The People's Protocol on Climate Change is a global campaign that aims to provide venue for grassroots, especially from the South - who are the worst-affected and yet are the least empowered to adapt to climate change - to participate in the process of drawing up a post-2012 climate change framework.

This is in light of the failure of the Kyoto Protocol in significantly addressing climate change and the failure of the COPMOP in expanding its process to include the concerns of the marginalized sectors. And in a situation wherein the representativeness of governments in terms of prioritizing the welfare of the majority of their constituents is questioned, it is urgent more than ever, for the grassroots to unite and create their own spaces to raise their concerns and issues on climate change.

The People's Protocol on Climate Change, through national and regional assemblies to be held through 2008, will gather feedback on measures being floated in the international climate change talks from the people, in addition to their demands. By reflecting the demands and aspirations of the people on climate change, the People's Protocol on Climate Change serves as an important tool by raising the major concerns of the grassroots that will place pressure on their governments to bring them to the climate change negotiating table.

All these activities will lead up to the climate change meetings in Copenhagen in December 2009.

How did it come about?

The call for a People's Protocol on Climate Change was one of the resolutions of the climate change workshop during the Asia Pacific Research Network's conference on natural resources in Bangkok, Thailand on October 2007. The body, composed of almost 170 participants from all over the Asia Pacific region, unanimously supported the idea.

The summaries of resolutions were:

• The needs of people and planet must be placed above those of global capital and the wholesale pursuit of profits.

• There is a need for a paradigm shift away from growth-led ‘development' models which perpetuate the exploitation of people and the planet by Trans-national companies, towards people's sovereignty over natural resources

• We should not be misled into thinking that technological fixes will allow us to address the climate crisis whilst maintaining current levels of growth and consumption.

• The pursuit of growth and profit is at the core of global warming, exploitation and structural poverty and as such we shouldn't be mislead in thinking that market-led development is the solution to the poverty crisis or climate change.

• Climate change cannot be seen simply as an environmental issue, but must be understood as a social justice which is rooted in the over-exploitation of resources by northern nations and transnational companies.

• The climate shifts to which we are already committee make adaptation funding for southern countries necessary. The disproportionate role northern countries have played in causing the climate crisis means they should also fit the southern adaptation bill. This funding must be in addition to ODA and should not override the ultimate imperative to take immediate and far reaching steps to mitigate against runaway climate change.

• There is a need to acknowledge the inherent conflict between FTAs and neoliberal policies and the need to curb emissions. Concurrent need for coherence between international trade policy and the global drive to reduce emissions.

• The current targets and timelines proposed by Kyoto are not sufficiently in accordance with what the science tells us is necessary to avoid runaway climate change. The Kyoto process does not allow sufficient voice for those communities which will be most impacted by climate change. The COPMOP process must be expanded to include the concerns of marginalized people who will be the worst effected by climate change.

• Although in the medium term southern emissions must also be decreased, we must acknowledge the role that northern consumption plays in driving rapidly increasing southern emissions.

Has the process started?

The resolutions arrived at during the APRN conference provided the basis for the initial draft of the Protocol. Workshops were held in different parts of Indonesia to gather feedback on the draft Protocol. During the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia, two more workshops were held- in Denpasar Bali and the Indigenous People's Meeting in Sumber Klampok in East Java which came up with the Sumber Klampok Declaration. On December 10, 2007, International Human Rights Day, a total of five thousand rallyists supported the call for a People's Protocol on Climate Change and the need for a sustainable development and people's sovereignty on natural resources

A signature and online petition campaign was also started. Individuals and organizations are also encouraged to comment on the draft through this website.

National and regional assemblies will be held throughout the year which will all lead up to the People's Assembly on Climate Change on December 2008, in time for the COP14 meetings, wherein the final People's Protocol on Climate Change will be presented. The following year will be lobbying work for governments to bring the Protocol to the Copenhagen climate change negotiating table in December 2009.

What is the People's Assembly on Climate Change

The People's Assembly on Climate Change will be the main space for Southern and Northern CSOs during the COP14 meetings in Poznan, Poland. Parallel activities such as workshops, press conferences and cultural events will be held. The final People's Protocol on Climate Change will be presented and ratified during the Assembly.

How can organizations and individuals join the campaign?

Aside from the online petition and signature campaign, feedback on the draft Protocol is also being gathered through the Comments Page of this website. The schedule for the national and regional assemblies will be posted in this website soon. You may also want to hold national workshops or co-organize regional assemblies. We have materials that can be used and we may be able to provide resource persons. You may also join the global working committee. If interested to commit to the campaign in some other ways, please forward your comments, suggestions and queries to the Secretariat.

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