written by Michelle “Jaciara” Alb Indigenous communities play one of the most important roles in the protection of the planet. Their inhabited territories preserve 80% of the planet’s biodiversity, yet they make up only 6% of the population. Indigenous territories are essential for keeping the balance within the ecosystem, because they function as sanctuaries for…
Tag: Climate change

“Generations that come after us should also live well, not only survive”
Interview with Lucie Hammecke (22), member of the state parliament of Saxony.

Growth driven society and the illusion of climate change mitigation
Sustainable development has been the focus of all the contemporary climate negotiations. All the environmental agreements and media releases mention the words “sustainable development”, however the COP22, as many other socio-political arenas, are rooted on the definition of economic growth as the route to development. Article 10.5 of the Paris Agreement set out that “Accelerating,…

FYEG at COP21: Paris Agreement – An Ambitious Disaster?
On the 12th of December 2015 evening a story, ongoing for 21 years, ended. This was the evening when nearly 196 countries agreed to have the first legal treaty, applicable to all, that tries to combat climate change. Unlike it’s predecessor, the Kyoto Protocol which only asked developed countries for emissions reductions, this agreement expects…

FYEG at COP21: Too big to fail – Analysis of the second draft
Last night, a new text was released in the negotiations halls of Paris. The first important thing to note is the kind of text. It is a proposal by the President of the COP and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Laurent Fabius. This means that the new text is not the final text…

FYEG at COP21: A new draft agreement reached
Yesterday, there was a new historical moment for the on-going climate negotiations: We finally have a draft agreement! This new text saw a reduction from 21 to 14 pages, and we have a broad overview of what is in the draft and what isn’t. Firstly, the text still has the form that would be needed…

FYEG at COP21: Gender, working methods, and the Adaptation Fund
Today’s theme was gender, thus several events focus on showcasing women’s initiatives and voices as well as calling for the inclusion of all gender equality in the agreement article 2. Many organisations also called for improved accessibility of climate finance for local solutions because these measures target women in particular. This week it is the…

FYEG at COP21: Show me the money, Saudi Arabia the blocker, and Loss & Damage
Today the negotiations went into their final stage: The ministers arrived. There is still an optimistic atmosphere in the hallways of Le Bourget, where the negotiations take place, in the hope to reach an agreement. The discussions about finance are at a starting point. The already provided climate finance is, according to certain figures, around…

FYEG at COP21: Negotiations halfway, our analysis
Today we reached the mid-term of the COP21 climate negotiations in Paris. The negotiations are portrayed by media and also some civil society organizations as being on the edge of disaster. The pessimism towards these already-too-slow negotiations is spreading. The media writes about the concerns of participants from civil society as well as of official…

An opportunity for “Generation Europe XXI” in (re)claiming public spaces in Europe – Degrowth Perspectives
The European youth deals with numerous challenges: economic crisis, environmental crisis, migratory crisis, democratic crisis… If we consider these crises as structuring factors of the European youth, it is a question of wondering about its capacities in (re)claim the European public places. According to a recent study, we have to admit that in France, 71…