Global Power Shift

Continuous Low Carbon Fight in China Campus

On July 19, 2014, with funding from the Yu Foundation of Guangdong Province, the Sixth International Youth Summit on Energy and Climate Change Session, Yu — College Energy Saving Conference of China, was held in Zi Yue Hall in Tsinghua Unisplendour International Center.

After GPS Phase 2 was held in China by GPS-China team, more actions were taken around the country with countless volunteers support and groups efforts. Around 30 school team leaders from provinces over the big country joined the co-hosted discussion session in Beijing last summer; at the conference, those youth leaders brought with the experiences, questions, tools at hands to learn from each other about “How to apply the result of carbon accounting report from campuses into real actions for a renewable future?”

Few months after, they gathered again at their own campus, hometown and reported back to the world on their achievements for a greener future. Starting with 32 universities, the GPS Phase 2 – Low Carbon Campus Project has encouraged hundreds of students to involve themselves in their school’s energy management as well as helping them develop leadership skills; So far, there are 28 universities have completed their carbon accounting research and 24 of them are combating for carbon reduction. Each university develops its own programs to reduce their carbon footprint.For example, Beijing Forestry University launched “Lights Off Project” which involved 50 volunteers and managed to save 30,000 watts of electricity in one month. (more…)

So many Power Shifts, so many people, so beautiful!

These past few weeks have been filled with many wins and inspiring stories for the climate movement. Here is another one.

Since gathering in İstanbul last year for the Global Power Shift, we have had regional power shifts in 86 countries all over the globe, we have witnessed campaigns, trainings, actions and a lot more. And a few weeks ago, we became part of the biggest climate mobilization in history. GPS Phase 2 was beautiful and exciting in so many ways.

Now, we all know that the battle is not won yet. We have to keep on shifting the power until we achieve climate justice and GPS will evolve and continue in line with that goal. But lets make a moment to celebrate and give credit where it’s due.

This one is for all the GPS teams out there who worked day and night to bring the change we need. This is something to remember our amazing adventure.

(See if you can spot familiar faces)

It’s been an honor to witness all that the GPS teams have accomplished – and we hope you enjoy this chance to see how it has all added up (this video does not feature footage from all the GPS events of course – that would run for hours!).

So once again, here’s to all the GPS teams out there!

INTRODUCING THE GLOBAL CLIMATE AMBASSADORS!

On September 21 the largest climate mobilisation will be taking place in NY and beyond. A delegation of globally diverse grassroots leaders will be in attendance at the NY march to ensure voices from movements and campaigns around the world are heard. They will also emphasise various ongoing struggles which will carry forwards beyond September.

We are excited to introduce to you this group of global climate ambassadors! And Power Shifters will notice some familiar names among the ambassadors.

EFLEDA KEMPIS BAUTISTA from the PHILIPPINES

Efleda Kempis Bautistais currently the Chairperson of the Leyte Rural Assistance Program and the Leyte Center for Development and is very involved in relief and rebuilding efforts post super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda (which hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013) through the People’s Surge Philippines. She’s a distinguished former teacher and has done extensive work with rural, clan/family and youth communities in the Samar region particularly on conservation, waste management, coastal clean-up, anti-mining and recycling based income-generating-projects.

MARTIN GUILLERMO MULLALLY from Argentina

Martin Guillermo Mullally is a communications expert and a member of Observatorio Petrolero Sur (OPSur) – a research and advocacy organization on the social and environmental impacts of the fossil fuel industry in Argentina. He is also a member of the press team of ​​the Multi-Sectoral Coalition Against Fracking. He works as a producer in the television program Cartago, co-hosts the radio magazine Vorterix Neuquén, and works with the cooperative Cae Babylon.

ISSO NIHMEI from Vanuatu, Pacific Islands

Isso Nihmei is a youth leader who works with the SPC-GIZ on a national Climate Change Adaptation Program –Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Islands Region (CCCPIR), which aims to strengthen the capacities of Pacific counties and regional organizations to cope with the impacts of climate change. Among the areas he focuses on are climate change and agriculture, including new farming techniques, connections with government, and interaction with national and regional climate change initiatives.

VAISHALI PATIL from India

Dr. Vaishali Patil is a leading grassroots activist who has been working in the Konkan region of India’s Maharashtra State for over 20 years on issues ranging from homestead land rights for women to ending coal and mining projects to organizing against the largest proposed nuclear power project in her region. She is the founder of the Ankur Trust; President of the Forum for Demanding the Rights of Indigenous People; Convener of the Forum Against Disastrous Projects in Konkan; and Secretary of Vikas Sahyog Pratisthan –Network of NGO’s in Maharshtra. She is also the founder of the Forum Against Atrocities on Women.

GÖKŞEN ŞAHİN from TURKEY

Gökşen Şahin was among climate activists that founded Turkey’s Global Action Group in 2005, which organized the “Sign Kyoto” campaign to encourage the Turkish Government to finally ratify the Kyoto Protocol. She is the Environmental Policies Coordinator and Climate Policy Officer of TEMA Foundation – The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, and for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats. At Open Radio, the only independent radio channel in Turkey, she has organized several programs on environment and climate change and currently is produces the “Green Wave” radio program there.

FATIMATA NIANG DIOP from Senegal

Dr. Fatimata Niang Diop coordinates UNDESERT, a NGO which works to understand and combat environmental degradation in West Africa. She is an expert in ecology, biodiversity, forest resource management and carbon project planning and development. She has also been a consultant with Wetlands International and IUCN Headquarters on biodiversity assessment in West Africa. Working with young climate activists, she currently heads the national Power Shift group in Senegal as part of Global Power Shift which aims to scale up the climate movement through regional convergences, strategic campaigns, and grassroots mobilisations.

DIANA MACIAGA from Poland

Diana Maciaga works with the Polish NGO Workshop for All Beings (Pracownia na rzecz Wszystkich Istot), which specializes in protection of the wildest treasures of Poland. She has participated in Global Power Shift and Power Shift Central & Eastern Europe and is sharing her experience through campaigns and coordinating a training for local Polish leaders – “Guardians of Climate.” She is currently one of the organizers of the Stop Elektrowni Północ campaign (stop the ‘North Power Plant’) – a new coal-fired facility in her region in Poland.

JUAN PEDRO CHANG from Peru

Cumbre de los Pueblos Frente al Cambio Climatico

VIDEO: EVERYONE. EVERYWHERE. PEOPLE’S CLIMATE MOBILISATION.

We, the people across the planet, are going to make history on climate change — again. We are about to write a new chapter and shift power to a just, safe, peaceful world.

Will world leaders write this chapter with us? On September 20-21, let’s tell them it’s time for Actions, Not Words. 

Shifting the Power in Afghanistan

Afghanistan Climate Change Movement (ACCM) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit & non political organization of dedicated, energetic and passionate youngsters, professionals and civil society activists. ACCM was found as a result of a commitment with GPS, June 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey

ACCM recently organized a climate change awareness seminar. The event held on 24th May, 2014 in Kabul. The targeted audience/participants were mainly youth from different life sectors.

107 young male and female joined the seminar, and actively took part in the debates with the facilitators and presenters.

In this awareness seminar, we highlighted that one of the biggest issues facing us right now is global warming. Its effects on animals and on agriculture are indeed frightening, and the effects on the human population are even scarier. Also, threw light on the nature of Global warming and causes of climate change, global challenges as well as its universal and regional impacts.

Changing harsh weather, melting ice glaciers, shrinking sea ice, rising sea level, warm oceans and raising temperature was deeply focused to make the concept more understandable to the participants.

Impacts of climate change on the economy were brought under discussion. As Afghanistan is an agricultural country and our economy is based on it, we convinced them with real time examples that how climate change has affected our lives. And at the end, a collective opinion was taken from all that how could we help decrease abrupt changes in the climate and global warming. How to reduce the use of Carbon dioxide and other green house gases.

Cloth bags with ACCM tags printed were distributed among the participants of seminar to spread the message “stop using polythene bags and use environment friendly cloth bags”.

A tree plantation campaign was also launched by the volunteers of ACCM, where they planted almost 4500 trees in Laghman province of Afghanistan.

We will be organizing a bigger campaign in the near future, so that we could build more regional power shifts and ultimately National Power shift.