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Climate negotiators in Copenhagen, ‘Be guided by climate justice, community rights and voices of women and other marginalised groups', called the Climate Justice Now! bicycle rally in Chiang Mai |
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Written by Tomoko Kashiwazaki
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Thursday, 10 December 2009 14:24 |
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 09 December 2009, Chiang Mai, Thailand - All the way from Copenhagen, Santa Claus joined Buddhist monks with the people of Chiang Mai for a bicycle rally on December 9, 2009, and delivered not toys, but the people's messages and demands for climate justice, particularly lesser greenhouse gas emissions and accountability from first world countries.
The march of more than 30 cyclists and 25 rickshaws or samlor went through the town carrying messages from people in Chiang Mai. The march started from the Indian consulate to the British and the US consulates delivering a "gift", a package of people's statements to each consulate.
In front of the US consulate speakers from Buddhist monks, indigenous peoples in Thailand, Thai general citizen, US citizen as well as Santa voiced common but differentiated experiences in and demands to address climate change which the climate negotiators should be guided by. A skit by Thai youth group represented the TNCs silencing people and exploiting marginalised groups by money and power, which were in the end made committed to sustainable society by people. "Climate Justice Now!" and "Phur Lok Yen Thi Pen Tham!" in Thai were chanted by all participants particularly toward the US, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.
 The consulates of France, China and Japan were also visited by the group. The vice-consul of Japan promised that he would forward the all statements to Tokyo.
‘The US has to pay its climate debt', said Russell Kirk Hollis, a US citizen in Chiang Mai. A legally binding agreement with a target of drastic emission cuts by the first world countries has to be reached in Copenhagen before it is too late.
Tomoko Kashiwazaki
Northern Climate Change Network
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