The Communist Party of the Philippines denounced the recently concluded 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in its “failure to take decisive action to reverse the rapid rise in the earth’s temperature, resulting in disastrous floods, landslides, droughts, heatwaves, super typhoons, forest fires and rising sea levels.”
The CPP said COP26, like in previous conferences, was dominated by “imperialist countries and big industries” which failed to put to task the biggest producers of greenhouse gases, including the US, China, Russia, Germany, India, United Kingdom, Japan and France. “The insatiable hunger for superprofits drive the reckless plunder and destruction of the environment, resulting in rising global temperatures,” the CPP said. “We congratulate the militant mass demonstrations participated in by millions of people, especially by young people across the world, who manifested their anger and rejection of the COP26 pretentions.”
Among those who participated in the demonstrations in Glasgow were the Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment and the International League of Peoples’ Struggle. In their manifestations, they asserted that big countries like the US, China, Japan, UK, Canada and EU members have been the most notorious climate offenders, doubling their greenhouse gas emissions in the last three decades after the first warnings of global warming have been issued. Massive emissions are caused by the “anarchic capitalist activities in the energy industry, manufacturing, transport, industrial agriculture, mining and weapons production,” they asserted.
The ILPS said that these countries are silent on their “massive and disproportionate contribution” to global carbon emissions. “They are also indifferent to the fact that the people in the semi-colonies suffer the worse impact of climate change, including stronger typhoons, floods, soil erosion and drought.”
The ILPS continued, “They even embarked on deceptive solutions… Capitalist countries came up with the ‘Net Zero Emission Program’ purportedly to offset GHG emissions.” The program paved the way for vast tree plantations, dams and other megastructures, resulting in the denudation of forests and destruction of river systems. “This is carried out along with widespread human rights violations and dislocation of minority peoples,” it stressed.
In the Philippines, resistance against environmental plunder is vigorous and militant. The CPP said, “peasants and ethnic minorities have strongly opposed land grabbing and land-use conversion. They have mounted demonstrations and barricades to collectively resist the entry of mining companies and logging operations.” The New People’s Army, the CPP said, “enforces the policies of the people’s democratic government to protect and nurture the environment.”
The CPP said the working people, “especially the young generation who will inherit the earth”, must act to avert climate disaster. “Only by overthrowing the monopoly bourgeoisie and ending the capitalist system can there be an end to the plunder and destruction of the environment and decisively put a stop to spiraling temperatures.”