Earth Social Conference:the bottom-up alternative to COP28 is born in Colombia

From the assumption that COP28 will never lead to concrete solutions to the climate crisis, in Colombia, the Earth Social Conference, a sort of protest counter-conference which, however, could have some interesting implications.“We call on all climate 'realists' to decline our invitation to COP28 and join us for the first Earth Social Conference in December,” so over 50 environmental and human rights organizations from around the world have invited to participate at their social climate conference and asked to boycott the disputed Dubai summit.The objective is therefore an alternative conference, which is also broader in scope given that topics such as the conflict in the Middle East and new forms of colonization will be covered.The event is taking place in the Casanare area and will last until December 10th.

Most of those who organized or will participate in the social conference in Colombia had already taken part in previous climate conferences, protesting or in the sections dedicated to civil society.However, this year it was decided to take a step further, above all, considering the numerous dark sides of the Dubai Summit.In general, it had been clear for some time that the United Nations climate summit was a farce, yet it was difficult to believe that it could have been done even worse.This year, however, the contradictions and potential conflicts of interest have even been put out in the open, in plain sight, before everyone's eyes.The result is, to put it simply, decisions that are supposed to solve the climate crisis they were placed in the hands of those who caused it.The 28th Climate Conference of the Parties (COP28) is taking place in the United Arab Emirates and is chaired by the head of the nation's oil giant.Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), will have the task of defining the agenda of the main international conference on climate issues, playing a central role in the negotiations aimed at reaching, in theory, a consensus on points such as the reduction of CO2 emissions and the progressive abandonment of fossil fuels.

Recently, the COP28 president's skepticism even reared its head at one of the summit sessions.Sultan Al Jaber is said to have stated that "no science has indicated that the phasing out of fossil fuels is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C", adding that the phasing out of fossil fuels would not allow development sustainable «unless we want to bring the world back into caves».Yet, it was the United Nations scientists themselves who said what Al Jaber struggles to recognize.Among other things, the sultan himself had already been the one to deny it UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.«The science is clear – declared Guterres at the opening of COP28 – the 1.5°C limit is only possible if we eventually stop burning all fossil fuels.Don't reduce them, don't tear them down.A gradual elimination, with a clear timetable."It should therefore not be surprising that someone is working hard to create an alternative that is truly focused on the concrete actions to be taken to combat and mitigate climate change.

For example, among the various proposals under consideration, the social conference put on the table a sort of 'climate equity' to be applied on the basis of the principle 'the more you pollute, the more you pay'.It is no coincidence that there is now numerous data that confirms how much responsibility for the increase in climate-altering gas emissions can mostly be traced back to the richest countries in the world and, in particular, to a small minority of the super-rich.Suffice it to say that, according to the most recent assessments, the richest 1% of the world pollutes as much as 2/3 of the entire world population and the richest 10% of the world's population is responsible for half of global emissions.In practice, an individual belonging to the richest 1%, in just one year, pollutes as much as a person from the remaining 99% in 1,500 years.«Without claiming to represent a panacea – commented Mikhail Maslennikov, tax justice expert from the equality organization OXFAM – a progressive tax on large assets can generate considerable resources for the decarbonisation of the economy and to address at the same time the growing social needs such as health, education and the fight against social exclusion, which today are struggling to find an adequate response".

[by Simone Valeri]