|
Featured Event |
Upcoming Events |
Recent Events |
Archive Events
FEATURED
EVENT
UPCOMING EVENTS
Join us for a special anniversary event on
Monday, November 23rd 2009
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
TEN YEARS: FROM SEATTLE TO COPENHAGEN
The WTO Shutdownand what it means for a
UN Climate Deal in Copenhagen
Fifty thousand peaceful protesters on the streets of Seattle
stunned the world on November 30, 1999 when they shut down
the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) attempt to launch
a new round of world trade talks aimed at expanding global
corporate power over peoples. Ten years later, the WTO remains
on the ropes due to a sophisticated global network of activists—spanning
from Indian peasant farmers to South African HIV/AIDS activists
to Brazilian workers—who have kept the WTO from concluding
its negotiations. Though maybe less visible today, global
justice networks are morphing into new movements to turn
crises like global climate change into opportunities for
political transformation. We will also discuss one current
process toward global economic transition: the United Nations’ summit
to seal a climate deal next month in Copenhagen, where the “spirit
of Seattle” is again being invoked to inspire actions.
Please join us in recalling Seattle’s popular victory
through reflections with those who made history happen, and
all who see more change to come.
with
Jerry Mander, Victor Menottii, and Claire Greensfelder, IFG
Anuradha Mittal, Oakland Institute
Paul Hawken, David Solnit and Rebecca Solnit, local author-activists
Jia Ching Chen, youth-of-color organizer
Kevin Danaher, Global Exchange
Tim Robertson, California Fair Trade Coalition
First Unitarian Universalist Church
1187 Franklin St (Geary @ Franklin)
San Francisco
For more information please call IFG at 415-561-7650
www.ifg.org
info@ifg.org
Sliding scale of $10 -$25
No one turned away for lack of funds
RECENT EVENTS
On Saturday, October 24th, the International
Day of Climate Action, join thousands around the world at
over 4400 actions in 178 countries in calling for climate
justice at the Copenhagen climate talks. Join us as the Bay
Area converges next to Justin Herman Plaza (Embarcadero BART)
at 3pm to tell our leaders that the world needs climate justice
action now!
IFG's
Jerry Mander to speak at the Climate Action Rally
in Pt. Reyes Station, CA
Transition West Marin will hold a Climate
Action Demonstration, Rally and PowerDown challenge.
There will be a march starting at Third St. and Route
1 with signs at noontime demanding 350 ppm be adopted.
The PowerDown will be a challenge to the community
to not use any fossil fuels for one day (or to reduce
as much as possible), encouraging stagecoach (bus),
carpool, bicycles, electric bike and walking. The
teach-in features Jerry Mander, Steve Kinsey and
other speakers, who will speak on global warming,the
significance of 350 ppm and peak oil. |
|
|
|
|
Join
IFG's Alexis Halbert and Claire Greensfelder @
Bay Area Climate Action Mass Convergence: 3-5 pm,
San Francisco, CA
Just South of Justin Herman Plaza at
the foot of Market St (Embarcadero BART).
NOTE: The event is NOT at Justin Herman
Plaza, but is on the Plaza lawn a few hundred feet
to the south, between Steuart St. and The Embarcadero,
toward Mission St. from Market St. Look for the yellow
flags and banners! Look for the IFG banner to meet
up with IFG staff and volunteers!
Read Out for Climate Justice: Hear Bay
Area Spoken word performers from Youth Speaks “Green
Team,” writer Rebecca Solnit and one of America’s
most popular poets, Jane Hirshfield. Climate activist-analyst
Gopal Dayaneni of Movement Generation will break down
climate crisis and climate justice solutions, SF Supervisor
Ross Mirkarimi will join the call for climate action
and Greenpeace organizer Lauren Thorpe will tell us
what other around the world are doing simultaneously. |
Be part of a Human Billboard:
Join hundreds of people to create a giant visual message,
spelling "350" and holding a giant parachute
banner. Aerial pictures will be taken and the 350.org folks
will in turn post them up on the mega screens in Times
Square in NYC on the same day and the photos will be delivered
to US and world government leaders.
Action Station: Sign a giant postcard or make
a phone call to send a loud message to your representatives
and to Obama. Sign up to participate in nonviolent civil
disobedience and/or legal protest on Nov. 30, the final Global
Climate Justice Action Day before Copenhagen!
SF Bike Action: 2pm
Bike the SF Shoreline! Get your bikes ready for
underwater pedaling! Pull out your floaties and snorkel masks!
Sign up to be one of 350 bicyclists to ride along SF’s
future post-climate-changed shoreline as part of this Global
Day of Climate Action. When you sign up, you’ll have
the option of receiving a number, being contacted with updates,
and getting a “The Tide is Rising” flag or Patch
to keep. This action will start at 2pm from Plaza lawn a
few hundred feet to the south of Justin Herman Plaza, at
the foot of Market St. between Steuart St. and The Embarcadero,
on the south side (toward Mission St). Look for the yellow
flags and banners!
Public Education Actions at Bay Area BART stations
and transit hubs: Morning/Early Afternoon
Join or start an event at your local station!
Pass out flyers on climate justice, plan a guerrilla poetry
reading, plan an art build…the possibilities are endless.
If you can volunteer to help, please show up
at 1:30
Why now?
From December 7-18, 2009, the world’s leaders
will meet in Copenhagen to decide what to do about climate
change. Sadly, if these leaders reached an agreement today,
it wouldn’t be strong enough to do much good.
Scientists tell us that the maximum level of
CO2 our atmosphere can safely bear is 350 parts per million.
Beyond that, our earth and its species are at imminent risk
of catastrophic changes we’ll never be able to stop — meaning
billions of people will die. Today, the level of CO2 in the
atmosphere is already at 390 worldwide — and it’s
rising at 2 parts per million per year. In order to bring
our climate back to the safe zone and avoid catastrophic
consequences, we need a global agreement to make massive
emissions cuts now. But we can’t wait for politicians
to do the right thing. There’s only one way we can
achieve that: we need to turn the political heat way up — and
push back the corporate and big business lobbyists pushing
false solutions (like clean coal and carbon trading) so they
can keep polluting and keep profiting. Climate change is
so serious, we can’t afford half measures or anything
less than addressing the root causes. Climate Justice means
that those most responsible for climate change (rich countries
and climate polluting industries) must be made to take responsibility
and those least responsible (developing countries and low
income communities and communities of color) must not be
the most impacted.
The good news is “street heat”—public
pressure and protest—works. Over 1500 actions are planned
in over 110 countries for Oct. 24th. Join the growing global
movement creating “street heat” for climate justice
in the lead-up to the Copenhagen climate talks.
Click
here to check the call-out rap from Alliance for Climate
Education
Ken Saro-Wiwa (Greenpeace)
Update on News from Niger Delta /
Suit Against Shell Oil
Oronto Douglas, Co-Founder of Nigerian
Environmental Rights Action
Speaking THIS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 12pm - 1pm at
International Forum on Globalization
1009 General Kennedy Ave. 2nd Floor, Conference Room, San
Francisco
Recent headlines don't tell the real story about attacks
by the Nigerian military on communities in the oil-producing
Niger Delta, nor about how Royal Dutch Shell will appear
before a federal court in New York to answer charges in connection
with the execution of Nigerian author/activist Ken Saro-Wiwa
by Nigeria's former military regime. Please join IFG in welcoming
Oronto as our "African Scholar in Residence".
Download
the pdf flyer
Read more about
Oronto Douglas
Victor Menotti, IFG Executive
Director, Speaks at Upcoming Bay Area Conference on the Job
and Equity Impacts of Carbon Pricing Policies
Carbon pricing policies like cap-and-trade
programs are being proposed or implemented to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions in California, the Western states of the US
and Canada, and nationally. This conference will explore
the design options within carbon pricing policies that shape
impacts on employment and equity.
May 5, 2009, 8:30 AM—6 PM Conference, 6:30 PM Reception
UC Berkeley International House, 2299 Piedmont Avenue Berkeley,
CA
Workshop topics include: In-depth
workshop on carbon pricing policy options • Economic
and equity impacts of carbon pricing policies • Common
issues for labor and environmental justice groups • The
politics of cap and trade in California and the West • How
to prevent “leakage” • How to spend carbon
revenues • Complementary policies
Sponsors: UC Berkeley Labor Center, Apollo Alliance, California
Labor Federation's Workforce and Economic Development Program, California State
Building and Construction Trades Council, Don Vial Center on Employment in
the Green Economy, Energy Foundation, Environmental Justice and Climate Change
Initiative, Western Climate Advocates Network (WeCAN), and others.
General information: Theresa Short, laborcenter@berkeley.edu,
510-642-0323
Claire
Greensfelder, IFG Program Leader, and IFG Board Vice-President,
Vicki Tauli-Corpuz, at the Indigenous Peoples Global Summit
on Climate Change: April 20-24th, 2009.
Human activity is changing the world’s
climate and altering the natural environment. In a
very real sense, indigenous peoples are on the front lines
of climate change.
The global summit enables indigenous peoples
to share their experience, lessons, aspirations, and potential
approaches to dealing with climate change based on their
cultural and traditional understandings as well as the current
conditions they face, strengthening their voices and bring
them to the table in national and international decision-making.
(Patricia Cochran: Leading the Way on Climate Change)
You can follow the discussion by watching
the plenary sessions live via webcast.
Webcast
Week’s
Program
On Thursday, March 5, at 7pm join the International
Forum on Globalization, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives,
International Rivers and Rainforest Action Network for a
panel discussion and forum on the international negotiations
for a climate treaty.
This is a special opportunity to hear firsthand
from local activists who attended the most recent round of
negotiations last December in Poznan, Poland, and to learn
about actions that you can take to support a strong global
agreement.
When: Thursday, March 5th, 7:00
- 9:00 p.m.
Where: Centro del Pueblo, 474 Valencia
St. San Francisco, CA 94103
This event is FREE. However, donations to support our work
will be accepted.
2009: A Critical Year for Climate Change
An open forum hosted by some of the Bay Area groups
active in the international negotiations for a climate change
treaty. 2009 is a critical year for the planet, with major
changes anticipated in international law, national policy,
and local initiatives. Join us to discuss the opportunities
and challenges we are facing and how together we can make
a difference.
Speakers include:
Claire Greensfelder, International Forum on Globalization
Payal Parekh, International Rivers
Joshua Kahn Russell, Rainforest Action Network
Neil Tangri, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
Representative, Asia Pacific Environmental Network
|
|
BAY
AREA REPORT BACK FROM THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM (WSF)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
6:30 - 8 pm
5366 College Avenue
(5 blocks south of Rockridge Bart station)
Oakland, CA Directions
For more information contact: Christian
Poirier at Christian@amazonwatch.org or
510-666-7565
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
7-8:30pm
522 Valencia, 3rd Floor Auditorium*
(near 16th and Mission BART)
San Francisco, CA
For more information contact: Leila
Salazar-Lopez, Leila@ran.org or 415-659-0532. |
• Hear from representatives
of Amazon Watch, Rainforest
Action Network, International
Forum on Globalization on their experiences
at the World Social Forum, which include coordinating
the human banner and the UN Declaration on Indigenous
Peoples Rights panel with Indigenous allies.
• Participate in an open discussion
with other Bay Area community members and leaders who
attended the WSF.
• See photos by Lou Dematteis,
award-winning photojournalist from San Francisco.
From January 26-February 1,
2009 over 100,000 people from all over the world
gathered at the World
Social Forum (WSF) in Belem, Brazil to revive
the call that "Another World is Possible". For
the first time in the Forum's 7 year history, it
took place in the Amazon, which manifested the largest
Indigenous delegation in the history of the forum. On
the opening day of the Forum, Indigenous people from
across Latin America led over 1,700 WSF participants
to form a human banner, using their bodies to draw
attention to the increasingly precarious situation
of the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous leaders, environmentalists
and activists joined forces to spell out the messages "SOS
AMAZONIA and SALVE A AMAZONIA" ("SOS AMAZON
and SAVE THE AMAZON" in Portuguese) around the
massive silhouette of an Indigenous warrior taking
aim with a bow and arrow. See photo above.
Co-Sponsored by: Amazon
Watch, Rainforest
Action Network, International
Forum on Globalization, and Center
for Political Education.
*NOTE: Space is NOT wheelchair accessible.
|
Globalization
on the Ground:
WHAT BOLIVIA TEACHES US
Book Presentation and
Discussion
Dignity and Defiance:
Stories from Bolivia's Challenge to Globalization
With the Democracy Center from Cochabamba, Bolivia
Tuesday Feb
3, 2009, 7-9pm
Misson Cultural Center
2868 Misson St., between 24th and 25th
Download and print the 1.2MB
pdf flyer
Wednesday
Feb 4, 2009, 7-9pm
Redwoods Presbyterian Church
110 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA 94939
Download and print the 1.4MB
pdf flyer |
|
 |
2009 World Social Forum - Fórum
Social Mundial 2009
Indigenous
Rights in Action - Direitos Indígenas
em Ação
International
Forum on Globalization, Tebtebba Foundation,
Amazon Watch, Amazon Alliance
|
Download the 1.4MB
pdf report
(english, portuguese, spanish)
|
|
|
The International Forum on Globalization attended the
World Social Forum in Belem Brazil during the week
of Jan 26, 2009. Among other activities, we released
our new report, jointly published by the Tebtebba
Foundation (Indigenous Peoples International
Centre for Policy Research and Education), on Implementing
the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples (UNDRIP).
To learn more or to
join our activities, please contact IFG at ifg@ifg.org
Download a copy of the 1.4MB pdf report in English, Portuguese,
or Spanish.
To order a printed copy of the report, click
here.
Please make
a donation to IFG to help us continue our work
in support of Indigenous Peoples. |
CLIMATE:
REPORTS FROM UN TALKS IN POZNAN
300+ NGOs Say No
to Mickey Mouse Climate Solutions
Poznan, Poland.
Three dozen environmental leaders from 16 countries
braved icy cold weather on Wednesday morning in front
of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Meeting in Poznan, Poland where they called nuclear
power “a Mickey Mouse solution” to climate
change. The activists were carrying banners and posters
with lively slogans including “Don’t Nuke
the Climate,” “No Nuclear Power in The
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)” and “Nuclear
Power, No Thanks!” read
more... |
The
Talking at COP 14 is all but over, Now It’s
Time for Action!
Friday, Dec 12 - Side
Event Flyer
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
"Towards
a Global Climate Fund"
watch
press conference
(Mac: Safari, PC: IE or Firefox)
Over
160 Citizen Groups from Dozens of Countries
Endorse UN Global Climate Fund:
International Call for Fund Outside World Bank
Press Event: Thursday, December 11 at 11:30am (Poznan
time)
Main Press Conference Room, Hall 8 A – 1st
Floor
UN Climate Talks in Poznan, Poland
(POZNAN) - On Thursday,
December 11, over 160 citizen groups from dozens of
countries are releasing a statement that
calls for the establishment of a major new Global Climate
Fund under the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These groups argue that
such a fund would be a vital component of any new global
climate agreement that involves the large-scale transfer
of financial resources from rich to poorer countries
in order to help these nations reduce the emissions
that cause global climate change. read
more...
Call for a New Global
Climate Fund
Dear Friends,
On December 1st UN negotiations
on a new climate deal began in Poznan, Poland. We invite
you to add your group's name to the call for a new
Global Climate Fund that is democratic, transparent
and accountable to all, especially those most affected
by climate change. To sign on to the global climate
fund, visit www.choike.org. (read
more...)
Download the
pdf (English, French, Portuguese) to
sign. |
Maude
Barlow in San Francisco December 2nd!
Challenging Corporate
Control of Water: A Public Discussion
This is a free event and the
public is welcome. |
|
Date:
December 2, 2008
Time: 7:00 – 9:30
PM
Place: Mission Cultural
Center
Address: 2868 Mission Street,
SF
download
the flyer
|
|
