Analysis of the continental situation marks the second day of the IV International Meeting
Continuing with the program of the IV International Meeting of People Affected by Dams and Climate Crisis, people affected from five continents participated in the roundtable discussion “Situation of the Continents” on Saturday afternoon (8), which focused on analyzing the political, economic, and environmental situation in different regions of the world.
The debate was attended by Geoffrey Kamese, from Biovision (Uganda), who presented an overview of the African continent; Irene Pijuan, from the Alliance Against Energy Poverty (Spain), who analyzed the situation in Europe; and Hendro Sangkoyo, from the School of Economic Studies and the Network in Defense of Mining (JATAM), from Indonesia, who discussed the challenges in Asia. The panel was moderated by Andrea Vides, from Catalonia, and Moisés Borges, a member of the national coordination of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB).
Moisés emphasized the importance of the debate as part of the process of deepening the political analysis initiated at the meeting. “The idea is that this panel will deepen the analysis begun in the international context. We have already made a global reading, looking at the whole, and now we seek to understand how this reality interferes in each continent. That is the main objective: to narrow the debate and then extract a collective synthesis of our analysis of the situation,” explained Moisés.
Also present at the opening panel were Venezuelan ministers Clara Fidau, Minister of Popular Power for Indigenous Peoples of Venezuela, and Ricardo Molina, Minister of Popular Power for Socialism of Venezuela. In her greeting to those present, Clara Fidau emphasized in her speech that “Venezuela is not a threat, it is hope,” beginning her intervention with a greeting in an indigenous language and reaffirming her country’s commitment to the defense of territories and peace.
Ricardo Molina said that participating in the meeting was like “regaining his spirit” after days immersed in the official COP30 environment, which he described as “full of luxury, but soulless.” Molina criticized the absence of popular representatives at international negotiating tables and denounced that discussions on the climate crisis are dominated by transnational corporations and governments that treat the issue as a business.
“President Nicolás Maduro instructed the Venezuelan delegation to propose the creation of a large global movement in defense of life, Mother Earth, and human rights. Our commitment is to ecosocialism, a model inspired by the ideas of Hugo Chávez and Simón Bolívar, based on social justice and respect for nature”.
In closing, Molina stated that “the real protagonists in solving the climate crisis are the people, not capitalism,” and that Venezuela has “open doors” to strengthening alliances with movements and communities fighting for a new model of development.
Situation of the continents
Geoffrey, from the Biovision organization, began his speech by stating that “Africa is always a forgotten continent.” In his analysis, divided into three areas—governance, dams, and climate change—the panelist presented an overview of the challenges faced by African peoples. “I say that Africa is a forgotten continent because, for example, when people talk about conflicts in the world today, no one mentions the African continent. They talk about the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, but there are also wars going on in Africa,” he said.
Kamese also highlighted the governance crises and internal political conflicts that plague several countries. “Last week, we saw a case where a leader won 97% of the vote and ordered the killing of more than 700 young people who took to the streets to protest. Even so, this does not mean that Africa is standing still. There is a new generation willing to resist, assert themselves, and confront leaders who insist on remaining in power indefinitely,” he said, citing the example of Cameroon, where the president has been in office for four decades.
For Geoffrey, the movements led by African youth are unstoppable. “They are ready and willing to take up the baton from the older generation. Although there are negative aspects, many of the processes underway are positive. In the future, we will see Africa moving toward democratic achievements.”
Kamese also warned of the impacts of large dams built in the name of energy development. According to him, many governments see hydroelectric power as the only alternative, but the projects have caused mass displacement, environmental destruction, and the loss of traditional ways of life.
“These projects displace entire communities, destroy cultures, and push indigenous and traditional peoples out of their territories. And what is most serious is that many of these dams have already lost their usefulness, requiring costly decommissioning processes, paid for with new loans from the World Bank or China,” he explained.
When addressing the climate crisis, Kamese emphasized that Africa is the continent most affected by climate impacts, even though it has contributed the least to global warming. “We have lost crops, livestock, and human lives to severe floods and droughts. And yet, we are the ones who pollute the planet the least. We are not asking for alms; we are demanding climate justice,” he argued.
For him, the countries responsible for the climate crisis need to assume their historical debt and increase the promised climate financing. “For years, we have been promised resources that never arrived. Now we demand that developed countries triple climate financing. There is only one Africa and there is only one planet. If we destroy this world, there is no other place we can go,” he concluded.
Europe
Irene Pijuan, from the Alliance Against Energy Poverty, said it was “an honor” and a “historic responsibility” to be able to coordinate with other continents, recognizing the weight of European actions in the climate crisis. She strongly criticized the European position on the so-called “just energy transition,” pointing out that the continent is using decarbonization as a facade to maintain capital accumulation and geopolitical control.
Pijuan described Europe’s current position as uncertain in the new geopolitical order, placing it “between two blocs”: the United States and the bloc led by China. The feeling, according to her, is that Europe is acting as if in a sporting contest. “Our feeling is that Europe is a bit like in a tennis match, seeing where it is in the best position to perpetuate its place in the world order, right? And its accumulation of profit and capital.”
The leader emphasized that the European continent has raised the banner of just transition and decarbonization, but lacks critical minerals and raw materials. “In order to lead the transition, Europe needs to continue perpetuating the neocolonialism it has been practicing in various ways for the last 500 years.”
This need for resources led to the signing of the Critical Minerals Act, which, in the activist’s view, creates new “treaties of abuse of other countries” to secure the materials that Europe deems essential for its transition. “Although the rhetoric is green, the continent’s practice points to continued dependence on fossil fuels. While selling the image of the ‘Green Transition’ or the Green New Deal, Europe is financing fossil gas exploration in Africa and other regions.“ Pijuan is categorical in stating that European economic sustainability still depends on dirty energy. ”Fossil capitalism continues to be the guarantor of European neoliberalism.”
In addition to fossil fuel dependence, the activist pointed out that Europe is exporting “false solutions,” such as carbon capture, hydrogen, and the commodification of nature, reinforcing exploitation elsewhere. “Internally, recent events (the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the genocide in Palestine) have led to a reduction in social protections and the establishment of a concept of energy security that opposes the energy sovereignty of peoples, justifying the importation of materials at any price.”
Irene concluded that European social movements face the challenge of the atomization of struggles, but that victories such as those achieved by the housing movement in Spain and France offer a way forward. She ended her speech with a direct appeal to European activists to take responsibility in their own countries. “We know that, as Europe, we have a political responsibility not only to coordinate ourselves, but also to confront our institutions and confront our elites.”
Asia
Hendro Sangkoyo began his analysis by pointing out that much of Asia can now be described as a veritable “land of refuge,” where people are simultaneously resisting the effects of the climate crisis and the advance of neoliberal policies. He recalled that Asia, once unified by ancient empires, was fragmented by European colonialism, a process that left deep scars and still defines the region’s political and economic boundaries.
According to Hendro, after decades of turmoil and restructuring, Asian countries today face a double imposition of global neoliberal regimes: the business of damage compensation and the business of energy transition. “The first, based on the carbon credit market, transforms forests in the Global South into financial guarantees so that large polluters can continue to expand their emissions under the guise of sustainability. The second, presented as a ‘green solution’, legitimises new cycles of debt and exploitation, maintaining the extractivist logic inaugurated since the Kyoto Protocol in 1997,” he points out.
Hendro also cited the case of Indonesia, which during COP 30 in Belém is promoting the sale of carbon credits and dozens of “green” projects, while local populations continue to pay the price of devastation. He warned that the global energy market is expected to nearly double by 2033, with hydroelectric power still playing a central role, posing a serious threat to communities in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The researcher also denounced the expansion of geothermal industries, now treated as the new gold mine of the energy transition. Large oil and mining companies are migrating to this sector, replicating the same destructive practices of fossil fuel exploitation.
Sangkoyo concluded by arguing that resistance among Asian peoples is already underway, with alliances being formed with communities in the Mekong, the Philippines, Brazil, the Andes, and even Tuscany, Italy. For him, this transnational solidarity is fundamental in the face of the growing militarization of extractivism, which involves armed forces and war industries in countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia. “What we face today is unprecedented, and our response must be collective, coordinated, and global,” he said.
