tv Democracy Now LINKTV November 8, 2021 8:00am-9:00am PST
8:00 am
11/08/21 11/08/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york and glasgow, this is democracy now! >> i heart was breaking by the people inside the cop building, but the world leaders, you use the words to defend and uphold your practice this stems of white supremacy. you tell us the action needed to prevent sea level rise is impossible or not practical.
8:01 am
amy: over 100,000 people filled the streets of glasgow in a pair of major rallies to urge world leaders to take more action to address the climate emergency. we will hear from british activist mikaela loach, who is suing the u.k. government over its climate policies, vanessa nakate of uganda, and greta thunberg of sweden. >> turning to a pr event where leaders are giving useless speeches and the curtains the governments are still refusing to take any drastic climate action. amy: plus, 1000 land and environmental fenderhave been killed since the signing of the paris agreement in 2015. some were remembered this weekend. >> she was assassinated in 2019
8:02 am
. >> she was an organizer and assassinated in 2020. justice! amy: we will speak to andrea ixchíu, a maya k'iche' leader and journalist from guatemala and louis wilson of global witness. both inside the glasgow cop. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. as the united nations climate summit continues in glasgow, scotland, more than 100,000 demonstrators took to the streets this weekend to demand more urgent and meaningful
8:03 am
action to prevent a planetary catastrophe. swedish climate activist greta thunberg called cop26 a failure. this is ugandan climate activist vanessa nakate addressing the crowds saturday. >> continue to open up new coal power plants, construct oil pipelines with us paying sanctions and listening to the voices crying out for help because of the destruction that is happening. that leaders have failed to understand we cannot eat coal, we cannot drink, and we cannot read so-called natural gas. amy: we will hear more after the headlines. marches and rallies took place on every continent saturday, as well as online, as part of the global movement. meanwhile, an analysis by global witness found hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists are flooding cop26, with over 100 coal, oil, and gas companies and associated groups represented.
8:04 am
if the fossil fuel lobby were a national delegation at cop, it would be by far the largest according to the report. we will speak with one of those who did the report. the u.s. house passed the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill friday after president biden hailed as a monumental step. the measure includes $550 billion in new investments for bridges, roads, airports, waterways, public transit, and broadband infrastructure. lawmakers, however, did not vote for the democrats' climate and social safety package after conservative democrats insisted on waiting for a cost analysis from the congressional budget office, which could take days or even weeks. a group of six progressive house members voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, insisting its passage should have remained tied to a vote on
8:05 am
president biden's $1.75 trillion measure. congressmembers alexandria ocasio-cortez, ayanna pressley, rashida tlaib, jamaal bowman, cori bush, and ilhan omar said in a joint statement -- "passing the infrastructure bill without passing the build back better act first, risks leaving behind child care, paid leave, healthcare, climate action, housing, education, and a roadmap to citizenship." pramila jayapal, chair of the congressional progressive caucus expressed confidence both bills will eventually pass. >> we will pass the bills come the build back at her. let me say when we do, it will be a phenomenal achievement for our country to say we're not leaving anybody behind. this vote tonight is the beginning of the delivering of that promise. it is codifying that promise that our colleagues have made to us tonight. amy: meanwhile, as conservative lawmakers have worked to slash climate provisions in the build back better act, a new report
8:06 am
finds at least 28 u.s. senators collectively hold up to $12.6 million in fossil fuel investments. a federal appeals court on saturday temporarily blocked president biden's covid vaccine mandate for large businesses after a group of republican attorneys general challenged the order. the mandate would require workers at companies with at least 100 workers to be vaccinated or get tested weekly. inos angeles, patrons 12 and older must now provide proof of vaccination before entering indoor restaurants, bars, movie theaters, malls, gyms, salons, other venues. the u.s. is lifting entry restrictions today for fully vaccinated international travelers from a host of countries that had been barred because of the pandemic, including brazil, china, india, south africa, the united kingdom, and much of europe. exceptions will be made for children and people arriving from certain countries where vaccines are not widely available.
8:07 am
all travelers will also have to provide a negative covid test. in medical news, pfizer said friday its experimental antiviral covid pill cut rates of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% in high-risk adults, and will ask the fda and other regulators for approval. last week, the u.k. became the first country to approve merck's oral antiviral drug. in india, a fire killed at least 11 patients from a covid ward at a hospital in the state of maharashtra. it's at least the third hospital firen india in recent mohs that resulted in mass casualties. iraqi prime minister mustafa al kadhimi survived an assassination attempt after unknown assailants tried to fly explosive-laden drones into his home in baghdad's heavily fortified green zone overnight on saturday. iraqi authorities said two of the drones were shot down, but at least one other managed to strike the prime minister's official residence, blowing in doors and windows. no one has claimed
8:08 am
responsibility for the attack, which reportedly left 10 guards injured. the attack followed large protests against the results of last month's parliamentary elecons, which saw candidates representing pro-iran shia militias lose ground. on friday, iraqi soldiers fired tear gas and live rounds at demonstrators, with reports of at least two people killed and dozens injured. in the occupied west bank, israeli soldiers shot and killed a 13-year-old palestinian boy friday during protests against the expansion of illegal israeli settlements. mohammad da'das died at a hospital after being shot in the stomach. according to defense for children international, at least 12 palestinian children have been killed by israeli occupation forces in the occupied west bank so far this year. in nicaragua, president daniel ortega appears to have secured his victory in sunday's
8:09 am
election after unleashing a months-long crackdown on his opposition. in early voting, ortega has received 70% of votes. he was seeking a fourth term. dozens of opposition figures, including seven presidential hopefuls arrested since june, prompting international outcry and sanctions from the u.s. euro and union and other nations. this is an exiled nicaraguann san jose, costa rica, at a protest denouncing sunday's election. >> in nicaragua, there are no elections. there is an electoral circuit where ortega chose those who will accompany him in this political circus. he let his political allies go free. he imprisoned those candidates who formed and genuine opposition. amy: the u.s. state department has told all american citizens in ethiopia they should leave as soon as possible as the prospect of widescale conflict mounts. the embassies of the u.s. and other countries evacuated all non-essential personnel.
8:10 am
this came days after ethiopia's government declared a state of emergency after tigrayan rebels backed by oromo fighters marched toward addis ababa, seizing two strategic towns less than 250 miles from the ethiopian capital. on sunday, ethiopian authorities organized pro-government rallies attended by tens of thousands of who pledged to defend addis ababa from the rebels. in sudan, soldiers fired tear gas and arrested scores of people over the weekend, as protesters opposed to the october 25 coup began a two-day strike and campaign of civil disobedience demanding a peaceful transition to civilian rule. the protests came as mediators from the arab league traveled to khartoum saturday for talks with the military coup leaders. the government of sierra leone has declared a national disaster anthree days of national mourning after a fuel tanker exploded friday in the capital freetown, killing at least 101 -- 100 people and wounding at
8:11 am
least another 100. the blast happened after a vehicle struck a tanker in a street with heavy traffic. the victims reportedly included people who went to collect fuel as it leaked out of the tanker immediately following the crash. in poland, tens of thousands of people took to the streets saturday to decry the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman who died in september after she was refused treatment amid poland's near-total ban on abortions. advocates say izabela, known as iza, is the first person to die as a result of the draconian anti-choice law as doctors refused to abort a fetus that showed numerous defects and delayed offering care to iza until a fetal heartbeat could no longer be detected. this is an activist speaking at a rally on saturday. >> i don't want to die ,iza said to a woman in the hospital room. iza do not receive help because the heart of that fetus was still beating.
8:12 am
she could have lived. there was enough to take care of her, her health and her life. iza died from sepsis. she was a mother, daughter, wife, sister, friend. amy: a warning to our audience, this story contains descriptions of deadly violence. in georgia, the trial of three white men who chased down and shot dead ahmaud arbery last year, kicked off with opening arguments friday. the jury was also shown police body cam footage of the 25-year-old black jogger after he had been killed. prosecutor linda dunikoski described how the three defendants gregory mcmichael, travis mcmichael, and william bryan chased arbery for five minutes in their pickup trucks until he was "trapped like a rat." this is the prosecutor delivering her opening statement. >> all three of these defendants did everything they did based on
8:13 am
assumptions. not on facts, not on evidence, but on assumption. they make decisions in their driveway based on those assumptions that took a young man's life. amy: and in houston, texas, at least eight people were killed, including two high school students aged 14 and 16, at the astroworld festival friday after an audience of some 50,000 rushed for the stage, crushing those at the front. hundreds more were injured. the chaos unfolded during rapper travis scott's performance, the festival's headliner and an organizer. scott finished his full set and brought out rapper drake to perform as audience members begged security guards for help but were ignored. cnn reports the show continued for at least 40 minutes after initial reports of audience members being injured. a police investigation is ongoing, and at least two lawsuits have been filed against travis scott, drake, live nation
8:14 am
entertainment, and others involved in the festival. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the united nations climate summit has entered its second week. on friday and saturday, over 100,000 demonstrators took part in a pair of large climate rallies in the streets of glasgow. the first protest was organized by fridays for future, an international movement of students which grew out of greta thunberg's climate strike outside the swedish parliament in 2018. we begin today's show with some highlights from friday's rally. this is ugandan climate justice activist evelyn acham. >> we emit very little co2, but we are suffering some of the worst impacts. people are dying from floods, disasters like droughts are drying the people's crops, people's food.
8:15 am
uganda is heavily depending on agriculture for food and water, but again, agriculture depends on the natural systems. that means people are left hungry with nothing to eat or nothing to drink. we are here today to demand for justice from the leaders because we are not responsible as people from africa and yet most times we are not being heard. our voices are not being heard. our voices are left behind. >> our second from u.k., mikaela loach. one of the young people taking to court. >> the world leaders, you steal our sacred words and use them to defend and uphold the oppressive systems of white supremacy. you tell us the action needed to prevent sea level rise is
8:16 am
impossible are not practical. in this heartbreak, fear, and despair, i felt weak but i will allow myself to face my heartbreak. the goals of community could be poured into those crabs and make it stronger, make it bigger, because every time i heartbreaks, it is made stronger. don't runway or ignore the realities of societal violence around us. it is not to ignore the violence of our siblings on the front lines excretes at the -- fossil fuel companies. it is not to ignore the hypocrisy of the u.k. government , the host of this conference, to prop up the violence with 4 billion pounds of our public money and subsidies. this and government are trying to prove that oil fields and 39 other oil and gas projects at a time when they said we can have
8:17 am
no investment if we want a livable future -- no new investment if we want a livable future. this is worth of hypocrisy, it is violence. we cannot give up. we cannot be overwhelmed. we must act. these are last resort times. do whatever you can and be audacious about how the incredible future we can create can be. we have to believe we can achieve it. >> good afternoon glasgow! can i see the fists up? i stand here in solidarity on behalf of indigenous peoples i was popular. --west papua. world's largest tropical island, described as one of the most
8:18 am
unique land and bow diversity. new guinea island has become -- [indiscernible] destroying our ancient lands. threatened with extinction to our people. our current status, 4.6 billion years of life to just 10 years to prevent irreversible destruction of the earth's ecosystems. what does innovation and development mean? so this is where climate justice is about.
8:19 am
if, reflect one of the outcomes of the u.n. ipcc that says just 5% of force populations exist of indigenous communities have reserved more than can you percent -- pound. there the most important stakeholders that have been ignored at cop26. >> hello. my community is suffering from the oil industry since before i was even born. that is the reality of many, many indigenous and amazonian communities in ecuador and other amazonian countries. but i want to talk about how is this even possible. how is it even possible that we have every year more concessions and how we every year can see more oil platforms being built in the amazon?
8:20 am
it is only possible because there are people financing that. in the same people that are perpetuating this violence on our lands at the same ones having the negotiations over there in that building at cop. we need to start talking about this. behind every murder that happens in the amazon or happens -- where every killing that happens to land offender, there's a company behind that. there's a government behind that. there is a name behind that. u.s. and european banks are every day financing and investing in the amazon destruction. they are investing in the killing of the amazon and the killing of the people. there are people actually responsible for this, and we need to hold them accountable. >> good afternoon, everyone.
8:21 am
i am part of youth advocates for climate action and fridays future. right now just a buzz right away from here, world leaders are talking about youth climate and addressing climate change. for the past few days, and decades, youth around the world tried to play a role in the negotiations about our present and future and we come along sides of any more of the info to people of the world, here because we have been excluded. people the fight tooth and out to get to glasgow billionaires and fossil fuel ceos, and in the private jet super yachts get to speak at cop and lecture us on how to save the planet. the philippines is one of the most impacted countries when it comes to the climate crisis. i witnessed firsthand how two of the costliest happens to every the country just last year with floods reaching the roofs of two-story, three-story buildings, lives in lebanon's he
8:22 am
raised overnight. on top of this, our president is cracking down on environment activism, causing for the massacre of land defenders and calling us terrorists. it is no wonder the philippines has remained the deadliest country in asia for eight consecutive years. the climate crisis is not an issue -- it is an issue of the day, not 2050, 2030. second delayed action toward global mitigation and adaptation condemns billions across the road to an unlivable future. amy: that's jon bonifacio, filipino climate justice activist, speaking along with others in glasgow at the fridays for future rally this weekend. we'll be back, we will hear from greta thunberg and more.
8:24 am
amy: chilean artist and activist ana tijoo performing at saturdays climate protest in glasgow, scotland. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. as we bring you climate countdown, i am and be goodman. we turn now to 18-year-old swedish climate activist greta thunberg. she spoke on friday at a rally in glasgow organized by fridays for future, an international movement of students which grew out of her climate strike outside the swedish parliament that began in 2018. >> it is not a secret that cop26 is a failure. it should be obvious that we cannot solve a crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first place.
8:25 am
and more and more people are starting to realize this. many are starting to ask themsees, what will it take for the people in power to wake up? but let's be clear, they are already awake. they know exactly what they are doing. they know exactly what crisis values they are doing to maintain business as usual. the leaders are not doing nothing, they are actively creating loopholes to benefit themselves and to continue profiting from this destructive system. this is an active choice by the leaders to continue to let the exploitation of people and nature and the destruction of present and future living conditions to take place. the cop has turned into a pr event where leaders are giving
8:26 am
beautiful speeches and announcing fancy commitments and targets while behind the curtains, the governments of the global north countries are still refusing to take any drastic climate action. continue to fight for the status quo and cop26 has been named the most exclusionary cop ever. this is now a global [indiscernible] festival. a two week long celebration of business as usual and blah blah blah. the most affected people in the most affected areas still remain unheard.
8:27 am
in the voices of future generations are drowning in their greenwashing and empty words and promises. but the facts do not lie and you know that our emperors are naked. to stay below the target set in agreements and thereby minimizing the risk of setting up your reversible chain reaction beyond human control, we need immediate, drastic, annual emission cuts unlike anything the world has ever seen. and if we don't have the technological solutions that alone will do anything even close to that, that means we will have to fundamentally change our society. and this is the result of our leaders repeated failure to address this crisis. at the current admissions rate comes remaining co2 budget gives us the best chances of staying below 1.5 degrees celsius will be gone within the end of this
8:28 am
decade. the climate and ecological crisis of course does not exist in a vacuum stop it is directly tied to other crises and injustices that date back to colonialism and beyond stop crises based on the idea that some people are worth more than others and therefore had the right to exploit others, and to steal their land and resources. and it is very naïve of us to think we could solve this crisis without addressing the root cause of it. but this is not going to be spoken about inside the cop. it is too uncomfortable. it is not easy for them simply to ignore the historical deaths the countries of the global north have for the most affected people in areas. in the question we must ask ourselves now is, what is it that we are fighting for?
8:29 am
are we fighting to save ourselves in the living planet, or are we fighting to maintain business as usual? amy: that is greta thunberg speaking during the fridays for future mass rally in glasgow. there was another major protest in glasgow as part of the day of global action. this is 24-year-old ugandan climate activist vanessa nakate . >> in 2019, i started a project that involved the installation of solar panels and eco-friendly stores and schools in uganda. it has been beautiful seeing the schools finall have lights and excitement of the students and the teachers at the end of the installation. it has been pure joy to everyone supporting this project. however, last evening, i
8:30 am
received a message from the head teacher from one of thechools and it read, "good evening, vanessa. thank you for everything. and our primary school, a heavy storm came and destroyed the roofing of our school. we don't know what next. my heart froze and then he started to said pictures and i could see the roof of the classrooms destroyed, and i run six children standing in front of the classroom without the roof and the head teacher holding the once installed solar panel. some of the crops were on the ground. it was so devastating to see. in the head teacher said to me on audio, "we are here in an outcry as you can see. yesterday we had a very strong
8:31 am
storm because of the rain. it came when it was so heavy and has destroyed everything. it has destroyed our crops. the school roof and our solar which you provided were also put down. we are trying to fix it, but things are not easy. we were so worried about the panel, but i think it was not destroyed. we shall test it and see if it is still working. but all the wires and the bolts were destroyed. i need some to tell me how to explain to the head teacher that the strong winds and heavy rain falls will not stop because the promises of leaders do not match their actions. this is just one example. just one. many schools are bng destroyed because of extreme weather events. i need someone to tell me how to explain to farmers who are
8:32 am
losing their crops and farms because of droughts and floods that seem to never end and leaders continue to open up new coal power plants, construct oil pipelines, and frack gas without paying a sanction and listening to the voices crying out for help because of the destruction that is happening. that leaders have failed to understand that we cannot eat cold, we cannot recoil, and we cannot breathe so-called natural gas. is there anyone among you who can help me explain to girls dropping out of school, women walking long distances to collect water and find food for their families that the decisions being made by government right now are only going to increase the challenges that they are facing? amy: vanessa nakate speaking at
8:33 am
the climate rally in glasgow saturday. others included the poet and climate aivist thy -- includejetnil-kijer a poet and aivist fm the marsha islands >> i traled all e way from my home, the marshall islands, so i could be with y all today join thcall forlimate stice and climatection an i'gratefulnd humbled tbe givethis plaorm tspeak. the marshall islands is located in the northern pacific ocean. only two mers above s lel witho mountains like me of the gger islands, no higher ground to to. so pple reill te you our very existence is at stake. up to this cop, i would have had the same thing. with the rising sea level even half an meter would result in waterflooding our islands and our islands will become unlivable in 20 years. we would just nd to sto
8:34 am
walls arnd our entiresland to get the wat out. the physical existence of our island is at is stakeost ofhat is w i flew l the y here for or 18 hoursn multiplelanes. i fl for theirst time in t years since the pandemic began. i have not left my island for two years sinceur bords closed. the art ofovid, but i kn the only reason i would leave us to make sure our message gets here. >> thank you. >> my meages this, we as a peop are not gng anywhe. we survived three as of colonialm, survive or 60 nucleaweapons detonated and errorless during the u.s. weaps testing ogram. we wl survive climate change. we refuse to ead. our sovergnty is t up for debate. we do ed clectivactions.
8:35 am
need the biggest emitrs to helaccountae. we need financg to impment th solutn fodeveloping ourselves. we ctribute .0005% othe world's global emiions. did notng to ntribute t th crisiand we should not have to pay the consequences. amy: kathy jetnil-kijiner a poet and activist from the marshall islands speaking at a climate rally glasgow on saturday. in glasgow on saturday. visit democracynow.org to see our past interviews with kathy as well as her reading her poetry and also interview with kathy and her mother, the former president of the marshall islands, as well as our interviews with vanessa nakate and greta thunberg at past u.n. climate summits. will come back, 1000 environment and land defenders have been killed since the signing of the paris agreement in 2015. stay with us. ♪♪ [music break]
8:37 am
amy: "ocean" by uliya. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we bring you climate countdown. we go now to glasgow where activist held a memorial for those who were unable to attend the u.n. climate summit this year -- the 1005 land and environmental defenders who have been murdered since the paris agreement in 2015. one in three of those killed was an indigenous person. at the fridays for future mass rally in glasgow, four climate activists from colombia talked about the murders of land defenders in their country. >> we are climate i to us from colombia. we want to honor those that have been killed in the last three
8:38 am
years of no cop. colombia is the most dangerous country to be an environment of defender in the whole world and no one cares. we say those who die defending life cannot be considered dead. we would like to invite you to join us in saying some of their names. we cannot say all of their names because it would become night if we set all of their names. we will each name one environmental defender that was assassinated in our country and their story. after, we will say justice for this leader and we would like you to answer back in unison, justice, while raising your fist. let us try it now. a land offender and peasant leader. she was assassinated in 2019. justice! >> and environmental leader and
8:39 am
organizer and she was assassinated in 2020. justice! >> and indigenous people defender and she was assassinated in 2019. justice! >> she was defender and assassinated last year. justice! and many more but we don't have time to name all of them. that is why we need the agreement to be ratified because it is a link between climate justice and human rights. we want to achieve any solution here at cop26 if we don't defend the defenders.
8:40 am
amy: this comes as 2020 was the deadliest year on record for environmental defenders. for more, we go inside the cop, insight cop26, the conference of parties, that u.n. climate summit in glasgow, scotland. louis wilson is a senior advisor at global witness who helped write their report "last line of defense: the industries causing the climate crisis and attacks against land and environmental defenders." also with us, andrea ixchíu, a maya k'iche' leader, journalist, and human rights defender based in guatemala. she's in glasgow for cop26 with the collective futuros indígenas, indigenous futures. we welcome you back to democracy now! we want to begin with you. talk about those who could not make it. not because of covid, not because of the pandemic, but because they were murdered.
8:41 am
over 1000 land defenders, water protectors, environmentalists, since the climate accord was signed in paris in 2015. >> thank you, amy. i would like to start honoring the existence, the life of these people that are taking care of forests, land, water, air that are facing the effects of the climate crisis but also facing the violence that in countries like guatemala, by the government, the extractive industries that are not just causing the climate crisis but also perpetrating colonialist behavior in her territories and lands. i am here also to say that there has been a lot of indigenous people that have been put into prisons that are not allowed to be their territory because of the militarization. as we speak in one region of guatemala, the community is a
8:42 am
state of siege. we're worried about the life of indigenous leaders that are right now living in open resistance against the extractive nickel mind that is being imposed in the communities and what the government is protecting the interest of the company in guatemala to extract the nickel and at this moment the military people are going to the people's houses, militarizing their territories and lands. amy: so let's stay in this community that you have just addressed in guatemala. the president of guatemala imposing a curfew that would prevent the kind of public gatherings, the protests that are taking place there. can you talk about the fact he came to the cop and what message you have for him?
8:43 am
but also, if you could talk further about how that has enabled by countries like the united states? >> it is really sad to say that the government, the president of your country is more worried about protecting investments than that wellness, then a good living, the dignity i'd like for indigenous -- if i'd like for people in guatemala. what we have discovered also with this company and the president is he is receiving money that corrupt acts have been shown and that is also related with a lg period of corruption scandals that have put different presidents of guatemala under the product of a lot of those people. there is a necessity to call the president to assume his responsibility with his own
8:44 am
people, not investors. we're calling on him or his resignation because he looks more like the ceo for this transnational company than the president of guatemala. we are demanding freedom from the journalist that are part of independent media in guatemala that have been put into thread because they were documenting the militarization and the violence. and also it is important to say around all of these projects is that they are trying to say they bring development to community's and are trying to say they are bringing good lifestyles to communities. but what we have been seeing and documenting and what has been happening since 1960's is pollution, destruction of social fabric, of biodiversity, and also a lot of violence against the people. amy: your group indigenous futures, talk about how the
8:45 am
collective is navigating their way through this yurok chrissy at cop26. we heard greta thunberg talk about this as a failure this cop and we're going to be talking about the number of representatives of fossil fuel companies outnumbering any one single delegation from a country. >> yes, it is really sad that this cop was told it is going to be the most inclusive cop of all. but what we have faced traveling from central america, from mexico, to glasgow was really different. it seems like there was institutionalized exclusion of indigenous people indigenous communities. so we are calling into the attention of the u.n. so they could open up for more participation of indigenous communities. we need the indigenous leaders, indigenous communities actually
8:46 am
seated, making decisions. we don't just want to be observers. something that has happened to us, when we are trying to go inside the negotiations as observers, we are seated outside the room to watch the negotiations on a screen. what made us travel all along central america to glasgow if we just going to be seated outside the room to watch a screen? that is something you can do from your country. that is noninclusion, that is violence. that is why we are calling attention. we decided to come to the cop because what is happening here. we are here to say we are living solutions to the climate crisis. if you want to check on solutions, you need to check on what indigenous communities have been doing for thousands of years. percent of the diversity of the world -- 80% of the bile
8:47 am
diversity of the world. that means something. ways of existing and planet without destroying it. what is going on inside the cop, some that are calling nature-based solutions, more colonialism. we are also calling to the attention of the leaders of the companies that are trying to sell new solutions of climate crisis but are actually going to be implemented with violence, without consultation in indigenous communities and indigenous lands. it is important to say the alternatives are there in communities, indigenous communities, but also if you want to create more solutions to the climate crisis, it is important to give land back to indigenous communities. amy: i want to turn to some of the people we are talking about who have been murdered. this is berta cáceres speaking in 2015 after being awarded the prestigious goldman
8:48 am
environmtal prize for her work protecting indigenous communities and for her environmental justice campaign against that massive dam on the sacred gualcarque river in honduras. she was assassinated inside her home in la esperanza, honduras, about a year later. >> in our worldviews, we are beings sue come from the earth, from the water. i people are concessional guardians of the rivers, in turn protected by the spirits of young girls to teach us that giving our lives in various ways for the protection of the rivers is giving our lives for the well-being of humanity and of this planet. amy: in 2019, we spoke to one of berta cáceres's daughters, laura zúñiga cáceres, while democracy now! was in madrid covering cop25. laura was there to receive a human rights award and to speak
8:49 am
at the social summit for the climate, an alternative climate summit hosted by activists. i asked her about the risks indigenous women face in honduras as they fight to protect the earth. >> just the land and air turn tory is violated and destroyed, so are our bodies. and that is something that is a constant in countries like honduras. we know we are at risk. we know they kill us, they raped us, that they attack our families. but i also believe it is women who are carrying out resistance, leadership. i moms leadership is just one story. but when we go to other communities, we find great women leaders and that also has to do with generating alliances that allow us to strengthen ourselves. amy: that is laura talking about the indigenous work that is
8:50 am
being done in honduras like that done by her assassinated mother berta. we're going to turn out to 2020 two another continent. we're going to turn to south africa. i leading fight against the call my post of three unknown assailants entered her home and assassinated her. this is her daughter speaking to global witness earlier this year. >> my mom would receive anonymous calls from unknown numbers and people would tell her that her day is coming. mom was murdered in october 2020. if i was home, i would he
8:51 am
tried to do something and then my family would have lost both my mother and i on the very same day. we were a united community. we were free to walk wherever you wanted to walk. you could be friends with anyone you wanted to friends with. we are afraid to even ask questions about electricity o water or schools because you don't know what might cause you to be a target. amy: i want to bring into this conversation louis wilson. you helped organize outside cop26 in glasgow to commemorate the ordered land defenders and helped write the report "last line of defense: they district causing the climate crisis and attacks against land and
8:52 am
environmental defenders." louis wilson, if you can talk about south africa? >> absolutely. what you just described was just one of 227 murders of climate land activist last year but when it really stuck in the minds. an amazing leader but also a grdmother. she was murdered in r home as her grandson played outside. she was murdered in cold blood after asking her grandson if his grandmother was there. he answered, yes, she was. the case is also remarkable because there is no real ongoing investigation into fikile's murder. the community has been terrorized by the event. what has been remarkable,
8:53 am
malungelo, after what happened, has taken of the campaign. i think that bravery, that courage and in the face of that violence, can give us hope for a fight in the climate crisis. amy: we were just talking with andrea xchiu about the nickel mining and then you have this call might in south africa. overall, talk about the threat to and from mental defenders and then go to the environment list in mexico who was recently murdered. >> absolutely. the stories we hear in each instance is a tragedy but as you look at the global picture, see a common thread, threat against environmental activists are caused by the same forces driving the climate crisis. so the same forces pulling minerals out of the ground, selling trees, polluting our
8:54 am
air, is also causing violence and threats against activists. casey just referenced in mexico was just a month prior to fikile's death. he had been protesting water access for years. this community have been denied traditional water resources. at the same time as a big corporation, heineken, was granted additional access by the local government. oscar was september 22. nobody i think would suggest that heineken directly organized that killing, but it is clear they created the conditions that made that are possible. it is difficult to see that murder or many of the other murders taking place without that resource extraction by big companies. amy: and the violence getting worse? can you talk about who is finding these industry? in mexico, have documented 30 lethal attacks against land
8:55 am
defenders in 2020, 67% increase from 2019 colombia. colombianumber one. second, mexico, deadliest countries for impermeable defenders. >> absolutely. across the globe, violence is increasing and really we can understand the killing of land and environmental activists another metric of the climate crisis as we see these other indicators spiral out of control, also saying violence get worse. that tells us is the climate crisis is also a human rights issue. i think at cop we heard a lot of talk about scientific fixes, accounting tricks that we can do to round off this climate crisis. actually, this is a political issue. without severe and drastic redistribution of political power and putting human rights at the center of our response to the climate crisis come the
8:56 am
violence will continue. sadly, so, to will the other metrics continue to spiral out of control. amy: you're a senior advisor with global witness, which just put out an analysis of the hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists flooding the cop26 climate talks. you found -- "if the fossil fuel lobby were a country delegation at cop it would be the largest with 503 delegates -- two dozen more than the largest country delegation." your colleague dominic kavakeb with global witness made this video as he documented the greenwashing events at cop26 that promote fossil fuels under the guise of renewable energy. >> i am here at cop26 standing outside that official area where they host private events number of events that sound fantastic to you realize [indisrnible] lobbyists organizing some of these events.
8:57 am
[indiscernible] amy: louis wilson, can you lay out the findings from the global witness analysis of fossil fuel lobbyists flooding the cop26 climate talks at your colleague is describing? >> absolutely. we released data today showing as you note the largest delegation at cop26 come the last best chance to avert climate disaster come the largest delegation here fossil fuel lobby. we analyze publicly available data from the unccc and fountain
8:58 am
503 delegates are here representing either fossil fuel companies -- over 100 fossil fuel companies are represented here -- or trade associations who are lobbying for fossil fuels. that delegation is actually larger than the combined delegations of the eight worst affected countries by the climate crisis, including countries like the philippines. we don't allow tobacco lobbyists into health conferences, but begs the question why fossil fuel are being allowed into the most important climate conference of a generation? amy: andrea, what then gives you hope? >> i think the future is a territory that we must defend. i said that the living solutions to the climate crisis already exist in indigenous communities that needs to be respected. i'm also calling to the responsibility of the people around the world to stop
8:59 am
9:00 am
[crowd chanting] women's rights! male announcer: good evening, in a landmark ruling the supreme court today legalized abortions. kathryn diss: almost 50 years ago, the supreme court gave women the right to abortion for the first time in us history. male: what about the baby's rights? you're all gonna go to hell. kathryn: the controversial ruling in the roe v. wade case has divided americans for decades. male: abortion is murder. kathryn: now the conservative south is launching its biggest challenge. philip gunn: on behalf of the state of missiippi, we are pro-life. phil bryant: it is law. sam lee: all pro-lifers that i know of reject there is
41 Views
Uploaded by TV Archive on