htp

Everyone knows by now that driving cars and flying around in planes is bad.  Some of us even make attempts to curb ourdriving and flying.

But shipping conglomorate Maersk emits as much CO2 as the entire nation of Denmark.   So, how much will your valiant attempts to scale down your footprint really do, if industry-as-usual continues?

We can embark on our personal efforts to move around less, and "buy local", but these efforts won’t be enough.  The system of production and transportation of goods must be changed.  

It might be a bigger problem than you think: shipping accounts for 870 million tons of CO2 each year: more than the UK or Canada.  It accounts for around 4.5% of emissions.  These emissions are going to double or triple by 2050 if left unaddressed.

Who’s addressing this?  Nobody.  The Kyoto Protocol gave the responsibility to the International Maritime Organization back in 1997.  They haven’t done anything.  It’s unclear whether any regulation will be introduced in Copenhagen. 

We want to draw attention to this problem by closing down the harbor on 13 December.

The city of Copenhagen is planning to transform the current port area at Nordhavnen, in one of the "greatest and most ambitious metropolitan projects in Scandinavia for years to come."

OK.

They want to build a sustainable city.

In place of the harbor at Nordhavnen, could there really be a "bioclimatic, environmentally friendly settlement"?

Some architects at an Italian think tank believe so: they put a lot of work into a proposal for what could be built where the Nordhavnen port currently lies.  There would be an eco-friendly park with many slow-growth trees. 

Imagine…

They would build a dune, green houses, and a light tram line through the settlement.  Crystal buildings, wooden panels, vegetation: "The green houses are furnished by indoor vegetation and named by the
proposed essences, inspired to the gardens of southern countries."  The dismissed harbor basins would be used for floating houses. 

About these houses: "The multifunctional typologies are intended as activity-containers
including public, semi-private and private spaces, able to adapt them
to a strong flexibility, due to the quick evolution of the spaces for
knowledge-oriented jobs and research, for e-commerce, leisure and
entertainment, for art expression and culture."

Knowledge-oriented jobs: in this visionary future we have moved, then, from a production-oriented economy to this supposed "knowledge economy".  (Doesn’t this just mean that somebody else produces stuff while we talk about it and organize it?)

It is a visionary green future, but there are some ugly questions to be asked about it.  For there to be trams, electricty, roads, and infrastructure, there still must be production happening somewhere.  The question is, where?  Has the production simply shifted to some "less developed" country?  Do we put the industrial part of Copenhagen harbor out of commission, and just move our industrial infrastructure to somewhere out-of-sight?

It’s important to come up with visions of what an ecological future might look like.  It’s also important to critique these visions, and examine whether they are just and equally distributed— or if they are simply eco-paradises for the rich, while the poor get their same old raw deal.

(image from one of the winning designs in an international competition for Nordhavnen’s future)

The climate catastrophe
has not happened by random chance and the melting glacier is not its
place. Our economic system, the way it produces goods, and the way
they are transported and finally consumed is the root of climate
change.

We do not believe that
this COP will solve the climate crisis. The delegates, NGOs and
company representatives are stuck in an ideology of never ending
economic growth and universal market solutions to all human-made
problems, such
as ecological
destruction. Social justice issues are consequently ignored.

On December 13th we call
for action on this economic system. We encourage affinity groups to
take action on targets in Copenhagen, and abroad. In the Morning of
December 13th we will also shut down the harbour of Copenhagen
through a mass action blockade. The harbour is a key symbol of the
global free-market economy. Here becomes visible what is usually
hidden: ecological deterioration, economic and social exploitation,
and utter injustice.

Since
the dawn of colonialism the global shipping industry has been
characterized by violence. What was once gold pillaged from the Incas
is these days profit based on cheap resources and cheap labour –
usually transported by ships. Today, container shipping is one of the
foundations of capitalism. There are hardly any regulations: fuel is
not taxed, emissions are not subject to control and borders are
seemingly non-existent for container ships. At the same time, the
never ending need for more cheap goods is almost limitless. The
“free” global flow of goods continues to grow – with benefits
for only the few.

But whereas these flows of
goods can enter the EU/ rich world freely, humans cannot. As soon as
people do not have the right passport or enough money when entering
rich countries, they are put in prisons, deported and deprived of the
most basic human rights. And the militarisation of the seas is not
just happening around the EU borders. It is also used to protect
international shipping, like in Somalia where international fishing
fleets have robbed Somali fishermen of the fundamental elements of
their existence.

Finally, international
shipping is more than just a method of transport for the global
economy. It is in itself a primary cause of climate change.
Approximately 5% of Global Greenhouse Emissions are produced by the
shipping industry. Container ship fuel is basically toxic waste left
over from petrol production, containing high amounts of sulphur and
mercury. And like international flights, nobody is responsible for
shipping industry emissions under the Kyoto Protocol.

Climate justice and real
social change will not come from above. Effective change has to come
from everyone – affected, responsible, and observer. True change
has to be organized and realized by people all over the world – all
people on the streets and in the fields. We say no to the power of
governments, companies and so-called non-government organisations
which are only interested in maintaining their power, influence and
flows of capital.

We will try to stop this
madness for a day. Fighting for climate justice means changing our
economic system and this needs to happen here in the rich global
north, which reaps the most benefits from the disaster. For the free
flow of people and ideas, instead of flows of goods to benefit the
few.

Contact htp at riseup.net to get involved with planning the action, or come to one of our next
meetings Copenhagen October 18.