Greens are at the vanguard of a new global politics

20th February 2008

Green politics is the politics of human rights, of peace, of freedom, of sustainability and of democracy

The Green Party Spring Conference at Reading hosted an international panel of guests at the weekend, with speakers from Venezuela, Nigeria and Palestine gathered with UK Green activists to discuss international human and environmental rights and the fight for global social justice.

Samuel Moncada, the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UK, discussed several aspects of Venezuelan policy that have sought to repair the ecological and social devastation caused by two decades of IMF and World Bank imposed economic liberalisation.

"Participatory politics was crucial to the promotion of basic rights, to let the people decide for themselves how to run their lives. International solidarity of natural resources, a democratised UN and World Bank and a sustained growth in public expenditure - in health, education, public transport - all are crucial in achieving real democracy."

Mr Moncada told how one of the first acts of the new Chavez administration was to re-write the constitution of Venezuela to promote environmental rights, the right to breathe clean air, to enjoy living in the city and drinking clean water. "These rights were previously denied ordinary citizens," he said told conference, "but the Chavez administration has linked environmental rights with human rights as the basis of national policy." He went on to explain how the Government is under constant pressure from multinational corporations, and mentioned that the Government had rejected the pressure to press ahead with GM crops. "We have forbidden it because it is unnatural to profit from humanity."

The Ambassador continued, "Green politics is the politics of human rights, of peace, of freedom, of sustainability and of democracy."

The next speaker was Dr Abdullah, resident of Abu Dis, a Palestinian West Bank village that has been cut off from Jerusalem by the Israeli 'apartheid' wall. He spoke passionately about how the wall, combined with several military checkpoints per mile, has "turned many Palestinian towns into prisons,with the keys held by the Israeli Defence Force who decides who comes and goes."

Dr. Abdullah spoke about how Israel has taken 800 million cubic litres of water from Palestinian rivers, giving each Israeli 2400 litres a year for drinking and bathing, and leaving each Palestinian citizen with just 50 litres.

He went on to contradict the established bias of Israel under constant attack by Palestinian militants. In comparison with attacks on Israeli settlements, Israeli attacks on Palestine has increased exponentially in the past few years, the majority of which goes totally unreported.

Dr. Abdullah ended by making an impassioned plea - "We hope we are not alone in our struggle - with your help, I know we will win our freedom."

Last of the international speakers was Patrick Okonmah, a human rights lawyer from Nigeria. He told Conference about the conflicting roles Nigerian Government agencies play within the oil industry.

He talked about the human and environmental rights abuses committed by the oil companies - Shell in particular - but then made it plain that the Nigerian Government were as complicit in Shell's actions as the oil company.

After a law signed by the the Government in the 70s, Nigeria is now owns a 80% share in Shell actions in Nigeria. This mean that the country is obliged invest 80% in any venture that Shell embarks upon. With this closeness and cooperation between Government and business, it is difficult for any Nigerian to make a civil complaint against the environmental degradation.

Mr. Okonmah told how, because of laws to prevent such happening, so few law cases ever actually made it to court, as the executive and judiciary are so entwined with the oil companies.

He finished by appealing for greater clarity in defining human rights abuses in Nigeria. "Everyone knows when something is polluted, when the environment is dirty. It's when the Government crosses the line with tanks and guns to quell social uprisings that the problems and abuses become crystalised."

The Green Party delegate to the inaugural global Green conference on May 1st Dr. Richard Lawson and Green Principal Speaker Dr. Derek Wall rounded the session up by talking about the new kind of politics emerging from the global social movements. Dr Wall said

"All around the world, new Green parties are emerging. From India to Albania, people are realising that when the earth dies, so humanity dies with it. The new political philosophy of combining socialism and individualism is creating new ways to define the world, and it is this new philosophy that will preserve the environment and everything that depends on it. We are at the vanguard of a new global politics, the Green politics.

Britain's Greenest Village?

With its tidy gardens and cricket pitch, quaint shops, two pubs and three churches, Chew Magna does not strike the visitor as a hot-bed of revolution. But in this quiet corner of Somerset, local people have made a pact to slash their carbon emissions and reduce their waste to zero. The village has seen meetings on solar water heating and numerous other projects in which many of the village's 1,100 residents have committed themselves to minimise the impact they have on the environment.

Chew Magna's campaign, called Go Zero, is one of many zero-waste projects starting up across the world, from California to Canberra, and is similar to the movement for "Transition Towns" that started in Totnes. A resident of Kamikatsu, the first town in Japan to commit to zero waste, recently e-mailed a message of support to Chew Magna:

"We feel much sympathy with Chew Magna and we hope we can strive for zero waste together."

While many towns are trying to be more environmentally friendly, few communities have gone as far as Chew Magna. The changes started a year ago, when the village was updating its parish plan. Councillors circulated a questionnaire that asked for residents' views on everything from schoolings to healthcare. "One of the things that came out was a clear concern about the environment, such as reducing fly-tipping and reducing the amount of traffic congestion," says Go Zero's events co-ordinator Denise Perrin. "The consensus was that people wanted to make decisions that would leave a legacy."

Local property developer John Pontin set up a series of meetings in the village. "One discussed moving towards a zero-waste community," explains Perrin. "It quickly became obvious that this was the legacy that could come out of the village plan."

That was just the beginning. "We quickly realised that we couldn't just look at one aspect in isolation - waste is not just about what you throw away, but what you buy and how you transport it," she says. "It's about why we buy things and who produces it. We need to look at all of these things together."

More meetings followed, attended by up to 40 people. The result is an array of green ideas and initiatives, some immediate and practical, others more complicated and far-reaching.

As is happening elsewhere in Britain, there has been a focus on encouraging residents to buy more local food. The village is surrounded by rich agricultural land, which produces everything from fruit and vegetables to venison, ice cream, trout from Chew Valley Lake, and medicinal herbs. Go Zero produced a 16-page local food guide, listing goods produced within 10 miles of the village, and invited local producers to an open day in October. "By the end of the day, the local veg-box scheme had signed up more than 40 new members. They've now had to buy more land to increase their output," says Perrin.

About 180 people are actively involved in the project, and many more are interested in what's happening. Four action groups are now discussing how people can recycle more, change the way they travel and reduce the amount of energy they use at home. But it's not all talk - local energy companies have donated 500 low-energy lightbulbs that villagers can pick up for free. About 80 per cent of the village now recycles -almost four times the national average.

One of the more ambitious schemes involves people from Chew Magna and the surrounding villages using spare capacity for free on a regular coach service between Bristol and its airport. If the plan goes ahead, a biofuel-powered minibus will collect travellers from villages in the Chew Valley and deliver them to the airport.

Go Zero is also working on plans to convert the village's disused flour mill into a meeting place for the community, a headquarters for the campaign and space for local sustainable businesses. Plans are still in their infancy, but building work is scheduled to start in spring 2007. "The building is home to about 20 lesser-horseshoe bats," says the Go Zero chairman Ian Roderick, as he shows me around. "We aim to renovate it in a way that will encourage the population to double."

A newsletter keeps people informed, with many energy-saving tips and hints. For the village to meet the targets set at Kyoto, the newsletter explains, "we would need 250 [residents] to halve their carbon emissions by 2012".

"We have set up a carbon-offset fund," says Roderick. "That not only compensates for the carbon we produce, but they money raised from it will enable us to plant trees that can provide fruit and timber which will help economic development." So now when you book your holiday, the local travel agent will offer to calculate the distance you fly, and work out how much you'd need to put into the fund.

Six homes in the village have been intensively studied by consultants from an organisation called "Carbonsense", to identify how they can reduce their carbon emissions. Some residents have converted their cars to run on bio-fuel.

Chew Magna is also hoping to become a Fairtrade village, and already supports two charities working in Africa. It is also developing links with communities in south India. It is in talks about using money from the carbon-offset fund to plant trees in Tamil Nadu.

Roderick comments:

"What's happening at Chew Magna offers a blueprint for other communities wishing to become more sustainable. But, in many ways, the village is returning to how it was 50 or so years ago. "Some of the older people are amazed that people buy apples wrapped in plastic bags, or don't re-use glass jars," says Denise Perrin. "They've been living quite sustainably all their lives. Thankfully, we don't have to go too many generations back to relearn how to do it."

See www.carbonsense.org and www.gozero.org.uk

How we can all do our bit

* Turning down your heating thermostat by 10C can save £30 a year

* Driving at 50mph instead of 70mph can reduce fuel consumption by 30 per cent

* Installing loft insulation can cut up to 20 per cent off energy bills

* Energy-saving lightbulbs cost more to buy but save up to 10 times the price over their lifetime

* Insulating your hot-water tank and lagging your pipes can save £15-20 a year on your bills

* Switch to green energy. Go to www.uswitch.com for details

* Switch off all electrical appliances when not using them. Don't leave them on sleep or standby

* Recycle more: contact your local authority to find what they collect

* If you're thinking of buying an appliance or disposing of something, look at www.freecycle.org

* The Energy Saving Trust can save up to £250 a year on your energy bills, as well as round two tonnes of C02 a year. Visit www.est.org.uk

(Source: Friends of the Earth)

For more ideas sign up to Friends of the Earth's tip of the day e-mail service at www.foe.org.uk/living/tips