UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Sunday 20 December 2009

Cuba and Copenhagen "Solar Energy is the energy of socialism"‏

Poor and Emerging States Stall Climate Negotiations" by John M.Broder, in the New York Times 12-17-2009 says it all: "If the United Nations climate talks here [Copenhagen] are entering their final two days in virtual deadlock, it is in large measure because of delays and diversions created by a group of poor and emerging nations intent on making their dissatisfaction clear."

This is the US view exactly. Its not the rich imperialist nations who won't give an inch in their right to pollute and flood out the neocolonial world that is responsible for the deadlock. As Hugo Chavez, said "The rich are destroying the planet. Perhaps they think they're going off to another one after they've destroyed this one."

It is correct though, that the majority of Third World delegates have dismissed the North's proposals as too little, too late. Roberto Perez, a Cuban biologist, permaculturalist and activist, who toured the UK in 2008, spoke at the alternative people's summit Klimaforum09 about how the social movements can make the most of the failure to make a real climate deal, and turn it into an opportunity to force the action needed to stop global warming and start creating climate justice. http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/821/42244

Cuban expert Luis Bérriz the head of the Cuban Society for the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and Respect for the Environment (CUBASOLAR), said in an address to Klimaforum, "Energy is an instrument of power. Whoever has energy, controls the world." Cuba ditched the pursuit of nuclear energy, not at the behest of countries like the United States, but because it discovered that the sun "is the energy of socialism......Hard energy, concentrated in coal, oil and nuclear power is imperialistic and capitalist," said Bérriz in a talk on Cuba's state energy policy.

In contrast, "the sun shines for everyone, even the rich. It belongs to no one, therefore solar energy is the energy of socialism, the peoples' energy, the energy of the future," http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49669