil Society. His research and political work presently covers environment (energy, water and climate change), economic crisis, social mobilization, public policy and geopolitics. Amongst his authored, edited and coedited books are: Climate Change, Carbon Trading and Civil Society (2009); Looting Africa (2006); Against Global Apartheid (2003); Unsustainable South Africa (2002) and Cities of Gold, Townships of Coal (2000). He has lectured at more than 70 universities across the world, with formal teaching affiliations in the US, Canada, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Korea, Japan and South Africa.

Mercedes Ozuna Historical Leader of the zapatist EZLN, Mercedes is involved for decades together with the indigenous and rural comunities of Chiapas, Mexico. Together with the chiapas indigenous movement she promotes the National Assembly of Environmental Victimes that gathers since 2007 200 mexican comunities affected by environmental crimes. She worked for decades for the articolation and integration of a regional indigenous movement of Central America. She is currently involved together with tens of mexican organizations in the creation of a local office of the Permanent Tribunal of the People that will work for the next 3 years on Human Rights violations in Mexico.

Massimiliano Smeriglio Head officer of Labour and Professional Education Issues, Province of Rome

Livio De Santoli Director of the CITERA – Research Centre on Energia and Architecture, Head Manager of Energy at the Sapienza University, Coordinator of the energetical policies of the City of Rome

Angelo Consoli President of CETRI-Tires, director of the European Office of Jeremy Rifkin, consulent of the European Institutions for
energetical sustainabillity

Danilo Barbi National Segretary of the Trade Union Confederation CGIL

Maurizio Landini National Segretary of the Trade Union Confederation CGIL and of the Trade Union FIOM (Metal workers)

Guido Viale Economist and writer for a new economy

Giuseppe De Marzo Economist and writer, spokesman of the association A Sud

Vilma Mazza Spokeswomen of the association Ya Basta!

Contact: Luciegreyl@asud.net

Patrick Bond talks on climate justice in Stockholm, 22 October

Patrick Bond on climate, land and Africa's exploitation, 20-21 October

Land-grabbed, exploited Africa within the economic/climate crises

Presented to the DevNet conference
Land Grabbing in Africa: Global Resource Scarcity and Competition for Survival 21 October 2011

Land Grabbing in Africa Global Resource Scarcity and Competition for Survival
Date: October 21, 2011, at 9-17

Venue: Hambergssalen, Geocentrum, Villavägen 16, Uppsala University
To secure future access to food and biofuels, private and state actors in wealthy countries (including the oil states) are increasingly buying or leasing farmland in the Global South, primarily in Sub--Saharan Africa. Some argue that this is recreating old colonial patterns of land ownership and distribution of power, threatening livelihoods of the rural poor. Others hold that such agricultural investments provide much needed means for economic development. In this one-day workshop, we will explore the phenomenon of land grabbing from theoretical and practical perspectives, and invite all interested to a constructive and lively discussion. Detailed program will be posted in September.

Presentations:

Philip McMichael, Cornell University: A food regime analysis of the land grab

Kenneth Hermele, Lund University: Land grabbing in relation to energy, climate and the current resource crises

Patrick Bond, University of KwaZulu Natal: Land grabbing in the context of Africa's exploitation

Atakilte Beyene, Stockholm EnvironmentInstituteLLand rights and corporate social responsibility

Henning Melber, Dag Hammarskjöld
Foundation: Concluding observations

Moderators: Mats Hårsmar, Nordic Africa Institute and Susan Paulson, Lund University

Organized by DevNet, the Development Research Network on Nature, Poverty and Power at CSD Uppsala, Uppsala University
www.csduppsala.uu.se/devnet

Critical Studies in the Development of Capitalism - CEFO course autumn 2011 Course coordinator: Cristián Alarcón Ferrari: Cristian-Alarcon.Ferrari@slu.se
Schedule and venues- sessions between Monday 17 and Friday 21 October

Patrick Bond at the PanAfrican Climate Justice conference 15 - 19 October

AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY CONSULTATIVE-CUMTRAINING
WORKSHOP AND PARTICIPATION IN
THE FIRST AFRICAN CLIMATE AND
DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
Date: 15 – 19 October 2011
Venue: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

COP 17 INFORMATION

COP 17 update: on alternative spaces and logistics

COP 17 update: culture jams, deck of polluter playing cards

COP 17 update: some resources from the Centre for Civil Society

Patrick Bond on electricity and climate crises, Newlands and Meerbank, 10-11 October.

ELECTRICITY PRICES AND CLIMATE CRISIS
Come Hear Professor Patrick Bond, Professor Ashwin Desai and Wentworth activist Desmond D’Sa on the present electricity price hike & climate crisis.

DATE: Monday 10th OCTOBER 2011
TIME: 6.30PM
VENUE: NewLANDS COMMUNITY HALL , TANDIPA ROAD AND GARRICK CRESCENT NEWLANDS EAST

DATE:TUESDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2011
VENUE: SETTLERS PRIMARY SCHOOL MEREBANK
TIME: 6.30PM

CONTACT
SDCEA on 031-461191 or
Desmond cell 0839826939
Graham on 0843665509

Patrick Bond on climate and capitalism, 3 October

Climate-crisis capitalism, global environmental governance
and geopolitical competition in emissions laxity
By Patrick Bond
Presented to the International Labour Rights Information Group
Globalization School on Capitalism and the Environment, 3 October 2011
forthcoming in the Special Issue of Globalizations (12, 3)
The Rebound of the Capitalist State
The re-articulation of state-capital relations in the global crisis
Edited by Bastiaan van Apeldoorn, Naná de Graaff and Henk Overbeek

Globalisation School 2011 Capitalism and the Environment

Date:2 October to 7 October 2011
Venue:Riverview Lodge, Observatory, Cape Town

The 2011 School takes place at a time when the system of global capitalism is in an ongoing crisis. At the same time global warming is taking place at a faster rate than ever before and corporations faced with declining oil reserves are seeking new sources of energy and scouring the globe even more than before and in ways that threaten the survival of the planet.

Capitalism is at the heart of these crises and yet our inability to force the ruling classes of the world to do anything different – let alone build an alternative world - is the biggest thing holding back any solutions. In this regard, however, the uprisings in North Africa and the Arab world are sources of optimism that a movement for change is on the rise after years of neo-liberal capitalist triumphalism.

These crises force us to think about what the relationship between our own local struggles and the struggle to move beyond capitalism and its destruction of the planet.

In November 2011 the world’s governments will be meeting in Durban at what is called COP17 – an exercise which once again promises to show how incapable the ruling classes are to implementing any solution. ..unless our activism and struggles can put pressure on the governments. But what is the relationship between capitalism as a system and the environmental destruction that threatens us all? The 2011 School – the 10th anniversary of the ILRIG Globalisation Schools - will look at various views on then relationship between capitalism and the environment and debate strategies for taking forward our daily struggles. There will be meetings to hear experiences of struggles in Brazil, North America and Southern Africa and forums to discuss preparations for COP17.

These discussions will be combined with network meetings of activists to plan their campaigns, as well as our regular features of music, poetry, theatre and movies.

Programme

Registration: 2 October, afternoon and evening

Evening: Supper

19.00: Opening

Movie: Eyes Wide Open (Three continents)
Documentary, 110 min
Director: Gonzalo Arijon
France, 2009
English subtitles

In 2001, global social movements gathered at the first World Social Forum (WSF) in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The WSF represented a new way of thinking, placing people and not the market at the centre of decision-making. Hopes ran
high. No longer would the third world continue to finance the first. The years that followed have seen significant change as successive left of centre presidents have taken power across Latin America. First Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, then Lula in Brazil, Kirchner in Argentina, Vazquez in Uruguay, Bachelet in Chile, Morales in Bolivia, Correa in Equador and Lugo in Paraguay – all proposing a break with neo-liberalism.

This film looks in detail at what this new generation of leaders means for ordinary working class people in Latin America. With the continent’s tortured past, there is much to celebrate and much to reform. Yet the market manages to maintain its stranglehold on decision-making, reforms fall short of expectations and the war on poverty has barely started.

Open Day: 3 October
Main Hall

09.00 Welcome Sandra v Niekerk(ILRIG)

09.30 Outline of the School Leonard Gentle (ILRIG)

10.00 Panel: Capitalism & the Environment

Des D’Sa

Michelle Pressend

Eugene Cairncross

Tendai Makanza

13.00 Lunch

14.00 My organisation All

14.30 Capitalism & the Environment Patrick Bond

15.30 Breakaways, exhibitions

United Steelworkers of Canada Judith Marshall

1 Million Climate Jobs Rehana Dada

Brazilian unions and politics Efraim Moura (Metabase union, Itabira, Brazil)

Southern African farm workers network

Launch of World Cup book Eddie Cottell

19.00hrs Film, Play / Drama Phillippa de Villiers

Day 2 Tuesday 4 October

09.00hrs Capitalism for environmentalists (Leonard Gentle – ILRIG)
Chair: Judy Kennedy

10.00hrs Closed sessions

17.00hrs Network Meetings ??

18.00hrs SUPPER

19.00hrs Music, poetry Sounds of the South

Day 3 Wednesday 5 October

09.00 Global warming and women (Nandi Vanga-Mgijima ILRIG)
Chair; Michael Blake

10.00hrs Closed sessions

17.00hrs Network meetings ??

19.00hrs Panel Debate: How do we link the movement for environmental justice with our current struggles?

Mercia Andrews ? TCOE

Muna Lukanya ? Earthlife

John Appolis CEPWAWU

Tendai Makanza ? LEDRIZ

Late Evening: Music

Day 4 Thursday 6 October

09.00 The politics of climate change (Koni Benson - ILRIG)
Chair: Mthetho Xali

10.00hrs Closed sessions

17.00hrs Network Meetings ???

19.00hrs Braai

Day 5: Friday 7 October

09.00hrs Towards COP17 Mthetho Xali (ILRIG)
Chair: Shawn Hattingh

10.30 Report back by Activist Networks

12.00 Evaluation

13.00hrs Thanks and LUNCH

14.00 Departure

Closed Sessions
Daily Themed Sessions: 4 October – 7 October
10.00hrs – 17.00hrs

Themed classes
1. Building women’s activism Nandi
2. New forms of organisation Mthetho
3. Democracy and Public Power Michael
4. Trade & Investment Shawn
5. Youth and Globalisation Judy
6. Writing our history Koni

CCS hosts Democratic Left Front climate conference, 23-25 September

Strategising Workshop for Durban’s COP17
23-25 September 2011 University of KwaZulu-Natal Memorial Tower Building, Howard College
The Call issued by leading anti-capitalist and climate justice forces in South Africa to come together and strategise around a common approach and agenda for COP17 has been received positively in different parts of the world and in the country. Besides participation from the Bolivian social movements other important movements like Via Campesina, activists from movements in Brazil engaging the Rio+20 process, Chile, Phillipines and different parts of Africa will be present. Moreover leading transnational NGOs like Friends of the Earth and Climate Justice groups will be present. From within South Africa all leading social movements, community organisations and ngos have confirmedparticipation.
More

Click on image to enlarge

For Political Enquiries Contact: Brian Ashley – brian@amandla.org.za
Mazibuko Jara – mazibuko@amandla.org.za
Vishwas Satgar – copac@icon.co.za
For Administrative Enquiries Contact: Athish Kirun – copac2@icon.co.za

Conference documents

Climate Justice Now! South Africa meets at CCS, 22-23 September

Venue: CCS Seminar Room UKZN, 602 Memorial Tower Building
Date: 22nd & 23rd September 2011

Programme

Registration

Welcome & Introduction

Selection of Chair

Engaging government (White Paper-policy on climate change)

TBC

CJN! SA plans to use the space

CJN! SA Position, Messaging, Action and Strategy for COP 17

Review of previous meeting minutes and commitments

Coordination CJN! SA

How do we move forward & the Future of CJN

Announcements & Closure

For more info contact:
Siziwe Khanyile
Groundwork
Tel: 033 342 5662
siziwe@groundwork.org.za

Patrick Bond at People's Dialogue on climate politics, 21 September

Confronting the climate crisis as part of the broader crisis of Civilisation
Cop 17 and beyond: what is at stake?

The People’s Dialogue a network of Southern African and Latin American organisations is hosting a strategy discussion with popular civil society organisations with the view of sharpening our strategic response to the climate crisis as part of an overall response to the deepening crisis of civilisation.

Our starting point sees the financial crisis that broke out in 2008 as a symptom of a much wider crisis of the global system. Not only does it represent a crisis of the neoliberal model but a deeper crisis of the over-productivist, endless-growth, financial-speculative model which puts humanity and the planet at great risk. In this regard we are confronted by a simple but stark reality, namely, that an economic system based on unlimited growth contradicts a limited planet.

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, (launched at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and a host of multilateral processes were established to arrest the global environmental crisis. Almost twenty years on, hundreds of Summits and meetings later and thousands of pages of resolutions, declarations and protocols, the situation is worse. The UNFCCC’s Conference of the Parties and the discussions in preparation for Rio + 20 are in danger of a dramatic shift away from regulating and placing limits on the market. On the contrary, powerful transnational corporations and international business councils, increasingly over-represented in inter-state multilateral negotiations, press for the “marketisation” i.e. dramatic expansion of the commercialisation and commodification of the natural environmental and life services.

We are made to believe that the very processes that have brought us to the crisis – extreme marketisation - can somehow overcome the crisis.

The state of negotiations in the build up to COP 17 and the Rio + 20 Conferences suggest that the powerful countries that dominate and determine the outcomes of these processes will fail to do the minimum to prevent the planet from runaway climate change and ecological disaster. They are turning their backs against reaching and implementing a legally binding agreement of deep emission cuts and raising finances to facilitate mitigation and adaptation strategies of developing countries. If the Kyoto Protocol were to be buried at COP 17 – which is quite likely – what will be the future of multilateralism?

In this context it is vital that we as popular movements begin to define a sharper and more realistic strategy for dealing with the climate crisis and the broader crisis of civilisation. In this regard we have to examine various mobilisation, campaigning and resistance strategies for effective change.

We are two minutes to midnight and the clock is ticking.

The People’s Dialogue workshop provides movements with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the overall crisis of civilisation and the climate crisis more specifically.

Participants will be able to gain a greater understanding of the state of play in relation to COP 17 and Rio Plus 20 negotiations.

Participants will share their strategies towards addressing the climate crisis and the broader civilisation crisis and learn from each other on effective advocacy strategies that address the underlying power relations.

Draft Programme

Day 1 Wednesday 21 September 2011

9.00 - 10.00 Welcome and introductions:
Introducing the programme for the workshop
10.00 – 12.00 The politics of climate change: from Copenhagen to Durban: What is at stake at COP 17
Panel inputs: Patrick Bond Rashmi Mistri, Dorah Lebelo,
12.00 – 13.30 Climate crisis as part of broader crisis of civilisation
Carlos Torres, Moema Miranda, Brian
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 15.30 Impact of the crisis and the popular response of our movements
Commissions
15.30 – 16.00 Tea
16.00 – 17.00 Reports and discussion

17.00 – 19.30 Toxic tour and Community meeting

Day 2 Thursday 22 September 2011
8.30 – 9.30 Reflections on Day 1
9-30 - 11.00 Green Economy, productivism, SMART agriculture and its alternative:
David Fig, Muna Lakhani Marcela Olivera (?)
11.00 – 11.30 Tea
11.30 – 12.30 Resisting marketisation: what are our alternatives
Commissions
12.30 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 15.30 Building a people’s agenda:
Cochabamba, C17, Brazilian Civil Society Facilitating Committee for the Rio+20;
Presentations and plenary discussion
15.30 – 16.00 Tea
16.00 – 17.30 Campaigns and popular initiatives to address climate and the broader civilisation crisis
Inputs from movements
Via Campesina, Climate Jobs, Rural Women’s Assembly,

Day 3 Friday 23 September 2011
8.30 - 9.30 Reflections
9.30 – 10. 30 Developing a Road Map towards COP 17, Rio + 20 and beyond
10.30 – 11.30 Developing a Road Map towards COP 17, Rio + 20 and beyond
Commissions
11.30 – 12.00 Reports and closure

23 Sept – 25 Sept International Strategy seminar University of KZN Durban

Patrick Bond on Electricity Prices and Climate Crisis SDCEA, 21 September

COME HEAR PROFESSOR PATRICK BOND ON ELECTRICITY PRICES AND CLIMATE CRISIS
Venue: AUSTERVILLE civic hall
Date: Wednesday 21St September 2011
Time: 18h30
Contact: SDCEA 031-4611991or dEsmond cell 0839826939

Photo's

Seminar on the Secrecy Bill, 15 September

The jailing of two students for toasting freedom in 1961 led to the birth of Amnesty International. Today, although people have more ways to express their ideas, intimidation, violence and imprisonment are still used to silence human rights defenders and critics of the powerful. Let us speak out against repression so that everyone can be heard.

Amnesty International, Durban Group, together with The Centre for Communication, Media and Society (UKZN) and The UNESCO Chair in Communication for South Africa, invite you to a seminar to examine the proposed Secrecy Bill in relation to international best practice. Guest speakers Prof Anton Harber (Wits school of Journalism) and Prof Ruth Teer-Tomaselli (UKZN, UNESCO Chair) will lead the discussion.
This event is also endorsed by the Centre for Civil Society (UKZN), Right2 Know, South African Communication Association (SACOMM), SOS Save Our Public Broadcasting and Media and Cultural Studies (Pietermaitzburg Campus).

Date: Thursday 15 September 2011
Venue: Conference Room (Lower Ground), EG Malherbe Library,
Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.
Time: 12h00 – 14h00. Refreshments will follow at 14h00.
RSVP : Lesley Frescura
galefra@mweb.co.za
083 231 3408
Ausie Luthuli
031 260 2505
Luthulia@ukzn.ac.za

Climate injustice and the role of the World Bank 7pm, September 5th

At the UN COP17 climate summit in Durban, South Africa in December, the World Bank will be pushing for control of climate funds, with the support of the UK government. Come and hear from Patrick Bond from the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, who with Climate Justice Now! will help host an alternative to what they call the Conference of Polluters. Patrick will review the sorded history of the World Bank in South Africa, including last year's $3.75 billion loan for the world's fourth largest coal-fired power plant. This will also be an opportunity to talk about ideas for resisting the UK's support of the World Bank as the institution responsible for climate finance.

Patrick Bond teaches political economy and eco-social policy, directs the Centre for Civil Society and is involved in research with social and labour movements on economic justice, climate, energy and water. His forthcoming book is 'The Politics of Climate Justice: Paralysis above, movement below.'

Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Where: World Development Movement's office, 66 Offley Road, London, SW9 0LS

Tel: 020 7820 4900

Please RSVP to climatedebt@wdm.org.uk so we can get an idea of numbers.
www.wdm.org.uk

Climate Justice Protest at the US Consulate, 31 August

Join us at the US Consulate in central Durban for a picket, 4-5pm 31 August

at the USA’s Durban Consulate – 303 Pixley Kaseme St (West St) – for a peaceful sidewalk picket: Wednesday, 31 August, 4- 5pm

The Obama Administration is still waging Bush-era oil wars in the Middle East and North Africa.

It is promoting deep-sea oil drilling in spite of BP’s Gulf spill, as well as filthy gas fracking and nuclear energy.

It refuses to make substantive emissions cut commitments.

In multilateral climate talks, at the Copenhagen 2009 COP15 it “blew up the UN” (Bill McKibbon, 350.org), and at the 2010 COP16 in Cancun, promoted carbon trading and let the World Bank run climate finance.

To get its way, WikiLeaks disclosures of US State Department cables prove it resorts to bribery and bullying.

For the December 2011 COP17 at the Durban ICC, top US State Dep’t negotiator Todd Stern is refusing to save the Kyoto Protocol’s binding emissions cuts and allow a new post-2012 commitment round.

Durban will be known as the place Kyoto -- and prospects for a stable climate -- died.

Stern has promised there will be no overall climate deal in Durban! Stern is also reneging on US promises in Copenhagen for a $100 billion Green Climate Fund. He rejects the very idea of paying the US climate debt to Africa, and is passing the buck to for-profit financial markets.

Hundreds of US citizens and Canadians arrested at the White House oppose import of filthy Tar Sands oil. They have a chance to win if we show solidarity!

issued by Durban Climate Justice activists at SDCEA, CCS and groundWork, and individuals associated with Climate Justice Now!-KZN (083 425 1401)

Durban activists picket against US tar sand pipeline
Slindile Maluleka 31 August 2011

Durban environmental activists Patrick Bond, left, and Shepard Zvavanhu, both from the Centre for Civil Society, were part of a protest against the tar sand oil pipeline proposed to run from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The protest took place outside the US consulate in Dr Pixely ka Seme (West) Street yesterday afternoon.

THE Durban CBD was the unlikely venue for a protest against creating a tar sand pipeline from Canada to the US.

Twelve environmental activitists, including Patrick Bond of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Civil Society, picketed yesterday during rush hour outside the US consulate in the Old Mutual Building on Dr Pixely ka Seme (West) Street.

The activists, who carried placards bearing messages like “USA – say no to pipe Canada. Leave the tar in the sand”, also voiced their disquiet over the international climate change conference in Durban later this year.

The picket against the proposed tar sand oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico was part of a bigger international protest against the pipeline, which US President Barack Obama is expected to rule on.

Environmental activist Mary Galvin said mining oil from tar sands was disruptive to the environment.

She said it impacted on global climate change.

“It would cause pollution and waste energy.

Tar sand oil is very crude. If the pipe leaks it could affect the health of people living in those areas, contaminate water, affect the wetlands and grain supply.

“Tar sands are so difficult and use intensive water and energy to extract oil,” she said.

This picket is part of a build up to the Conference of the Parties (COP17) conference, scheduled to take place in Durban in November and will address issues of climate change.

“This is where leaders from different countries would have to take decisions that would affect people globally,” said Galvin, who wore a mask resembling Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of the state.

Bond described the tar sand oil as the “most polluting kind of energy”.

“When dug up, it could even cause an erosion,” he said.

Shepard Zvavanhu, also of the Centre for Civil Society, said climate change was causing the planet to deteriorate.

“If the sea continues to rise, people are going to leave their countries. We are going to climate migrate,” he said.

Alex Todd, a Canadian graduate doing his internship at the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, said:

“The same people who are doing this will be the ones who will come to Durban for COP17 and convince us they are trying to make a difference when it comes to climate change.”
slindile.maluleka@inl.co.za
www.iol.co.za

Pictures

Patrick Bond on climate finance to SADC parliamentarians, Johannesburg, 25 August

What climate justice means for Southern Africa
And how it applies to climate debt, carbon trading and public finance
by Patrick Bond
director of the University of KwaZulu-Natal Centre for Civil Society, Durban
presented to the SADC Association of Parliamentary Budget Committees
Johannesburg, 24 – 27 August, 2011

DRAFT FRAMEWORK/AGENDA FOR 2011 1st QUARTER MEETING OF THE SADC ASSOCIATION OF PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET COMMITTEES

HARARE: 24th – 27th August, 2011

VENUE: Holiday Inn, Rosebank, Johannesburg, SA,

24 AUGUST, 2011: ARRIVAL OF DELEGATES
18:15 hrs – 19:30 hrs: Closed Door meeting of the SADC Association of Parliamentary Budget Committees

DAY 1: 25 AUGUST, 2011

08:15 – 8: 30 am: REGISTRATION OF DELEGATES
08:30 – 08:40 am Welcome and Introductions - OSISA
08:40 – 08:50 am Remarks – John Makamure Executive Director, Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST), Executive Secretary, SADCAPBC.
08:50 – 09:20 am Climate Change and Governance in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities – Masego Madwamuse, (OSISA)
09:20 – 09:50 am Climate Justice for Southern Africa – Patrick Bond, CSC
09:50 – 10.20 am Climate Finance – Dr. Webster Whende, ONEWORLD
10: 20 – 10: 40 am PLENARY SESSION: CHAIRING, Rongai
Chizema, SAPST
10:40–10:55 am: TEA BREAK
10:55 – 11:25 am Poverty and Inequality Study – Findings on SADC
Regional Study done by OSISA: - Isobel Frye,
Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII)
11:25 – 12:10 pm OPEN DISCUSSION: Interactive Session:
Chairing, Hon. S. T. Khama (MP), Chairman,
Budgets and Estimates Committee, National
Assembly of Botswana
MPs respond to findings and share experiences on
Poverty Economics: South Africa, Namibia,
Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Malawi,
Botswana, and Angola
12.10 – 12.40 pm Green Jobs – A response to Climate Change
Challenge Facing Southern Africa - Rehana Dada,
Alternative Information and Development
Centre
12:40 – 13: 00pm PLENARY SESSION: CHAIRPERSON, Rongai
Chizema, SAPST
13: 00 – 14:00 hrs Lunch
14:00 – 14:30 hrs Natural Resource Extraction and Accountability
Framework: Regional Experiences: Claude
Kabemba - SAWR
14:30 – 14: 45 hrs Natural Resources Extraction Accountability
Framework: Zimbabwe’s Experiences: (Hon E.
Chininga - Chairman, Mines Portfolio Committee),
14:45 – 15:00 hrs Natural Resources Extraction Accountability
Framework: Angola’s Experiences: (Hon. Diogenes
do Espirito Oliviera (MP), (President of Committee
of Economy and Finance).
15:00 – 15:30 hrs PLENARY SESSION: CHAIRING, Rongai
Chizema, SAPST
15:30 – 15:45 hrs TEA - BREAK
15: 45 – 16: 30 hrs OPEN SESSION: CHAIRING: DR. WHANDE
Mapping Common Ground on Climate Economics
and Extractive Natural Resources Management for
Sustainability- MPs/ CSOs/ Academia
1700hrs END OF DAY’S BUSINESS

DAY 2: 26 AUGUST, 2011
Focus: Budgetary policy, and poverty alleviation

8:30 – 09;00 am Re – capping on Day 1 Proceedings: Hon. R.
Joomah (MP), Chairman Budget Committee,
Parliament of Malawi
09:00 – 09:30 am CHAIRING: Masego Madzwamuse, OSISA
Mainstreaming Climate Change Issues in
Budgeting: The Experiences of SADC National
Budget processes: MPs - Malawi, Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana,
and Angola –
09:30 – 10:15 am Budget Tracking and Monitoring as Tools for
Social Accountability: IDASA/ Nancy Dubosse
10:15 - 10: 45 OPEN DISCUSSION: APPLICATION OF TOOLS IN SADC BUDGET PARLIAMENTS –
All MPs to share experiences on budgetary analysis
tools in their Parliaments: Facilitator: Rongai Chizema,
SAPST
10:15 – 10:45 am Tea Break
10:45 – 11:30 am Mainstreaming Gender in Budgeting, With special
focus on the SADC Region: Policy Options for
Regional parliaments: Ms. Naome , Chimbetete,
ZWRCN
12: 15 – 12: 45 pm OPEN DISCUSSION: SADC Budget Committees
to share their experiences on this subject. Hon. P.
Zhanda (MP), Chairman of the SADCAPBC.
12:45 - 13: 00 CLOSING REMARKS: SADCAPBC, OSISA,
SPAST
13:00 – 14:00 hrs Lunch Break
14: 15 – 16:00 HRS Closed Door meeting of the SADC Association of
Parliamentary Budget Committees
16: 00 – 16:15 Hrs: TEA BREAK
16: 15: DAY ENDS

PROFILE FOR SADC ASSOCIATION OF PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET
COMMITTEES (SADCAPBC) MEETING IN JOHANNESBURG, SA: 24 – 27
AUGUST, 2011

1. Background
The SADC Association of Parliamentary Budget Committees (SADCAPBC) is a regional platform that affords Chairpersons of Budget and Finance Committees an opportunity to network, share knowledge and best practices on parliamentary budget oversight. The project also avails regional budget committees the opportunity to access capacity building from the academia and civic society on cross cutting public finance and economic development subjects. The project, which started off in 2010, presently has the following members: Zimbabwe [Interim Chair), Zambia, South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola, Malawi and Botswana. The Association meets quarterly, with the next meeting scheduled for the period 24 – 27th August, 2011 in South Africa.

2. Objective of Meeting
The meeting is focused on transferring knowledge to Chairpersons of SADC Parliamentary Budget Committees on topical issues in development economics. This will be delivered through a two day working interactive Session that will allow the MPs to interface with Civil Society Organizations, and think tanks in economic governance. The Sessions will cover the following topical subjects:-
a) Natural Resource Extraction and Accountability Framework”.
b) Climate Change and Climate Finance.
c) Status of Poverty and Inequality in the SADC region – Launch of the book titled: Tearing us Apart – Inequalities in Southern Africa.
d) Tools for budget monitoring Analysis as well as Gender Budgeting.
3. Outcome

This capacity building initiative fosters to upgrade the capacity of regional Budget Committee accountability and transparency in natural resource exploitation, poverty dynamics, whilst at the same time enhancing their understanding of climate change and climate finance, as well as how these could be mainstreamed into national budgeting in the SADC Region.

SADC Association of Parliamentary Budget Committee (SADCPBC) 28 July, 2011

Shauna Mottiar at the ISTR African Civil Society Research Network conference, 24 August

Social Protest in South Africa
Shauna Mottiar and Patrick Bond, Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract
Social protests in South Africa are frequent: an average of more than 8000 ‘Gatherings Act’ incidents per year since the mid-2000s, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS). This rate is one of the highest in the world, per person. But much more detail is required about the grievances behind what are sometimes termed ‘service delivery protests.’ Using the Centre for Civil Society’s Social Protest Observatory, which relies mainly upon media accounts and hence can be considered a limited (and biased) sample, this paper attempts to highlight trends regarding reasons for protest, methods of protest, and the profile of protesters and their numbers. Durban is not typical, but a reflection of media reporting is illustrative. The paper also seeks to understand South African unrest in the light of studies conducted in Latin America and India regarding cultural traditions and repertoires of local-level protest.

Patrick Bond addresses metalworker shopstewards, Durban, 22 August

Labour’s climate alliances with communities and environmentalists: What will happen at the COP17?

Patrick Bond University of KwaZulu‑Natal
School of Development Studies and Centre for Civil Society, Durban presented to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa Durban shopstewards workshop, 22 August 2011

Patrick Bond on climate at the Johannesburg Book Fair, 8 August

Jozi Book Fair: Mother Earth on the brink? ‑ Economy, society and the challenge of climate change
Panelists: Patrick Bond; tbc
Date and Time: Monday 8th Aug, 1400‑1500
Venue: Museum Africa

The coming meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) in Durban later this year, and the sometimes sharp shifts in climatic conditions in various parts of the world, including South Africa, has cast the spotlight on
what is probably the most important challenge facing humanity for the next century: climate change. This discussion will explore the debate on climate change, and its intersection with nature of 21st century capitalism and its
models of economy development, society and culture. The panellists will engage on the prospects for success in Durban later this year, and on the implications of failure for the poor all over the world.

The Jozi Book Fair programme 2011
The Jozi Book Fair programme 2011 (Table)

Patrick Bond on the 'green economy' at New Global Hegemonies conference 21-22 July

The International Financial System and the Need for a New International Financial Architecture
(Slide Show for paper)
by Patrick Bond
Senior Professor of Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
Presented to the Instituto de Altos Estudios Nacionales, Quito July 2011

Click to enlarge

Patrick Bond on climate and Just Transition at the NUMSA Climate Change Conference 18 July

Patrick's presentation to the Panel Discussion on National Climate Change Response Green Paper

Object of the Workshop
The Workshop serves to build and strengthen the capacity of our Union leadership to engage on matters related to Climate Change and to help the Union consolidate its position as the deadline for COP17 draws closer.

NUMSA believes that your input will assist our leadership to grapple with some of the issues on climate change that are beginning to emerge globally and we would appreciate a positive response to our invitation.

Venue NUMSA Vincent Mabuyakhulu Conference Centre
Cnr. Bree and Becker Street
Newtown
Johannesburg

NUMSA CENTRAL COMMITTEE WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE 16-18 JULY 2011 VMCC JOHANNESBURG

NUMSA CENTRAL COMMITTEE WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE 16-18 JULY 2011 VMCC
JOHANNESBURG

Draft Programme

Day One: 16 July 2011
09h00 – 09h30 Welcome and Introduction Woody / Dinga
09h30 – 11h00 What is Climate Change? The Science: Understanding the basics
* Questions and Discussions
Energy Research Centre (UCT)
To confirm! Bruce Hewitson
11h00 – 11h15 TEA
11h15 – 13h00 Climate Change – Impact and cost of inaction
* Questions and Discussions
Energy Research Centre (UCT) To confirm!
Sebataolo Rahlao: ERC
13h00 – 14h00 LUNCH
14h00 – 15h30International Negotiations UNFCC/COP17/ up to Cancun
* Questions and Discussions
Energy Research Centre (UCT)
To confirm! Harald Winkler: ERC
15h30 – 15h45 TEA
15h45 – 17h00 Issues and agenda for cop17
* Questions and Discussions
Energy Research Centre (UCT)
To confirm! Harald Winkler: ERC

Day Two: 17 July 2011
09h00-10h30 Long Term Mitigation Scenarios (LTMS) –
Introduce the idea of Business as Usual (BAU)
* Questions and Discussions
Energy Research Centre (UCT) Andrew
Marquard
10h30 – 10h45 TEA
10h45 – 12h30 Climate change and policy processes in South Africa: initiatives and our current status?
* Questions and Discussions
Hilton Trollip
12h30 – 13h30 LUNCH
13h30 – 14h30 Reading circles on Green paper Woody / Dinga
14h30 – 14h45 TEA
14h45– 16h00 Report Back
Woody / Dinga

Day Three: 18 July 2011
09h00 – 10h30 Panel Discussion on National Climate Change Response Green Paper
SA Government (Dept. of Water and Environmental Affairs)
Patrick Bond (UKZN – CCS)
NOB Moderator (NOB to Chair)
10h30 – 10h45 TEA
10h45 – 12h30 Panel Discussion on South African Negotiations position for COP17 SA Government
Discussants
US Trade Unionists &
Kolya Abrahamsky
12h30 – 13h30 LUNCH
13h30 – 14h30 Group Work: Developing a NUMSA framework on Climate Change and COP17
Kolya A / Dinga S / Woody A
14h30 – 14h45 TEA
14h45 – 16h00 Report Back
Kolya A / Dinga S / Woody A
16h00 Closure NOB

Patrick Bond on SA political economy at Renmin Univ (China) conference 11 July

South African political economy: Main trends, then and now
By Patrick Bond

Conference of Comparative Studies on Sustainable Development in Developing
Countries cum The Emerging Seven Seminar
The Renmin University of China,July, 2011

July 9
Session 1 Opening Ceremony and Keynote Address
08:30-10:00 Moderator: Professor Kong Xiang-zhi, Renmin University of China
1. Speech by Mr. Yin Cheng-jie, The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China
2. Keynote Address:
(1) Professor Wen Tie-jun, Dean, School of Agronomics & Rural
Development; Executive Director, Institute of Advanced Studies for Sustainability, Renmin University of China
(2) Professor Arthur Lerner-Lam, Acting Director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of the Earth Institute, Colombia University, USA
10:00-10:10 Coffee Break

Session 2 Sustainable Development of Rural Enterprises
10:15-12:00 Moderator: Professor Zhang Li-xiang, Renmin University of China
1. Professor Xin Xian, China Agricultural University
2. Professor Zheng Feng-tian, Renmin University of China
3. Professor Qin Fu, The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
4. Professor Liu Xiao-ou, Renmin University of China
12:00-14:00 Lunch

Session 3 Sustainable Development of Village Community
14:00-16:00 Moderator: Professor Zhang Xiao-shan, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
1. Professor Philip C. Huang, UCLA, USA
2. Professor Wang San-gui, Renmin University of China
3. Prof. He Hui-li, China Agricultural University
4. Prof. Tong Zhi-hui, Renmin university of China
16:00-16:10 Coffee Break

Session 4 Sustainable Development of Peasants and Peasants Cooperatives
16:10-17:30 Moderator: Professor Kong Xiang-zhi, Renmin University of China
1. Professor Scott Rozelle, Stanford University, USA
2. Professor Yuan Peng, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
3. Professor Jean-Louis Arcand, Post Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland
4. Professor Yang Ya-ru, Hebei University
19:00-21:00 Dinner

July 10
Session 5 Labor and Sustainable Development
8:30-10:30 Moderator: Dr. Zhu Xin-kai, Renmin University of China
1. Professor Richard Freeman, Harvard University, USA
2. Professor Jack Hou, California State University, Long Beach, USA
3. Dr. Chen Chuan-bo, Renmin University of China
10:30-10:45 Coffee Break

Session 6 Environment and Sustainable Development
10:45-12:45 Moderator: Professor Liu Jin-long, Renmin University of China
1. Mr. Xia Guang, Researcher, Department of Environment Conservation
2. Professor John Mutter, Department of Earth and Environmental
Sciences and Department of International and Public Affairs,
John Mutter Professor, Colombia University, USA
3. Dr. Stephen A. Hammer, Director of the Urban Energy Project,
Columbia University's Center for Energy, Marine Transportation
and Public Policy, USA
4. Prof. Tan Shu-hao, Renmin University of China
12:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-18:00 Optional Field Trip to the Little Donkey Farm (Community-Supported Agriculture)
18:00 Dinner with organic vegetables from the Little Donkey Farm

Session 7 Urbanization and Sustainable Development
14:00-16:30 Moderator: Professor Zhou Li, Renmin University of China
1. Professor Elliot Sclar, Columbia University, USA
2. Professor Ye Yu-min, Renmin University of China
16:30-16:45 Coffee Break

Session 8 Plenary Conclusion
Professor Kong Xiang-zhi, Renmin University of China
19:00-21:00 Dinner

July 11 E7 Seminar
Session 9
09:00 - 10:30 Chance and Challenge of Emerging Latin American Countries
Moderator: Dr. Lau Kin-chi, Associate Professor, Lingnan University,
Hong Kong
1. Professor Paulo Nakatani, Federal University of Espírito Santo,
Brazil
2. Mr. Ernesto Revello, Strategic Planning Office, PDVSA, Venezuela
10:30- 11:00 Coffee Break
Session 10
11:00- 12:30 Sino-Indian Comparison: A Tale of Two Nations
Moderator: Professor Wen Tie-jun, Renmin University of China
1. Dr Dong Xiao-dan, Renmin University of China
2. Mr. T. Gangadharan, BGVS, India
12:30- 14:00 Lunch

Session 11
b14:00- 6:15 From Istanbul via Cape of Good Hope to Jakarta: Toward A
Transcontinental Integration
Moderator: Dr Erebus Wong, ARENA, Hong Kong
1. Professor Suahasil Nazara , University of Indonesia, Indonesia
2. Professor Galip Yalman, Middle East Technical University, Turkey
3. Dr. Sermin Sarica, Istanbul University, Turkey
4. Ms. Khadija Sharife, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
16:15- 6:45 Coffee Break

Session 12
16:45- 8:30 Round Table Discussion
Moderator: Professor Zhou Li, Renmin University of China
18:30- 19:00 Conclusion
Moderator: Professor Wen Tie-jun, Renmin University of China
19:00- 21:00 Dinner

July 12-14 E7 Field Trip: Shanxi Yong Ji Peasants Association

July 12 Morning Express Train Beijing-Taiyuan
Afternoon: Sight-seeing: Jiao Family Housing Complexes Pingyao Ancient City (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Dinner and Lodging in Pingyao City

July 13 Field Trip to Huo Jiao Gou Village

July 14 Village Sit-visiting
Informal Discussion with Yong Ji Peasants Association
Afternoon: Sight-seeing in Yun Cheng
Evening Return to Beijing by plane

July 15 End of E7 Workshop. Researchers Depart.

Patrick Bond on climate and justice at UKZN Peace Studies conference, 9 July

Date: 8 – 10 July, 2011
Venue: Principal’s Dining Room, Rick Turner Student Union Building, Howard College Campus
Times:
Friday 8 July 10:00 – 18:00, 19:00 – 20:30 evening programme
Saturday 9 July 09:00 – 18:00, 19:00 – 20:30 evening programme
Sunday 10 July 09:00 – 12:00

The University community is cordially invited to attend a Conference on Peace-building. It is co-sponsored by the Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies Programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Southern Africa. The Conference is in the form of a symposium with ample time for discussion.

The Conference will consider some of the following questions:
• What efforts have been made to institutionalise peace as compared to those made to prevent war?
• Where should peace institutions be located?
• How should they be structured or what nature should they assume and who should run them?
• What are the processes involved?
• What should be their goals?

Presenters include university staff, guest speakers, and graduate students in the Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies Programme.

Registration begins at 09:30, Friday morning. Booking is essential for catering purposes. Kindly email Dr. Sylvia Kaye, kayes@ukzn.ac.za or phone ext. 3126, giving details of which day(s) you will attend the Conference.

Patrick Bond at 'Nature Inc.' conference, The Hague (via skype), 30 June

The Durban Climate Summit (Conference of the Parties 17): Climate justice versus market narratives
Paper presented by Patrick Bond

Other conference papers

Nature^™ Inc draft conference programme 30 June–2 July 2011
International Conference

Nature^™ Inc? Questioning the Market Panacea in
Environmental Policy and Conservation

30 June – 2 July 2011
ISS, The Hague, The Netherlands
Organizing committee: Bram Büscher, Murat Arsel, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Max Spoor (ISS, Erasmus University, the Netherlands), Wolfram Dressler (University of Queensland, Australia), Dan Brockington (SERG, Manchester University, UK)

Provisional programme, panels and papers

VENUE: Institute of Social Studies, Kortenaerkade 12, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Route to ISS: see http://www.iss.nl/About-ISS/Contact-directions

www.iss.nl

Patrick Bond at the International Labour Organisation industrial relations conference 28 June

Paper presented by Patrick Bond

PROGRAMME
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS ASSOCIATION (ILERA)
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA (IRASA)
SUPPORTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE (ILO)
PUBLIC SECTOR LABOUR RELATIONS SEMINAR,
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS,
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, 27 – 28 JUNE 2011

Day 1, Monday 27 June

Plenary Session 1: Chair: Judge Edwin Molahlehi

15h30 – 16h30: Registration and Tea

16h30 – 17h00: Welcome: Mr George Dragnich, Executive Director, Dialogue (ILO, Geneva)
Professor Johann Maree, Interim President (IRASA)

17h00 – 17h15: Opening: Professor Thandabantu Nhlapo, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town

17h30 – 18h30: Key note address: Impact of Global financial crisis on the public sector and development, Prof Richard Levin,
Director General Department of Economic
Development

19h00: Dinner

Day 2: Tuesday 28 June

08h00 – 08h30: Tea/Coffee

Plenary Session 2: Chair: Mr Vic van Vuuren (ILO, Pretoria)

08h30 – 09h30: Trends in public sector labour relations in international
and comparative perspective
Presenter: Prof Patrick Bond (University of KwaNatal)
Presenter: Ms Susan Hayter (ILO, Geneva)
Discussant: Dr Margaret Chitiga (HSRC, Pretoria)
Plenary Session 3: Chair: Mr Herbert Mkhize (NEDLAC)

09h30 – 11h00: Strengthening collective bargaining and Social dialogue
Presenter: Ms Sarah Christie (Institute of Development and Labour Law Associate)
Discussant 1: Prof Marius Olivier (Institute for Social Law and Policy)
Discussant 2: Mr Koos Kruger (Public Servants
Association)
Discussant 3: Mr Afzul Soobedar (CCMA)

11h00 – 11h30: Tea/Coffee
Plenary Session 4: Chair: Ms Nerine Kahn (CCMA)

11h30 – 13h30: Preventing and resolving disputes in the public sector
Presenter: Prof CliveThompson (Adjunct Professor, UCT and Cosolve, Australia)
Discussant 1: Mr John Brand (Consultant)
Discussant 2: Mr Grahame Matthewson (Essential Services Committee)

13h30 – 14h30: Lunch Break
Plenary Session 5: Chair: Mr Moussa Oumarou (Secretary, ILERA and ILO,
Geneva)

14h30 – 16h00: Labour administration, performance and public sector
reform
Presenters: Mr Tembinkosi Mkalipi, South Africa
Mrs Festina Bakwena, Botswana
Judge Rachel Sophie Sikwese, Malawi
Mr Moses Kondowe, Zambia

16h00 – 16h15: Tea/Coffee

16h15 – 17h00: Chair: Mr George Dragnich
Wrap up: Ms Sarah Christie)
(Rapporteurs’ reports and seminar outcomes)

17h00 – 17h10: Vote of thanks: Professor Evance Kalula (Director, Institute of Development and Labour law, University of Cape Town)

Patrick Bond on SA climate policy at UKZN Business School, 23 June

South African climate injustice
by Patrick Bond, director of the UKZN Centre for Civil Society presented at the UKZN School of Business, 23 June 2011

Conference Programme

DIRECTOR OF PROCEDURES Mr. Njabulo Buthelezi - SIFE UKZN Alumni

Mr. P Ndaba SIFE
Welcome: 17h00

Prof. Patrick Bond
Social (commonly referred to as ‘People’) : 17h05

ENVIRONMENT VIDEO INTERLUDE: 17:20

Prof. Nelson Ijumba- UKZN DVC of Research
Environmental (commonly referred to as ‘Planet’) : 17h30

ENVIRONMENT VIDEO INTERLUDE: 17:50

Mr. Nathaniel Mabetwa:Mabetwa-SARS Group Executive for Branch Operation
Profit (commonly referred to as ‘Economic’): 18h00

SIFE VIDEO INTERLUDE:18h20
Miss. Qhelile Nyathi: SIFE-UKZN
Vote of thanks : 18h30

REFRESHMENTS NETWORKING

“Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but
we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.”
Rupert Murdoch

Simphiwe Nojiyeza with Mary Galvin on sanitation at SDS seminar, 20 June

University of KwaZulu‑Natal School of Development Studies

Workshop: “'Black People want to Experience the Flush': Expectations and
experiences of Urine Diversion Toilets in eThekwini”
Speakers: Simphiwe Nojiyeza and Mary Galvin
Date: Monday, 20 June 2011
Time: 8:30‑10am

The eThekwini municipality provided over a half million residents with
an innovative, environmentally sensitive type of sanitation called Urine
Diversion toilets. Yet these “UD” toilets are arguably as contentious as
those behind the Cape Toilet Wars. Until now the debate between
eThekwini and its critics have been based largely on anecdotal evidence,
or on studies commissioned by an interested party. Through Umphilo
waManzi, Nojiyeza, Galvin, and Khumalo undertook a broad based study to
move past allegations of findings based on exceptional cases. In this
seminar, they will draw on their findings to highlight the widespread,
“quiet” resistance to UDs and will raise critical questions about what
these toilets tell us about the governance of eThekwini.

Galvin directs Umphilo waManzi; Nojiyeza and Khumalo are Umphilo
associates and PhD student at SDS/CCS and CCS community scholar
respectively.

Simphiwe Nojiyeza and Geasphere debate water and climate at Alliance Francaise, 9 June

9am, at Alliance Francaise, Durban

Free Entrance

The Alliance Française in partnership with GeaSphere are proud to host
the first seminar of The GeaSphere KZN Water Debate Series, the topic
for the seminar is Water and Climate Change ‑ Raising the Bar on the
Climate Change Debate. Presenters: Simphwie Nojiyeza (CSOs) and Neil
Macleod (eThekwini Water Services Municipality)

Patrick Bond at Univ of Georgia Antipode Institute for Geographies of Justice, Athens, 30-31 May

3rd Institute for Geographies of Justice. Mon, May 30th – Fri, June 3rd. All sessions to be held in Geography-Geology Room 300A floor 3.

Draft programme

Sunday 29 May
5:30 onwards Welcome Reception at Geography’s Back Porch

Monday 30 May
8:30 - 9:00Light brekkies (bagel’s, fruit, coffee, tea, etc.)
9:00- 10:30 Who am I? How we all got here. (Nik Heynen; everybody)
10:30 - 10:45 Coffee
10:45 - 12:15 The meaning and purpose of ‘radical’ scholarship and teaching.
(Ståle Holgersen; Tessza Udvarhelyi; Ilona Moore; Patrick Bond)
12:15 - 12:45 Lunch
PLENARY Laura Pulido,
“Toward Popular Geographies: A People's Guide to LA”
2:45 - 3:00 Coffee
3:00 - 4:30 Models of Radical Engagement Broadly/Models of Activist-Scholarship Specifically
(Brett Story; Mia Charlene White; Laura Pulido )
5:30 onwards Post Institute warm-down in local pub (Little Kings Shuffle Club, 223 W Hancock St)

Tuesday 31 May
8:30 - 9:00 Light brekkies (bagel’s, fruit, coffee, tea, etc.)
9:00 - 10:30 Doing public geography and making scholarship public. (Emma Gaalaas Mullaney; Teo Ballve; Heather McLean; Patrick Bond)
10:30 - 10:45 Coffee
10;45 - 12:15The Athens Urban Food Collective (AUFC): An Experiment in Radical Geography (George Boggs, Nik Heynen)
12:15 - 1:45 Lunch
1:45 - 2:45 PLENARY
Patrick Bond, “Climate Justice and the Politics of Scale”
2:45 - 3:00 Coffee
3:00 - 4:30 Family matters: Balancing career and family--life beyond the academy. (Manuel Lutz; Katie Mazer; Christian Anderson; Laura Pulido)
5:30 onwards Post Institute warm-down in local pub (Little Kings Shuffle Club, 223 W Hancock St)

Wednesday 1 June
8:30 - 9:00 Light brekkies (bagel’s, fruit, coffee, tea, etc.)
9:00 - 10:30 Publishing radical geography. (Jim Thatcher; Rachel Brahinsky; David Hugill: Wendy Larner; Derek Krissoff)
10:30 - 10:45 Coffee
10:45 - 12:15 Working with social movements - scholarship for social change. (Shiri Pasternak; Stevie Larson; Ingrid M. Butler; Katerina Nasioka; Wendy Wolford)
12:15 - 1:45 Lunch
1:45 - 2:45 PLENARY Wendy Larner
“The Geographies of Crisis”
2:45 - 3:00 Coffee
3:00 - 4:30 PLENARY Vinay Gidwani, “The Right to Waste: Law, Need Economies, and Struggles for Justice in Urban India.” (formal day will end at 4:00)
Post Institute warm-down in local pub (Little Kings Shuffle Club, 223 W Hancock St)
6:00: Reception at Geography’s Back Porch (with live Music from the High Strung String Band).

Patrick Bond on climate politics at Korean conference, Jinju, 27 May

Politics of Climate Justice Paralysis Above, Movement Below
Paper to be presented by Patrick Bond

Program

Registration 9:30 - 10:00
Opening Remarks 10:00 - 10:30
Jeong Seong-jin (Director, ISS)

Session 1 - Globalization, Financialization and Accumulation Dynamics in Korea 10:30 - 12:30
Presider: Heike Hermanns (GNU, Korea) 10:30 - 11:30
1. Martin Hart-Landsberg (Lewis and Clark College, USA)
“Capitalism, the US-Korea FTA and Resistance”
Discussant: Lee Jeong-koo (GNU, Korea) 11:30 - 12:30
2. Seo Bongman (Hitotsubashi University, Japan)
Variegated Financialization and Accumulation Dynamics of Korea
Discussant: Kim Chang-keun(GNU, Korea)

Lunch: 12:30 - 14:00

Session 2 - Globalization, Multinational Corporations and Food- Environmental Crises 14:00 - 18:00
Presider: Baek Jwa-heum (GNU, Korea) 14:00 - 15:00
1. Jang Sang-hwan (GNU, Korea)
Globalization and Food Crisis
Discussant: Jung Won-gak (iCOOP Cooperative Institute) 15:00 - 16:00
2. Patrick Bond (University of KwaZuku-Natal, South Africa)
Globalization, Capitalist Crisis and Climate Change: Class and Environmental Struggle
Discussant: Lee Jung-pil (Energy and Climate Policy Institute 16:00 - 16:30

Break: 16:30 - 18:00

3. Fukuda Yasuo (Hitotsubashi University, Japan)
Corporate Globalization: How Multinational Corporation Govern the World and Communities Loose Sovereignty?
Discussant: Chang Si-bok (Mokpo National University, Korea)

Conference Program in English & Korean

PERSPECTIVES ON ZIMBABWE SEMINAR 25 MAY

VENUE: UKZN (Howard College Campus) Durban, South Africa
DATE: 25 MAY, 2011;
TIME: 1700HRS - 18:55HRS

1700HRS CONUNDRUM OF THE DIASPORA VOTE:
GABRIEL SHUMBA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ZIMBABWE EXILES FORUM [10 MINUTES]

17:30HRS REFLECTIONS ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM PROCESS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE DIASPORA:
MUNJODZI MUTANDIRI, REGIONAL CO-ORDINATOR, NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY [10 MINUTES]

17:40HRS AFRICA'S ROLE IN RESOLVING THE ZIMBABWEAN CRISIS:
ANNA MOYO, HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER [10 MINUTES]

17:50HRS ELECTIONS: THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN PROMOTING PEACE:
NORA TAPIWA. CO-ORDINATOR, GLOBAL ZIMBABWE FORUM [10 MINUTES]

18:00HRS REFLECTIONS ON SADC'S ROLE IN THE ZIMBABWE PEACE PROCESS: DEWA MAVHINGA, REGIONAL CO-ORDINATOR, CRISIS IN ZIMBABWE COALITION [10 MINUTES]

18:10HRS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS [45 MINUTES]

CLOSING REMARKS: CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY [5 MINUTES]

18:55HRS REFRESHMENTS

Patrick Bond on dangers of a neoliberal Palestine, at TIDA-Gaza, Gaza City, 19 May

Palestine’s looming socio-economic danger: From Washington politics to the Washington Consensus
Paper presented to TIDA-Gaza, 19 May 2011, Gaza City by Patrick Bond

www.tidagaza.org

Patrick Bond at City Univ of NY conference on precarious labour and socialism, 13 May

Power Point presentation from conference

Uneven and combined Marxism within South Africa’s urban social movements: Trancending precarity in community, labour and environmental struggles.
Paper presented at conference by Patrick Bond, Ashwin Desai, Trevor Ngwane

Beyond Precarious Labor: Rethinking Socialist Strategies

A conference sponsored by the Center for Place, Culture and Politics & The Socialist Register

CO-SPONSORED BY THE COMMITTEE ON GLOBALIZATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE

May 12th and 13th, 2011 CUNY Graduate Center 365 Fifth Avenue @ 34th Street
Free and open to the public; no registration required.

THURSDAY, MAY 12

12.30 in the Segal Theatre
Opening Remarks by David Harvey, Director, The Center for Place, Culture and Politics

1-3 pm LABOR IN THE CITY in the Segal Theatre

Joshua Freeman Author of Working-Class New York: Life and Labor since World War II and Audacious Democracy: Labor, Intellectuals, and the Social Renewal of America (co-editor with Steve Fraser); Professor of History, Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center

John Krinsky Author of Free Labor: Workfare and the Contested Language of Neoliberalism; Professor of Political Science, City College

Saru Jayaraman, Restaurant Opportunities Center

Moderated by David Harvey

3.30 - 5.30 pm LABOR IN THE TRANSNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE in the Segal Theatre

Hilary Wainwright Research Director of the New Politics Project of the Transnational Institute, Amsterdam; Co-editor of Red Pepper

Dan Gallin Chair of the Global Labour Institute, Geneva

Jamie McCallum Doctoral Candidate in Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center

Valerie Francisco Doctoral Candidate in Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center

6-8 pm PRECARIOUS WORK in the Recital Hall

John Saul Author of Development after Globalization: Theory and Practice for the Embattled South in a New Imperial Age; Professor Emeritus of Politics, York University, Toronto

Erica Smiley , Jobs with Justice

Ashim Roy , General Secretary, New Trade Union Initiative, India

FRIDAY, MAY 13

All panels on May 13th are in the Proshansky Auditorium

10am -12 pm IN AND OUT OF THE CRISIS

Leo Panitch, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, York University, Toronto;
Editor, The Socialist Register

Michael Spourdolakis Professor of Political Science, University of Athens; Corresponding Editor, The Socialist Register

Hilary Wainwright Research Director of the New Politics Project of the Transnational Institute, Amsterdam; Co-editor of Red Pepper

Barbara Young National Domestic Workers Alliance

Lunch break

2 pm -4 pm LABOR IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Sam Gindin Author (with Greg Albo and Leo Panitch ) of In and Out of Crisis: The Global Financial Mledown and Left Alternatives
Former Research Director Canadian Autoworkers Union; Packer Chair in Social Justice, York University

Adolph Reed Author of Without Justice for All: The New Liberalism and Our Retreat from Racial Equality; Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

Ruth Milkman, Associate Director, The Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies; Professor of Sociology, the Graduate Center

Saket Soni, National Guestworkers' Alliance

4.30 - 6.30 SOCIALIST STRATEGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Patrick Bond Professor and Director of the Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Barbara Epstein Chair, the History of Consciousness Department, University of California in Santa Cruz

Greg Albo Co-editor, The Socialist Register; Professor of Political Science, York University, Toronto

Maliha Safri Associate Editor, Rethinking Marxism; Professor of Economics, Drew University

David Harvey (moderator)

Reception 6.30 - 8 pm

Patrick Bond on environmental justice at Autonomous University of Barcelona, 28 April

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS, LIABILITIES AND TRADE
Public event April 28th 2011, CASA DEL MAR c/Albareda 1--3 (Drassanes)

6 pm 1st panel: Fighting for Environmental and Climate Justice in the Courts and keeping Oil in the Soil
This panel will examine the court cases against Shell in the Netherland and Chevron--Texaco in Ecuador.

Also some of the battles being waged by EJOs over initiatives to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

Moderated by J Martinez Alier (ICTA UAB)
Speakers

Nnimmo Bassey (ERA,Nigeria) 15 min.

Ivonne Yanez (Acción Ecológica, Ecuador) 15 min.

Mauricio Lazala (Business & Human
Rights, UK) 5 min.

Antoni Pigrau (URV, Tarragona) 5 min.

Procurator Antonio Gomez 10 min.
(Argentina) (tbc)

Patrick Bond (CCS, Durban) 10 min.

7.15 pm Questions from the audience and Press interviews
(15 min.)

7.55 pm 2nd Panel: Conflicts in the “green
economy”
The nuclear “renaissance” and the agro--fuel delusion The transition to a post--fossil fuels economy that global warming calls for is not without its drawbacks.

Despite the hubris about the “green economy” this panel talks about new conflicts being sparked precisely due to the greening of the economy and the emphasis on reducing carbon emissions but often overlooking other impacts. EJO panelists will speak about these new conflicts, from land--grabbing for Jatropha & sugarcane agro--fuels in Africa and Latin America, to the toxic uranium cycle and nuclear dangers.

Moderated by Leah Temper (ICTA UAB)
Speakers

Bruno Chayeron (CRIIRAD, France) 15min.
Hilma

S. Mote (Namibia) 10min

Henk Hobbelink (GRAIN, Barcelona) 10min.

Winnie Overbeek (WRM, Uruguay) 10min.

Marcelo Firpo Porto (FIOCRUZ, Rio de
Janeiro) 10min.

Questions from the audience (15 mins)
9 pm Closure

Patrick Bond at Univ of San Francisco sustainability symposium, 19 April

UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Social Justice and Sustainability Symposium
April 19, 2011 McLaren 250

9:00am Welcome and Introduction

9:15-9:55am Keynote Address
“Creation Care, Climate Change and the Role of the University, John Coleman SJ, Casassa Professor of Social Values Emeritus, Loyola Marymount University and associate pastor, St. Ignatius Church San Francisco

10:00-11:35 Panel “Climate Change and Social Justice”

“The Politics of Global Climate Change and Social Justice,” Patrick Bond, Political Economist and Director of the Centre for Civil Society in the School of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

“Climate Change Adaptation and Equity,” Alice Kaswan, University of San Francisco School of Law

“Climate Justice: Bay Area Grassroots Efforts,” Jamie Fine, Economist and Policy Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund

11:40am-1:10pm Panel “Assessment of USF’s Sustainability Practices and Potential”
Student presentations from Hank Topper’s Environmental Policy class

1:15-2:15pm Lunch and Community Discussion “Fulfilling USF’s Social Justice Mission through Sustainability”

2:30-4:15 Panel “Organizing for Sustainability and Justice on Campus and in the Community”
Student-Organized panel of campus and community leaders from around the Bay Area

Social Justice & Sustainability Symposium
The University of San Francisco's College of Arts & Sciences Sustainability Task Force, with support from the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good and University Ministry, is hosting a symposium on Social Justice and Sustainabililty. The symposium was conceived by the new Sustainability Task Force as a vehicle for engaging the College and broader University community in dialogue about the connections between issues of sustainability and environmental responsibility and USF's core value of advancing social responsibility in fulfilling the University’s mission to create, communicate and apply knowledge to a world shared by all people and held in trust for future generations. It seemed logical, according to the College's new Interim Sustainability Director, Associate Professor Steve Zavestoski, to look first at climate change, where the social disruptions that a changing climate is already bringing and will continue to bring in the future carry profound social justice implications.

The event will begin with a keynote lecture by John Coleman SJ, Casassa Professor of Social Values Emeritus, Loyola Marymount University and Associate Pastor, St. Ignatius Church San Francisco, emphasizing the roles that universities ought to play in addressing sustainability, and climate change more specifically. Rev. Coleman's remarks will be followed by a panel examining the social justice dimensions of climate change, from the global to the local. A student panel will feature the research of students in Hank Topper's Intro to Environmental Policy class. Three student groups will report their findings on the sustainability-related activities of USF student groups, what can be learned by examining sustainability initiatives at other Bay Area universities, and the possibility for USF to engage with its neighboring communities on local sustainability projects. During a zero-waste vegetarian lunch, attendees will engage in small-group discussions on how USF can best fulfill its social justice mission through sustainability. A final afternoon panel will feature local Bay Area activists discussing how their work focuses on building just sustainabilities in communities and on college campuses.
The event is free and open to the public.

Patrick Bond at the Cochabamba+1 climate justice conference, 15-17 April

Full conference programme

Cochabamba +1: Climate Justice Protocol
The second major conference calling for an alternative to the COP process convened yesterday in Montreal, with Bolivian ambassador to the UN, Pablo Solon, reigniting the flame of concensus that last year's Cancun Agreement represented a step backward in the quest for binding resolution to tackle the climate crisis.

Setting the table for next November's COP17 in Durban, South Africa, Solon called for a unified effort between developing countries and international social movements to put the heat on industrialized countries to cut their domestic emissions by 40 to 50 per cent to prevent a catastrophic increase in global warming.

Cochabamba + 1: Justice climatique et alternatives écologiques is a three-day panel discussing mobilizing against the effects of shale gas exploration and the tar sands; transitioning towards a carbon-free economy and industrial conversions; and Ecological crises and people's alternatives.

Today’s events focused on deciphering how lessons learned from Canada’s vigorous protests against fossil fuel economy can be transferred to the broader Climate Justice movement. Topics included the North/South divide on the issue of Ecological debt and how to effectively fight the false quick fix solutions of geoengineering, nuclear enegery, uranium mining and carbon currencies.

Speaking in this afternoon's plenary, Fighting Fossil Fuels: The Tar Sands In Alberta And Shale Gas in Québec, IEN's Ben Prowess depicted the fossil fuel economy as a war against mother earth.

Tomorrow’s closing plenary Multiple Networks and Convergence of Struggle: Building The Movement is a moderated ‘group think’ to ‘agitate’ the merging of the numerous networks, activists and struggles into a unified Climate Justice movement.

The conference is live-streaming (in English and French) here.

Montreal conference rallies support for rights of nature
John Riddell

April 23, 2011 – Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- Bolivia marked Earth Day (April 22) this year by formulating the Law of Mother Earth, which—when adopted—will establish 11 new rights for nature, including the right not to be polluted and the right to continue vital cycles free from human interference.

On April 20, the United Nations General Assembly debated a proposal introduced by Bolivia, with support of other South American countries, to adopt a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature. The proposed global treaty says that “Mother Earth has the right to exist, persist, and to continue the vital cycles … that sustain all human beings”.

Meanwhile, Canada’s political and media establishment have organised an election campaign in which the world’s ecological crisis is barely mentioned.

But a conference with more than 300 participants, held in Montreal April 15–17, showed that Bolivia’s bold approach to ecology is gaining increased support in Canada.

The event was jointly sponsored by Alternatives, a Quebec-based social justice organisation, and the Canadian Dimension magazine. Supporters included the Council of Canadians, Greenpeace, the Indigenous Environmental Network and major union groups: CAW, CSN, CSQ, CUPE, CUPW, FTQ and PSAC.[1]

Cochabamba one year later
Entitled “Cochabamba+1”, the conference marked the first anniversary of the April 2010 gathering in Cochabamba, Bolivia, which launched a world movement to defend the “rights of Mother Nature”.[2]

In a Skype-transmitted keynote address, Bolivia’s ambassador to the UN, Pablo Solón, told the conference that “the spirit of Cochabamba is everywhere—a global movement without which we will suffer a world catastrophe”.

“The capitalist plan is to place values on all the services that nature provides”, Solón added. All of nature could then be bought and sold. “That’s their ‘Green economy’. The Cochabamba path, by contrast, is to recognise the rights of the non-human parts of nature—to exist, reproduce and retain their interrelationships.”

The Cochabamba alternative, which rejects the capitalist framework, is easy to explain in Canada, said Judy Rebick, founding publisher of Rabble.ca. “This alternative says that there are no market solutions. That’s already understood with regard to social problems, and it applies to nature as well.”

Many speakers expressed alarm regarding the Canadian government’s open hostility to defence of the environment. “We have become the pariahs of the planet”, said Dorval Brunelle, a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).

“Canada is among the leaders in killing [the Kyoto Protocol]”, the world treaty limiting carbon emissions, commented Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow. “Under [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper, Canada is an eco-outlaw”, she added, expressing “special thanks to Bolivia” for offering an alternative.

“Bolivia must not stand alone”, Polaris Institute director Tony Clarke said. “Civil society must unite with the Cochabamba platform.” Governmental “negotiations on climate change will go nowhere unless there is a counterweight”, he added.

Amir Khadir, Quebec Solidaire co-spokesperson and member of the National Assembly, noted the absence of political will on this issue in our society. “To get out of our dead end we must look at Latin America, where social movements, unions, indigenous peoples and farmers have joined a synthesis.”

Challenge of colonialism
The disastrous effects of Canada’s tar sands oilfields were analysed by several speakers. Ben Powless of the Indigenous Environmental Network emphasised their impact on Native peoples, noting that the tar sands “poison Athabaska water resources and destroy Indigenous people’s food sources”. Oil extraction “violates the treaties with Indigenous peoples that we are all part of as Canadians”. Any environmental movement in this country “has to take seriously the challenge of colonialism in this country”.

Responding to Powless, Amir Khadir described Canada as “a colonial enterprise”. Canada’s notoriously pro-corporate mining legislation is “a colonialist law, copied from South Africa”, he said. “Canada is a mining-based state [un minéralo-état] just as Saudi Arabia is a monarchy based on oil.” The Quebec government has been Ottawa’s “best pupil” in applying these policies and now has set its sights on ravaging Quebec’s north, Khadir said. He hailed the resistance of the Cree peoples in the northlands and of Natives living near Oka: “The indigenous peoples are winning respect for their rights.”

Community-based movements
Khadir also greeted the progress achieved in resisting development of shale gas in Quebec. Now in vogue globally as a new source of hydrocarbons, shale gas extraction depends on fracturing underground rock layers by forcible injection of fluids (“fracking”). It is widely feared for side effects that include poisoned water and massive methane release.

“Within six months, in communities along the St. Lawrence river, 15 resistance networks arose, quite outside the ecological movement. They brought these big development plans to a halt”, Khadir said.

Kim Cornelissen, vice-president of the Quebec Association against Pollution, noted that under Canada’s mining laws, Quebec municipalities have no legal power to restrain shale gas development. They were undeterred. “Many adopted resolutions against shale gas development, even though they had no authority to do so.” This was effective, she said. “There is a difference between what is legal and what is politically effective.”

A panel on food and water issues focused on the contributions of working farmers to ecological survival. Véronique Côté of the Union Paysanne (Farmers’ Union), Quebec affiliate of La Via Campesina, described how small-scale farming operations preserve and improve water supply. Pat Mooney of EDC Group, a research institute, explained that independent farmers represent the future of the world’s food supply. “The world’s four giant livestock corporations work with only 25 breeds of five species. The farmers raise 8000 unique breeds of 40 species”, he said.

Michel Fortin, a CSN union leader with long experience in the Abitibi-Bowater pulp and paper plant in Clermont, Quebec, described how its workers, faced with demands for concessions, went on the offensive on environmental issues. They achieved many gains, including worker involvement in environmental decisions, an 85% reduction in waste and the transformation of the Malbaie River—formerly poisoned by plant operations—into a first-rate site for salmon fishing.

Workers and the environment
Nick De Carlo, the Canadian Auto Workers’ national representative for the environment, recalling the slogan, “System change, not climate change”, voiced in the conference’s first session. “I agree”, said De Carlo, “but change to what, and how? The issues we are raising challenge to capitalism itself, and the changes will be carried out by workers. So we must build the workers’ movement.”

De Carlo emphasised that he was not speaking only of the workers’ movement in the limited sense of salaried workers organised in unions. “The social movement must be something new.” It must aim for a reorganised, locally controlled economy. “Everything that the environment needs is also needed by workers and their unions”, he said.

Addressing the same challenge, Khadir pointed to “a true dilemma”. With regard to the ecological challenge, “Most working people are sympathetic to world solutions, but not if this puts their jobs in jeopardy. Ecologists speak of great principles, and people answer, ‘But how are we to live?’”

To encompass working-class struggles, “we must meet this concern”, Khadir said. “The new society will go past socialism—because socialism, like capitalism, is productivist—but it must also assure employment.”

Remarks by John Cartwright, president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, illustrated this point. Toronto unions campaigned with success for a civic initiative to retrofit homes for energy savings. “It was a great success”, he said. “More jobs, cost savings and reductions in energy use.” A similar success was achieved in diverting organic matter and recyclables from the waste stream, as an alternative to hazardous dumping of Toronto trash into an abandoned open-pit mine in Ontario. Cartwright also reported on the Labour Council’s “good jobs” campaign. “Our second conference brought together 600 people, nearly half of them people of colour—it was the first such environmental conference in our history.”

Challenge of unity
In the final conference session, several young activists criticised it for a lack of inclusivity. It was noted that only one of 30 panellists was under 30 years old. With the exception of one “horizontally” conceived session, discussions were in a traditional panel format that were thought to have restricted input from other participants.

Speaking for the conference organisers, Cy Gonick, publisher of Canadian Dimension, acknowledged that “we have to be as inclusive as we can. The conference tried, and was not entirely successful. We know we need to do better and will work with everyone who feels somewhat excluded.”

Elizabeth Peredo Beltrán of the Solón Foundation in La Paz—a significant force in Bolivia’s efforts for climate justice—spoke of unity in a broader framework: the need to bring together social and environmental struggles. “Social movements are drawn to influencing governmental negotiations”, she said, “but this must not take us away for the struggle for water and other specific goals. We must draw on the knowledge and cultural values of Indigenous people, young people and women. People are trapped by misinformation, but scientists know the truth. We must insist on the truth.”

South African author and activist Patrick Bond also stressed the need to unite “saving the environment with saving the poor”. The approach—the core concept of the global movement for climate justice—will be at the heart of a people’s summit in Durban, South Africa, in December 2011, where yet another session of governmental negotiations on climate justice is to take place.

Andrea Harden-Donahue, energy and climate justice campaigner for the Council of Canadians, stressed that “the UN climate talks are not going to cut it”. Pressure on the negotiators is good, but “hope is not in Harper and not in the UN but in building alliances for local action”, she said.

It is important to recognise that the climate justice movement already exists, Judy Rebick said, in dozens of vigorous local struggles, especially the huge fight against mining. “We need to get in touch with those doing the work and provide a platform where they can share experiences.”

With regard to the road forward, the closing session was marked by considerable agreement, expressed in part by the following four proposals.

For a network to link climate justice activists across Canada (proposed by Cy Gonick).

For a civil society tribunal on crimes against the environment (Elizabeth Peredo).

To support the protests in Durban through both direct participation and local actions (Suzanne Weiss).

To protest the neglect of environmental issues in the elections (Michel Camus).

But the main achievement lay in the simple fact of the conference itself and the richness of its discussions. “This is the first chance in 20 years for such a political discussion embracing forces from both Quebec and [English] Canada”, commented conference organiser Roger Rashi. In addition, the conference expressed new energy and increased confidence in building the climate justice movement.

Peredo caught the spirit of the conference in stressing that “climate justice is a matter of life and death” for our species. “We need huge mobilisations at the local level.”

Dale Marshall, climate change analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation, pointed to a contradiction in our conduct. “We say that the situation is urgent, but we do not act as if its urgent. We need to express urgency in our collective actions.”

The question of how to give expression to this urgency must now be resolved through the experience of the broader movement for ecological and climate justice.

[John Riddell is a member of Toronto Bolivia Solidarity (http://t.grupoapoyo.org).]

Patrick Bond at American Association of Geographers conference 12-14 April

Academic sanctions and global solidarity for Palestinian liberation: A view from South Africa on the need to unfriend Israeli universities
Paper presented by Patrick Bond

Conference Programme

1634. Geographies of Palestinian Solidarity: Boycotts & Backlashes
across Borders & Scales (II)
(Sponsored by Socialist and Critical Geography Specialty Group)
Venue:Room: 3A ‑ Washington State Convention Center, Level 3 (Panel Session)
ORGANIZER(S): Omar Jabary Salamanca; Ron Smith, University of Washington
CHAIR(S): Punam Khosla, York University
Panelists: Patrick Bond, University of KwaZulu‑Natal; Anna Zalik; Bruce Braun, University of Minnesota ‑ Minneapolis; Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative (AMED), SFSU
http://www.aag.org/galleries/conference‑files/AAG20111xxx.pdf

3642. New perspectives: Interacting with world cities from the periphery (Sponsored by Urban Geography Specialty Group)
Venue: Room: 211 ‑ Washington State Convention Center, Level 2
(Paper Session)
ORGANIZER(S): Bjoern Surborg, University of British Columbia
CHAIR(S): Bjoern Surborg, University of British Columbia
4:40 Björn Surborg, University of British Columbia, Quo Vadis world city research? Regrounding world cities in world‑systems theory.
5:00 Patrick Bond, PhD, University of KwaZulu‑Natal, Limits of Interurban Entrepreneurialism in Durban, South
Africa.
5:20 Natalie R. Koch, U of Colorado, Boulder, Oil and order in Astana: The political economy of building Kazakhstan's new capital.
5:40 James D Sidaway, University of Amsterdam, Gulf cities, spectacular urbanization and the company of men:
Abu Dhabi's trajectory through the lives of South Asian migrants.
Discussant(s): Elvin K. Wyly, University of British Columbia
http://www.aag.org/galleries/conference‑files/AAG20113xxx.pdf

http://www.aag.org/cs/annualmeeting/program

Shauna Mottiar at the (IRSPM) Conference 11- 13 April

International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) Conference
Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, 11-13 April 2011
Panel: 'Philanthropy, public services, policy: Working together or falling out'

Understanding horizontal philanthropy in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Mvuselelo Ngcoya (SDS)
Shauna Mottiar (CCS)

Philanthropy is generally understood as a practice undertaken by the rich and more resourced in favor of the poor and under resourced. This understanding fails to consider forms of philanthropy that exist among the less resourced and which account for the survival of many communities. This paper considers such forms of philanthropy through specific reference to two case studies in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is structured in three parts. The first part interrogates understandings of the term philanthropy among horizontal philanthropists. For example, while the English term ‘philanthropy’ has no direct translation in any of South Africa’s indigenous languages, there is a prevailing ubuntu philosophy grounded in a commitment to the collective self. This African worldview stresses the importance of community, solidarity, caring, and sharing. It suggests a profound dynamic process of interdependence and emphasizes that true human potential can only be realized in partnership with others. In this way, philanthropic interactions are judged by how well they promote the mutual reinforcement of the self and the other in a community. There are various manifestations of ubuntu including the poor who actively help family members and neighbours on the premise that giving, no matter how little, is a fundamental expression of one’s humanity (Wilkinson – Maposa et al, 2004). The second part of the paper examines the manner in which horizontal philanthropy is institutionalized following studies that have highlighted ‘collective action’ where individuals act together, either habitually or spontaneously, to help or to give and the prevalence of stokvels in South Africa where communities pool resources to meet common needs such as funeral arrangements (Seleoane, 2008). The third part of the paper considers how manifestations of horizontal philanthropy are linked to local governance and policymaking.
www.irspm.net

Shauna Mottiar at the (IRSPM) Conference 11- 13 April

Patrick Bond on climate politics with Polaris Institute, 31 March

Patrick Bond on climate politics with Polaris Institute/Ontario Public Interest Research Group at Univ of Toronto, 31 March.

DATE: 31 March
TIME: 10am‑12pm
SUBJECT: Politics of Climate Justice
PLACE: University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor Street West

Patrick Bond climate lecture at Carleton Univ, Ottawa, 29 March

Date:Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
Time:05:30 PM ‑ 07:30 PM
Location: 303 Paterson Hall
1125 Colonel By Drive K1S 5B6
Ottawa

The High Commission for the Republic of South Africa in Canada and the Institute of African Studies at Carleton University invite you to the
“Africa Dialogue Series” talk “Africa and the Politics of Climate Justice” with Dr. Patrick Bond, University of KwaZulu‑Natal 303 Paterson Hall (Humanities Theatre) 5:30 – 7:30 pm Tuesday, 29 March
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Patrick Bond in seminar on Palestine, water and the University of Johannesburg, 16 March

You are cordially invited to a UJ Sociology, Anthropology & Development Studies Wednesday Seminar (co-hosted by Amnesty International) focusing on The Politics of Water and Water Research:

Should UJ terminate its Water Research with Israel? with Nokuthula Magudulela (Amnesty International), Prof Ran Greenstein (University of Witwatersrand) & Dr Anis Saleh Daraghma (University of the Western Cape)

Discussant: Prof Patrick Bond (University of KwaZulu-Natal)

When: Wednesday, 16 March 2011 at 15:30 [ Please arrive to be seated by five minutes in advance of the starting time. ]

Where: Faculty of Humanities Council Chambers (Conference Room D), UJ Kingsway campus

The UJ Sociology, Anthropology & Development Studies Wednesday Seminar meets every Wednesday during the teaching term and is the most regular public seminar in the region.

The series is jointly hosted by the Department of Sociology and the Department of Anthropology & Development Studies
with support from the UJ Faculty of Humanities.

Programme and papers available at http://www.uj.ac.za/sociology.

Patrick Bond gives lectures in Michigan and California, 8-14 March

Africa & the Politics of Climate Justice
University of Michigan AfroAmerican and African Studies Department, Ann Arbor, 8 March, 1-4 pm

Climate Justice and the Politics of Scale Colloquium
University of California-Berkeley Geography Department, Berkeley, 9 March, 4pm

Africa, Financial Crisis, and Climate Change
Stanford University Department of Anthropology Capitalism and Crisis series, 10 March, 6pm

University of California-Riverside Institute for Research on World-Systems, 14 March, 12:30pm

UCR Program on Global Studies
2010-2011 Colloquium Series

Patrick Bond
Center for Civil Society
University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa

“Politics of Climate Justice: Global, National and Local Dynamics from California to the Durban COP17”

Monday, March 14 2011, 12:30 pm
Map Room, College Building South
(South end of campus on College Place)
Co-sponsored by the Institute for Research on World-Systems

University of California-Riverside
The UCR Program on Global Studies is the Riverside affiliate of the Institute on Global Cooperation and Conflict

Patrick Bond Brief biographical note
Patrick Bond is a political economist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Development Studies in Durban, where since 2004 he has directed the Centre for Civil Society: http://www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs. In 2010-11 he is on sabbatical at the University of California/Berkeley Department of Geography. Patrick’s research and political work presently covers environment (energy, water and climate change), economic crisis, social mobilization, public policy and geopolitics. Amongst his authored, edited and coedited books are: Zuma’s Own Goal (2010); Climate Change, Carbon Trading and Civil Society (2009); The Accumulation of Capital in Southern Africa (2007); Looting Africa (2006); Talk Left, Walk Right (2006); Fanon’s Warning (2005); Elite Transition (2005); Zimbabwe’s Plunge (2003); Against Global Apartheid (2003); Unsustainable South Africa (2002) and Cities of Gold, Townships of Coal (2000). Forthcoming books address South African and African political economy, and global climate justice politics.

In service to the new South African government from 1994-2002, Patrick authored/edited more than a dozen policy papers, including the Reconstruction and Development Programme. He has lectured at more than 70 universities across the world, with formal teaching affiliations in the US, Canada, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Korea, Japan and South Africa. Patrick earned his doctorate in economic geography under the supervision of David Harvey at Johns Hopkins in 1993, after studying finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and economics at Swarthmore College. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1961 and has lived in South Africa since 1990.
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Patrick Bond at the '6 Billion Ways' conference in London, 5 March

What is Climate Justice?

Developing countries have not been the ones to cause climate change, but they are being dispropotionately affected. And if we’re to stop dangerous climate change while still seeking to raise living standards for billions of poor people, a redistribution of wealth and power is needed. This session will look at ‘climate debt’, false solutions such as carbon trading, and how climate change is an economic justice issue.

Speakers

Patrick Bond, Centre for Civil Society, Durban, South Africa

Ricardo Navarro, CESTA, El Salvador

Larry Lohmann, The Cornerhouse

Chaired by Kirsty Wright, World Development Movement

Over-consumption in the rich world is ravaging poor countries without bringing greater happiness. Who is over-consuming? What are the drivers of too much shopping? Could we use less and still prosper? This session explores how changing course is not only necessary but possible.

Speakers

Neal Lawson, Compass

Kate Soper

Patrick Bond, Centre for Civil Society, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal

Empire and resistance
Africa is still portrayed as a hopeless, famine-struck continent in need of rescue. In this session, leading thinkers will paint a more positive picture, and assess the hopes and prospects for African resistance in the twenty-first century.

Speakers

Samir Amin, Third World Forum, Senegal

Firoze Manji, Fahamu network for social justice

Patrick Bond, Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal

About
6 Billion Ways is an event aimed at informing and mobilising a wide range of people on local and global justice issues. We want to go beyond single issues and contribute to building a broad movement for progressive change. The first 6 Billion Ways event took place in February 2009 and was very well attended. Like last time, the 2011 event will include space for education, organising and the arts.

If you have any enquiries, or can help to promote the event, email us: info@6billionways.org.uk

About the organisers
World Development Movement campaigns for a world without poverty and injustice. We work in solidarity with activists around the world to tackle the causes of poverty, and research and promote positive alternatives which put public good before private gain.
www.wdm.org.uk

War on Want fights poverty in developing countries in partnership with people affected by globalisation. We campaign for human rights and against the root causes of global poverty, inequality and injustice.
www.waronwant.org

Rich Mix is a dynamic, vibrant, cross cultural arts and media centre located in the heart of London. Diversity is at the heart of what we do. Whether it be through our film, education and arts programmes, or our numerous tenants, we aim to promote a mixed economy in all that we display and produce.
www.richmix.org.uk

Red Pepper is a bi-monthly magazine of left politics and cluture and is the media partner for 6 Billion Ways.
www.redpepper.org.uk

People & Planet inspires and supports student campaigning on human rights, poverty and the environment in schools, colleges and universities across the UK. People & Planet is led by students and is currently campaigning on climate change, trade and corporate power.
www.peopleandplanet.org

Jubilee Debt Campaign is part of a global movement calling for 100% cancellation of unpayable and illegitimate poor country debts, without harmful conditions attached. We are working for a fairer international system of borrowing and lending, where debt is not an instrument of control for the rich, and further unjust debts cannot build up in the future.
www.jubileedebtcampaign.org.uk

Friends of the Earth is one of the UK’s leading environmental campaigning organisations. We are a member of Friends of the Earth International, the world’s largest grassroots environmental network, with 77 national member groups and over 2 million individuals campaigning for a sustainable, just and peaceful world.
www.foe.co.uk

City Circle promotes the development of a distinct British Muslim identity by providing a platform for open public debate. We seek to build strategic alliances between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, and to channel the skills of Muslim professionals in a practical and progressive way.
www.thecitycircle.com

Speakers include:
Walden Bello, Pablo Solon, Hilary Wainwright, Rob Newman, Patrick Bond, Samir Amin, Lidy Nacpil, Caroline Lucas MP, Omar Barghouti. More

Saturday night party
Our evening party organised by hip London outfit Movimientos, with a Rio Carnival theme

More information

Zim Immigrant Community monitoring discussion, 1 March

The Zim Million March against Mugabe will kick off at Harare Gardens tomorrow the 1st of March 2011.

In this regard the Zim Immigrant Community will meet for a monitoring discussion as a step forward to end the tyrant creature in Zimbabwe.

Venue: CCS UKZN Howard College
Date: Tuesday 1st of March 2011
Time: 12 - 2pm

The R2Ks support in solidarity has always been phenomenal and we welcome you in shaping this new phase of our history.
Injury to one is injury to all

Mubarak is now history, Gaddafi's is becoming history, lets make Mugabe History

Support the Oust of African Dictators, MUGDAFI MUST GO!!

CCS EVENTS AT THE WSF

Join Molefi Ndlovu, Rehana Dada and Patrick Bond from CCS at WSF seminars in Dakar

The World Social Forum in Dakar: Notes from a Believer who Lost Faith
A report on the WSF by Blessing J. Karumbidza

Patrick Bond on the World Social Forum

South African and Southern African capitalism: what's going wrong with
the economy and social protest
Centre for Civil Society (CCS) Tour 2 (12h30‑15h30)
7/02/11 10
PANEL DISCUSSION

African austerity, resource curse and resistances: social movements
versus imperialist states, the Bretton Woods Institutions, transnational
capital and corrupted local elites
Centre for Civil Society (CCS) Tour 1 (08h30‑11h30)
07/02/11 3
PANEL DISCUSSION

The 2011 Durban climate summit: climate justice critiques and alternatives
Centre for Civil Society (CCS) Tour 1 (08h30‑11h30)
09/02/11 6
PANEL DISCUSSION

THREE CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY (CCS) EVENTS (details to be announced):

Axis 2: For an environmental justice, for a universal and sustainable
access of humanity to common goods, for the preservation of the planet
as source of life, and especially of land, water, seeds, forests,
renewable energy sources and biodiversity, guaranteeing the rights of
Indigenous, original, traditional, autochthonous, native, stateless,
quilombola and riverain peoples and the rights on their territories,
resources, languages, cultures, identities and knowledge.

CCS EVENT 1: (PANEL DISCUSSION):
The 2011 Durban climate summit: climate justice critiques and alternatives

Axis 6: For a world freed from the principles and structures of
capitalism, of patriarchal oppression, of all forms of domination from
financial powers, transnational corporations and unequal systems of
trade, neocolonial and debt domination.

CCS EVENT 2: (PANEL DISCUSSION):
South African and Southern African capitalism: what's going wrong with
the economy and social protest

Axis 10: For the valuing of the skills, histories and struggles of
Africa and the Diaspora and their contribution to humanity, and for the
recognition of the violence of colonialism and neocolonialism.

CCS EVENT 3: (PANEL DISCUSSION):
African austerity, resource curse and resistances: social movements
versus imperialist states, the Bretton Woods Institutions, transnational
capital and corrupted local elites

Book Launch (Zuma's Own Goal) 24 January 2011

Patrick Bond-ecosocialism and climate justice politics, 20 January

Title: Patrick Bond-ecosocialism and climate justice politics
START DATE: Thursday January 20
TIME: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location Details: The Sol Collective, 2574 21st Street, Sacramento, CA (1 block south of Broadway)
Event Type: Speaker
Contact Name: Ellen Schwartz
Email Address:info@marxistschool.org
Phone Number: 916 369-5510 Address: P.O. Box 160564, Sacramento, CA 95816

Patrick Bond will deliver a talk: “Eco-socialism and climate justice politics.” He is an activist, author and political economist whose research interests range from urban communities to global justice movements around the world. Patrick is on the faculty of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. He is a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley currently. More at http://sds.ukzn.ac.za/default.php?2,4,35,4,0 A group discussion will end Patrick's talk. As always, our lectures are free and open to the public. If you wish to support the Marxist School’s endeavors, you can make a safe and tax-deductible donation by PayPal from our website: www.marxistschool.org

Promoting Resource Rights in the Global Economy 13-14 January

Date: January 13-14, 2011
Time: 8:30-6:00 pm (Thursday), 8:30-4:00 (Friday)
Venue: SEIU building, 1800 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington D.C. 20036

Dethroning King Coal in 2011, from West Virginia (January) to Durban (December)
Patrick Bond

South Africa’s crust was drill-pocked with abandon since Kimberley diamonds were found in 1867 and then Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) gold was unearthed in 1886. But the world’s interest in how we trash our environment perked up again last week for two reasons:

The shocking revelation that acid mine drainage is now seeping into the Johannesburg region’s ‘Cradle of Humankind’, home of hominid fossils dating more than three million years, where our Australopithecus ancestors’ earliest bones are now threatened by the area’s pollution-intensive mining industry; and

Hot contestation of new United States financing for South Africa’s proposed Kusile power plant, which will be the world’s third largest coal-fired facility.

In parallel battles, though, the beheading of King Coal is underway in West Virginia, where nine days after the January 3 cancer death of heroic eco-warrior Judy Bonds, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) overturned the Army Corps of Engineers’ prior approval of Spruce No. 1 mine, the world’s largest-ever ‘mountaintop removal’ operation. Coal companies have been blowing up the once-rolling now-stumbling Appalachians. In order to rip out a ton of fossil fuel, they dump 16 tons of rubble into the adjoining valleys.

After an avalanche of pressure by mountain communities and environmentalists, the EPA ruled against the “unacceptable adverse effect on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas (including spawning and breeding areas), wildlife, or recreational areas.” According to leading US climatologist James Hansen, quoted in Bonds’ New York Times obituary last week, “There are many things we ought to do to deal with climate change, but stopping mountaintop-removal is the place to start. Coal contributes the most carbon dioxide of any energy source.” The EPA also took a stance in late December to belatedly begin regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Through activism and legal strategies, US communities and the Sierra Club have prevented construction of 150 proposed coal-fired power plants over the last couple of years, a remarkable accomplishment (only a couple got through their net).

But in South Africa, the fight is just beginning. The national government in Pretoria and municipal officials in seaside Durban will continue invoking several myths in defense of coal, Kusile and the ‘COP17’, the November 28-December 9 climate summit officially called the ‘Conference of the Parties 17’ (but which should be renamed the Conference of Polluters). Here are some strategies of the SA state and big business meant to blind us:

In Durban, aggressive ‘greenwashing’ will attempt to distract attention from vast CO2 emissions attributable to South Durban’s oft-exploding oil refineries and petrochemical complex, Africa’s largest port, the hyperactive tourism promotion strategy (in lieu of any bottom-up economic development), unending sports stadia construction and unnecessary new King Shaka international airport, electricity going to the very dangerous Assmang ferromanganese smelter (the city’s largest power guzzler by far at more than a half-million megawatt hours per year), sprawly new suburban developments, and inefficient electricity consumption and transport because of state failure to provide adequate renewable energy and mass transit incentives;

‘Offsets’ for a tiny fraction of Durban’s emissions will again be fatuously marketed to an unsuspecting public, as during the 2010 World Cup, including mass planting of trees (though when they die the carbon is re-released) and municipal landfill methane capture – even though the increasingly-corrupt offset industry and European carbon markets which market our emissions credits are now ridiculed across the world, and in economic terms are failing beyond even the most pessimistic predictions;

Whacky, unworkable ‘geo-engineering’ strategies are going to multiply, such as biomass planting to convert valuable food land into fodder for ethanol fuel, or mass dumping of iron filings in the ocean to create carbon-sucking algae blooms, or ‘Carbon Capture and Sequestration/Storage’ schemes to pump power-plant CO2 underground but which tend to leak catastrophically and which require a third more coal to run, or the nuclear energy revival notwithstanding more shutdowns at the main plant, Koeberg (five years ago the industry minister, Alec Erwin, notoriously described as ‘sabotage’ a minor Koeberg accident that cost the ruling party its control of Cape Town in the subsequent municipal election); and

South African ‘global climate leadership’ will be touted, even though Pretoria’s reactionary United Nations negotiating stance includes fronting for Washington’s much-condemned 2009 Copenhagen Accord, which even if implemented faithfully, by all accounts, will roast Africa with a projected temperature rise of 3.5°C.

As even the government’s new National Climate Change Response Green Paper admits, “Should multi-lateral international action not effectively limit the average global temperature increase to below at least 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the potential impacts on South Africa in the medium- to long-term are significant and potentially catastrophic.” The paper warns that under conservative assumptions, “after 2050, warming is projected to reach around 3-4°C along the coast, and 6-7°C in the interior” – which is, simply, non-survivable.

If President Jacob Zuma’s government really cared about climate and about his relatives in rural KwaZulu-Natal villages who are amongst those most adversely affected by worsening droughts and floods, then it would not only halt the $21 billion worth of electricity generators being built by state power company Eskom: Medupi is under construction and Kusile will begin soon. Pretoria would also deny approval to the forty new mines allegedly needed to supply the plants with coal, for just as at the Cradle of Humankind and in West Virginia, these mines will cause permanent contamination of rivers and water tables, increased mercury residues and global warming.

More evidence of the Witwatersrand’s degradation comes from tireless water campaigner Mariette Liefferink, who counts 270 tailings dams in a 400 square kilometer mining zone. With gold nearly depleted, as Liefferink told a Joburg paper last week, uranium is an eco-social activist target: “Nowhere in the world do you see these mountains of uranium and people living in and among them. You have people living on hazardous toxic waste and of course some areas are also high in radioactivity.”

The toxic tailings dams are typically unlined, unvegetated and unable to contain the mines’ prolific air, water and soil pollution. Other long-term anti-mining struggles continue in South African locales: against platinum in the Northwest and Limpopo provinces, against titanium on the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast, and against coal in the area bordering Zimbabwe known as Mapungubwe where relics from a priceless ancient civilization will be destroyed unless mining is halted (as even the government agrees).

There’s another reason that the power of what is termed the Minerals-Energy Complex continues unchecked, even as treasures like the Cradle – and also the priceless Kruger Park’s surface water plus millions of people’s health – are threatened: political bribery. In addition to supplying the world’s cheapest power to BHP Billiton and Anglo American Corporation smelters by honoring dubious apartheid-era deals, Eskom’s coal-fired mega-plants will provide millions of dollars to African National Congress (ANC) party coffers through crony-capitalist relations with the Japanese firm Hitachi.

Last year, Pretoria’s own ombudsman termed the role of then Eskom chairman and ANC Finance Committee member Valli Moosa ‘improper’ in cutting the Hitachi deal. As a result, even pro-corporate Business Day newspaper joined more than 60 local civil society groups and 80 others around the world in formally denouncing $3.75 billion World Bank loan to Eskom which were granted by neoconservative-neoliberal Bank president Robert Zoellick last April.

Other beneficiaries of Washington’s upcoming trade finance package for Eskom include two desperate multinational corporations: Black & Veatch from Kansas and Bucyrus from Wisconsin. The latter showed its clout last October when in order to fund machinery exports to the huge Sasan coal-fired plant in India with US Export-Import Bank subsidies, the Milwaukee firm yanked members of Congress so hard that they in turn compelled the Bank to reverse an earlier decision not to fund Sasan on climate grounds.

But now, after the EPA’s slapdown of Spruce No. 1, Bucyrus must be really nervous. Forty years ago, John Prine wrote the haunting song ‘Paradise’ about the strip-mining of his Kentucky homeland, with this verse describing a creature known as ‘Big Hog’:

Then the coal company came with the world’s largest shovel
And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
Well, they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man.

Big Hog was a Bucyrus-Erie 3850-B dragline shovel. With West Virginia coal companies no longer buying these monsters, the company is fanatical about overseas sales. As a result, last Thursday, two dozen of us gathered by Friends of the Earth and Sierra found ourselves shouting slogans against Eskom and Bucyrus outside the Ex-Im Bank’s Washington headquarters.

The Milwaukee corporation rebutted that Ex-Im financing was justifiable because of a Johannesburg Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) partner plus Wisconsin steelworkers jobs, even though this means that South African counterparts – especially a Joburg company, Rham, that will apparently fire scores of local employees – lose out. Bucyrus’s 2010 contract to supply Eskom with coal mining equipment became a scandal subject to a parliamentary investigation last September. Given the Witwatersrand area’s historical world leadership in mining equipment, businesses there claim there’s no obvious reason why local firms cannot supply Eskom at much lower cost (one third of Bucyrus’ in that particular case).

Most importantly, the poor will repay this finance at a time South Africa has become the world's most unequal society and unemployment is raging. For Eskom to cover interest bills on Medupi and Kusile loans requires a 127 percent electricity price increase for ordinary consumers over four years. This has already raised power disconnection rates for poor households, and on Monday, Durban police made 25 arrests of shackdwellers for electricity theft.

This multiple set of interlinked climate-energy-economic travesties can only be reversed by grassroots and labor activism. At the Durban COP 17, don’t expect a global deal that can save the planet, given prevailing adverse power relations. Instead of relying on paralyzed politicians and lazy bureaucrats, South Africa’s environmental, community, women’s, youth and labor voices will be demanding serious action to address the greatest crisis of our times:

Major investments in Green Jobs would let metalworkers weld millions of solar-powered geysers, for example, thus allowing Eskom to switch off power to BHP Billiton’s aluminum smelters and to halt new powerplant construction without net job loss;

New public transport subsidies should reconfigure apartheid-era urban design and pull us willingly from single-occupant cars;

An employment-rich zero-waste strategy would recycle nearly everything and compost our organic waste so as to eliminate methane emissions at the remaining landfills;

More direct-action protests against major emissions point sources – Eskom, Sasol (apartheid’s wicked coal-to-oil company), the Engen refinery in South Durban and the new Durban-Joburg oil mega-pipeline, for instance – should better link micro-environmental struggles over local air, water and land quality to climate change;

More ambitious Air Quality Act regulations would label – and then phase out – carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gas ‘pollutants’, as with the US Clean Air Act;

Government planning and utility board decisions would halt willy-nilly suburbanisation and ungreen ‘development’; and

Instead of North-South financing via destructive carbon markets, the demand for ‘climate debt’ would permit the flow of strings-free, non-corrupt and effective adaptation funds.

Through urgent adoption of genuine post-carbon strategies like these, by the time the COP17 rolls around, the world could see in Durban a state and society committed to reversing climate change.

But get real. Since none of these will be considered much less implemented by the current ruling crew, instead we’ll see a mass democratic movement rise, aiming to do to the climate threat what we did to apartheid and the deniers of AIDS medicines: defeat them at source, when respectively, old white politicians and their international business buddies, and Thabo Mbeki and Big Pharma, had to stand back and respect a new morality, a new bottom-up power.

(Durban-based academic Patrick Bond’s book The Politics of Climate Justice will be released later this year, and recent articles are posted at ccs.ukzn.ac.za/default.asp?4,80.)

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