First Occupy COP 17 UN Climate Conference General Assembly Held Today in Durban (photos and article)

#OccupyCop17: Climate Justice General Assembly

All photos by Orin Langelle/GJEP

Durban, South Africa—On Monday, November 28th, as representative from 192 nation-states begin their talks, Occupy COP 17 met this morning in a general assembly. Another assembly will be held tomorrow after a rally demanding climate justice and saying no to false solutions.

Kevin Buckland from 350.org makes a point

The following a article is cross-posted from Occupy COP 17

Governments of the world are, for the 17th time, assembling to discuss how we react on an international scale to a changing climate. During these last 16 years a sane response to an unsustainable global culture has not been found.

Inside their assembly and inside their declarations the needs of the 99% are not being heard. Private corporations are occupying our seats in the UN climate talks and governments corrupted by corporate influence are claiming to represent our needs. They are abusing and pillaging the consensus process, once put in place to ensure even the smallest and most vulnerable had a say.

Patrick Bond, political economist and senior professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Development Studies in Durban, talks to reporters

We, as a planet, have been shown we can no longer rely on the same structures that have allowed for famines, floods, hurricanes and massacres to escalate relentlessly. There is a historic responsibility, and a global necessity for action.

Pablo Solón, former Ambassador to the UN from the Plurinational State of Bolivia, talks to a journalist

Here in Durban, where Nelson Mandela cast his first vote and Gandhi held his first public meeting, we’re putting out an invitation to anyone who wishes to have their voice heard: to join a dialogue of how we must react to ensure the present culture of 1% of the worlds population does no injustice to the future of the 99%.

Ivonne Yanez from Ecuador is part of the keep the oil underground and Yasuni/itt. She is a campaign member of OilWatch International

This is what democracy looks like.

Consensus reached for tomorrow's general assembly

It is time our voices were heard.

It’s time to #OccupyCop17