Struggles against climate change and austerity: could the ecological transition be the issue that unites us?

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REGISTER

Friday November 25
Room: Salle 2

14:00-14:30
Capitalism VS Climate: changing the balance of power

1. Global powers and players and its strategies
By Kolya Abramsky, Researcher

2. Building a wide alliance to tackle climate change
By Asbjorn Wahl, Campaign for Welfare State

14:30-16:00
Debate: What would be a real transition: the job issue

Panel:
 Julien Rivoire, FSU and campaigner
 Nora Onaindia, ELA
 Xavier Brossat (SUD Energie, FR)
 Alain Maron, deputy in Brussels Region Parliament
 Climate activist

16:30-18:30: Work in working groups on strategies and proposals

Saturday November 26

9:30-11:30: Plenary on the proposals of working groups

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Background
The climate crisis can be prevented! The main barriers are not technological, but the social, political and economic power relations in society.

Winning the fight for the climate, which is within our reach if we act rapidly and forcefully, is fundamentaly a fight for social and economic justice, democracy and participation; a fight to overturn the current power relations.

But there are also internal barriers, in the way our movements are organised and how we work together. Even if we may have already made positive steps, many more are needed, and fast, in order to meet the challenge before us.

Neither the trade union movement, nor the environmental movement, nor single-issue movements are able to win this struggle alone. Only massive pressure from below from a broad coalition fighting for radical and systemic change can save us from climate catastrophe. That means trade unions, other social movements, environmentalists, progressive political parties and others. Now, more than at any time before, we need to build broad alliances and political unity to turn the tide and move away from our unjust and broken system, away from business as usual.

As a starting point for a debate that neither starts nor endse with this conference, the workshop will be focused around three key questions:

How far have we come so far? Where do we need to go? How are we going to get there?

By combining concrete experiences from people coming different horizons but also from emerging resistances, we aim to begin the process of mapping out these central questions and their possible answers, building a common dynamic for continued discussion, construction and action.