Die Karawane zieht weiter (the caravan must leave….for the next bar) is a popular song in Cologne’s carnival (the fifth season of the year). We (a local network of different organisations and citizen) have adopted this for our motto for our event with the climate caravan on its way to Copenhagen.
We have planned a small event at the Allerweltshaus, a centre for migrant and anti-racist groups. On Saturday evening, we want to eat together and then have a moderated conversation about climate politics, including the impact of climate change in the South, the connection between neoliberalism and climate politics, examples of resistance and strategies regarding Copenhagen.
On Sunday, we are integrating the caravan into the popular “Körnerstrasse Weihnachtsfest,” with a programme of mini conversations (in the context of coffee and waffles) on themes such as “What is climate justice?,” Agrofuels and Agriculture” “Positive, negative, zero – growth. What development path do we want?” The mini conversations can develop into longer workshops in which we can strategise and learn from each other.
The highlight (we hope) is the demonstration on Sunday with the Motto: “For Global Climate Justice. The Climate Caravan on its way to Copenhagen.” It starts at 15.00 at the Hans-Bökler-Platz (where the trade union headquarters are) into the city, which, because it is a “shops open Sunday” (“verkaufsoffener Sonntag”), should be full of people.
Programme:
Saturday 5 December18.00 Arrival of the Climate Caravan at the Allerweltshaus. Dinner together.
20.00: Open meeting: Climate Change, Neoliberalism and Perspectives from the Global South.
Tentative programme: Impact of climate change and climate migration (Badrul Alam, VC Krishok Fed., Bangladesh); Wrong alternatives: Agrofuels (Julio Cesar Ararat Figuero, Proceso des Communidades Negras, Columbia ); WTO and climate politics (Michelle Pressend, Trade Strategy Group, South Africa or Bonnie Setiawan, Institute for Global Justice, Indonesia); Wrong alternatives: nuclear power (Anti-nuclear-group, Balearus); Obama and Climate politics in the USA (Kate Horner, FoE, USA); Movements for climate justice (Badrul Alam, VC Krishok Fed., Bangladesh); Keep Oil in the Ground (Martinez Esperanza, Oilwatch sudamerica, Ecuador); Climate debt and climate justice (Suria Rajini P. APVVU or Satnam Singeh Cheema, VC BKU, India).
Sunday 6 December
10.00 breakfast with hosts and/or together at Allerweltshaus
11-14 Uhr Mini-conversations and workshops:
11.00-12.30: “Positive, negative, zero – growth. What development path do we want?”
11.30-13.00: “What is climate justice?”
12.00-13.30: “Agrofuels and Agriculture”
12.30-14.00: “Emission Trading and the Clean Development Mechanism”
13.00-14.30 “Climate change and Migration politics” (to be adapted accordingly)
15.00-17.00: Demonstration “For Global Climate Justice. The Climate Caravan on its way to Copenhagen.” Start: Hans-Böcklerplatz.
From 17.00: Free evening
Monday 7 December
9.00: Breakfast at the Allerweltshaus
10.00: Departure for Hamburg
The Climate Caravan event in Köln is supported by: attac Köln, die LINKE Köln, DVG-VK Köln, Interventionistische Linke Köln, Kölle Global, Greenpeace Köln, Robin Wood Köln, campusgrün Köln.