The Battle of Copenhagen

I. Copenhagen was the stage of a historic battle within the backdrop of the 15th Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In other words, in the beautiful and snowy capital of Denmark, a battle began that did not end on Friday, December 18, 2009. I want to reiterate: Copenhagen was just the beginning of the decisive battle for the salvation of the planet; a battle in the field of ideas and in praxis.

Leonardo Boff, a great Brazilian liberation theologian and one of the most commendable voices on ecological matters, in a fundamental article titled, “What is at stake in Copenhagen,” left these written words full of clarity and courage: “What might we expect from Copenhagen? At least this simple confession: We cannot continue like this. And one simple proposition: Let’s change course.”

We went to Copenhagen precisely for that: to battle for a change of course in the name of Venezuela and in the name of the Bolivarian Alliance and moreover, in defense of the human cause and, to say it like President Evo Morales, in defense of the rights of Pachamama, of the Mother Earth.

The same Evo, who together with yours faithfully had to assume the spokesemanship of the Bolivarian Alliance, wisely said, “It is in debate, whether we are going to live or we are going to die.”

The whole world’s gaze concentrated on Copenhagen: The 15th Conference on Climate Change allowed us to calibrate what fibers we are made of, where hope lies, and what we can do to establish what the liberator, Simon Bolivar, defined as the equilibrium of the universe; an equilibrium that will never be able to prevail within the capitalist world system.

II. Before our arrival in Copenhagen, the African Bloc, backed by the group of 77, reported that the wealthy countries were refusing to have anything to do with the Kyoto Protocol, the only international tool that exists for the fight against global warming; the only one that imposes sanctions on the industrialized states and protects the countries in development.

It is necessary to recognize that the battle has already begun in the streets of Copenhagen. Protesting youth stand at the forefront, showing me that the youths of the world have historic power that is now absolutely necessary to use.

III. In Copenhagen, from the beginning, the cards were left on the table for everyone to see. On the one hand, there was the meanness and the brutal senselessness of capitalism that refuses to compromise in defense of its logic: the logic of capital that only leaves death and destruction in its wake, at an increasingly rapid pace.

On the other hand was human dignity, the salvation of the planet and radical change, not of climate, but of the world system that has placed us on the edge of an unprecedented ecological and social catastrophe.

On one side there are the winners of a commercial and utilitarian civilization; those considered “civilized,” who long ago forgot about the nature of things and instead aim blindly at increasingly insatiable needs.

On the other side, we “barbarians” remain determined to believe in and to fight for radically changing the prevailing logic. We know that you can maximize human well-being while minimizing environmental and ecological impacts. We “barbarians” support the notion that it is impossible to defend human rights, as comrade Evo Morales explained, if they cannot be defended with regard to the rights of the Mother Earth. We “barbarians” act with the firm intention of leaving the planet and to our offspring.

I will not tire of repeating it to the hills: the only possible and viable alternative is Socialism. I said it in every one of my speeches in front of all the global representatives congregated in Copenhagen, the most important global meeting in the last 200 years. There is no other path if we want to stop competition that only promises us total annihilation.

Why are the civilized so afraid of a project that aims to construct shared happiness? They fear it, let’s speak clearly, because shared happiness does not generate profit. From that fact stems the great slogan of Copenhagen’s street protests, which speaks for millions today: “If climate was a bank, it would have already been saved.”

The “civilized” don’t take the measures that they should take, because this simply will oblige them to radically change their voracious way of life, characterized by egotistic comfort. This impetus for this type of change does not dwell in their cold hearts, which only beat to the rhythm of money.

That is the reason why the Empire arrived at the last minute, on December 18, to offer scraps as a way of blackmail and wash the guilt from their face. In opposition to this strategy of filling pockets, throughout Denmark the clear and brave voice of the Hindu thinker Vandana Shiva was heard speaking a great truth: “It is time for the United States to stop seeing itself as a donor and recognize itself as a polluter, a polluter who must pay compensation and pay their ecological debt. This is not about charity. This is about justice.”

I should say it: in Copenhagen the illusion of Obama has ended definitively. It was justified by his capacity as leader of the empire and “Nobel War Prize.” The mystery of the two Obamas has been resolved.

Friday the 18th came to an end without a democratic consensus: Obama set himself apart in a new violation of UN proceedings, therefore obliging us to challenge any resolution that does not pass in respect to the validity of the Kyoto Protocol. To respect and improve Kyoto is our motto.

An agreement was not possible in Copenhagen due to the political will of the rich countries: The powerful of the world, the overdeveloped, that don’t want to cede their patterns of production and consumption which are as senseless as suicide. “To hell with the world, if they dare to threaten my privileges and my way of life,” is what they appear to reiterate with their conduct. This is the harsh truth that they do not want to hear from those of us who act under the historic and categorical imperative of changing course.

I reiterate it: Copenhagen is not an end but a beginning. The doors have been opened for a universal debate about how to save the planet. The battle continues.

IV. It was our opportunity to commemorate the 179th Anniversary of the physical disappearance of our liberator with a deeper act of revolution: I refer to the meeting of the Bolivarian Alliance with the protest movements of Denmark on December 17th. There I could feel, once more that Bolivar is not only the banner of Venezuela and the Americas, but is increasingly a universal leader.

It is his living and combatant legacy, incarnated today in the Bolivarian Alliance that is creating the world: the legacy that brought us to Copenhagen to fight for the great motherland, which is also a fight for mankind.

In reality and in truth: Bolivar lives! In Copenhagen, I confirmed that he is more alive than ever. And now, indeed, he will overcome! Now we, indeed, will overcome!