Desmond Tutu calls for Climate Justice
Thousands of delegates from across the world have descended on Durban, South Africa for the United Nations climate change talks that begin today.
On the eve of the talks the Aprodev network arranged a Climate Justice Rally in the Rugby Stadium in Durban. Activists from across Africa and across the world came together to dance to Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Yvonne Chaka Chaka and to hear from Global Faith Leaders, Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane (The South Africa Chair of Cop 17), Christiana Figuares (the UN climate talks Secretary General) and the great man himself – Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
It was a truly inspiring event and many Time for Climate Justice partners spoke from the stage and joined in the procession. With the calls for climate justice resonating in our ears we now turn our attention to the UN talks themselves.
The Time For Climate Justice campaign have been collecting photos for over a year calling for climate justice and at the rally Desmond Tutu handed these over to Christiana Figueres (the UN climate talks Secretary General). In an emotional speech Figueres reminded us that this is a long process but that we can take a step forward here in Durban.
It was a truly inspiring event and even the rain at the end didn’t dampen the spirits! With the calls for climate justice resonating in our ears we now turn our attention to the UN talks themselves and to our task of making sure the energy and passion for climate justice shown at the rally penetrates into the more hushed corridors of the conference.
We are here to call for climate justice and for the developed nations to sign up to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol – in other words for the richest nations to agree to legally binding emissions cuts and make sure that the poorest have their right to develop in a clean way safeguarded.
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