We Want Climate Justice for our Smaller Islands of the Pacific
C4J Supports the Vanuatu Strike for the Climate Emergency
C4J participated in one National Event “Vanuatu Strike for Climate Emergency”. The goal of the Vanuatu Strike for the Climate Emergency Campaign is to urge individuals, businesses, civil society, government agencies and leaders in Vanuatu to formally acknowledge the Climate Crisis and act on higher ambition to address the unjust and devastating impacts climate change is having on our economy, our livelihoods and our fundamental rights. We aim for Government to Declare a Climate Emergency.
On the 20th of September The C4J Team along side Vanuatu Civil Society, School children and relevant Government Departments stood in solidarity with Global Climate Strike, Friday’s for the future, and extinction rebellion urging the global community to take action on Climate Change. Through this event C4J stood out with it’s banner “Stop Humans from destroying Humankind” posing the up raising question through the general public “who is C4J?”
Deputy Prime Minister Jotham Napat was said to be leading the march through the capital. He later gave a fiery speech announcing the government’s intent to seek redress from polluters in the courts. Honourbable representatives of the Vanuatu Government are filing their address with the UNITED NATIONS in New York, bless their hearts for the good work the keep doing for our country.
In this article C4J wishes to raise some important question around the Vanuatu Governments intended Climate Action strategy and how this may be a TOTAL misappropriation of funds, resources, time and energy as their intended approach is by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres himself indicated to be a sit and wait strategy, with absolutely NO PROMISE to a resolve, resolution or restitution that our Government seems to want to pursue. C4J does see that the Vanuatu Government is making itself known in the International Arena with well needed Climate Action talk, but talk and action are two different things…
VCAN: Vanuatu Climate Action Network
Part of a much larger movement called the Extinction Rebellion, VCAN was responsible for coordinating this nationwide campaign here in Vanuatu. Nearly 1000 individuals attended.
Honorable Deputy Prime Minister Jotham Napat shared in his address to all attendees that:
” Let me be clear that we are now facing the single greatest threat to our sovereignty, our health, our livelihoods, our security, our wellbeing, our culture, our human rights, our economy and our future in the current Climate Crisis. Vanuatu’s women and girls, people with disability and rural populations disproportionately suffer the catastrophic effects of this climate emergency. “ Although a solidarity orientated opening of his speech, C4J wishes to highlight that the Government must first take a REAL and STERN look within our Homelands pertaining to Climate Justice in order to also point fingers at the big corporations “out there”. In short: is there ENOUGH RESPONSIBILITY taken for what is happening IN VANUATU that, MOST CERTAINLY, is condemning the young people of Vanuatu of tomorrow? Acting Prime Minister Jotham Napat said: “Vanuatu’s young people are being condemned to live in an unsafe world, due to the compounding and continuing failures of adults to take climate science seriously.” What about the ILLEGAL LOGGING of endangered species of wood in Conservation areas of VANUATU?? Not in the least to mention the ONGOING CORRUPTION that has allowed for the RAPE and PILLAGE of Vanuatu’s Rosewood Trees to continue!! Please read and share our OPERATION: BLUWOTA reports.
Placing the focus away from our Homeland Bio-Security (that is seriously under threat due to the ongoing Logging of Rosewood Timbers) Prime Minister Jotham Napat went on to say: “Make no mistake that this Emergency is not of Vanuatu’s making, but the blame can be firmly laid at the feet of the fossil fuel companies, and the Governments that continue to subsidize them. “ Is this true when one truly reflects on the fact that we can only take responsibility for our own actions and our own RESILIENCY here for ourselves and eachother IN VANUATU? Perhaps we are much better of listening to Jean-Philip Sewere from Zero Vatu who is arguing that the Government has failed to invest in agriculture, particularly, the farmers. The place where real community and ecological resiliency is only ever going to be reclaimed and ascertained from!
NOT ALONE. YUMI STANAP TUGETA
Indeed, as you yourself would know, C4J is far from alone in thinking that the Vanuatu Government is FAILING at its’ duties of care to ensure Environmental Protection is acted upon so to protect its people, with and, on the land that we actually have here in Vanuatu. If we really want to ensure our younger generation is well protected shouldn’t we ELIMINATE LOGGING from peoples orientation? PLENT MOA TRES… it seems to be the hardest thing to grasp…
But Prime Minister Jotham Napat is also right as he states: “More can, and must be done. And it must be done NOW. ” Unfortunately this talk is all about money and spending it in legal costs to probably get some form of global insurance money back…which is such a long, if not entirely futile, dread to follow and PUTS NO VATU for regeneration into Vanuatu NOW. “Vanuatu has assembled a team of legal experts now exploring pathways to hold polluters to account in the court of law, be they global fossil fuel companies or complicit governments. Vanuatu’s catastrophic climate Losses & Damages will be compensated in full. “ What we hear is more money for the lawyers and legal departments as they are creating more work for themselves… Surely to most readers it is not as “black and white” as this.. but what is the truth in all of this? Praising our youth to protest and do battle with invisible powers in high places is ambitious but the real Earth Hero’s of this country are going to be those Environmental Protection Agents that like to Jean-Philip Sewere from Zero Vatu work with the land and the people today. C4J suggest: Plant more forests, and help stop illegal logging. Only when we do our own “Housekeeping” and make prosperous from the ground up does it make sense to pick legal battles with ghosts in empty suits called corporations. It is important that our Young and Active youth is not deluded with the false narrative that the Government will do all the fighting for as long as they make the protests in the streets. Real climate action starts by tending to our own lands with care, replanting what we already lost and focusing on regenerative solutions that bring prosperity for all. Where is the focus on that? Where are the real hero’s being trained, welcomed to volunteer to replant the endangered species that China has been raping and pillaging from our Homelands?? Please listen to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as he answers questions pertaining to the gravest of Ecocides, and human Injustice in our very own Bio-region; West Papua. He articulates the “sit and wait” approach of the UN. And are we the people of the land of Vanuatu to then believe that the UN, on our behalf, will take to court the BIGGEST Corporate entities on the planet over crimes of “selling fossil fuel”? Crimes that our own Nation is fully complicit in furthering? What about a Renewable Energy strategy for Vanuatu? What about addressing the illegal logging issues that are plaguing our Nations future and Bio-Security?
These are the real issues YUMI KAN address. And so… let there also be action after the marches. If you feel unclear on the subject that our Government is pursuing as “Climate Action” this very balanced article written to Greta Thunberg, responsible for the surge of Climte Strikes all around the world, may help shape your ability to grasp the bigger issues at hand.
Read what our Investigation Team has been accomplishing in pursuing prosecution of Illegal Logging that has taken place in Vathe protected conservation area.