Axis 3 of the People’s Summit: The transition we want is just, popular, and inclusive
At first glance, the term “energy transition” may sound nice, but it doesn’t address fundamental issues for people in their territories. Constantly contested, the concept of the energy transition is insufficient, reinforces the interests of capital, and has been used to announce the replacement of fossil fuel sources with supposedly clean and renewable options.
The statement from Axis 3 of the People’s Summit – a meeting in a seminar on Thursday morning (November 13) – is that this transition will only work if it is fair, popular, and inclusive, which happens through a radical change in energy policy worldwide.
“The transition proposed by capital cannot even decarbonize,” warned Elisa Estronioli, from the coordination of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB). During the seminar, she highlighted that the climate crisis is a crisis of capital and “if capitalism is the cause of the climate crisis, it is not the one that can present the solutions to the problems it itself caused,” she pointed out.
In this sense, an energy transition conceived by capital and the global North, whose central objective is to continue generating profit, does not serve us. “It passes on the costs of this production to our countries, creating sacrifice zones in the locations where minerals, water resources, and whatever else they want to exploit are found. Thus, they advance on our territories and create more and more affected people,” said Elisa.
For those affected in Brazil and populations around the world, she argued that the energy transition needs to be just, sovereign, and popular:
“[It needs to be] Fair so that it does not widen inequalities and guarantees access to water and energy; sovereign so that it always has centrality in the State – because capital will not be able to propose such a transition; and, finally, it must be popular: led by the people, so that we are in command and can say what we want and do what we want.”
The plenary session of Axis 3 also denounced the ways in which capital is taking advantage of the climate crisis to increasingly increase its profit margin. Fernando Tormos, from the Alliance for a Just Transition, warned that “we are seeing that all social services in health, education and culture are being privatized.” He continued, emphasizing “that the problem is not a lack of money, but its accumulation by a few,” and that therefore a systemic transformation is necessary and urgent, which essentially requires the participation of everyone. “We will not allow them to continue dividing us, offering a transition for some and not for others. The transition will not be just if it does not include all those affected,” concluded Fernando.
Axis 3 will present definitions to the Summit
The seminar began with the presentation of the political synthesis of the central theme, through a document that points out elements for diagnosing the current reality and the conception of popular movements regarding a just transition. This text concludes by outlining 20 possible actions and proposals for confronting the climate crisis and achieving a just, popular, and inclusive transition, noting that the only way to achieve this is through class struggle.
The document is the result of many discussions around the world, provoked by more than 1,500 signatory organizations, and received contributions from the plenary session during the seminar. Once finalized, the text will join the findings of the other five central themes to form the Final Declaration of the People’s Summit.
Affected People at the People’s Summit
With the largest international delegation, The Movement of People Affected by Dams, Socio-Environmental Crimes, and the Climate Crisis is comprised of approximately 1200 affected people participating in the summit, coming from 45 countries and all states of Brazil, who are affected by dams, the climate crisis, or other exploitative capital projects.
While COP 30 focuses on diplomatic negotiations and empty commitments, the People’s Summit presents an alternative narrative for confronting the climate crisis. With over 1,200 participating organizations, it is expected that more than 30,000 people will attend the Summit, reaffirming a concrete response from the people to the inertia of COP 30.
