Ángel Maria Ibarra Turcios, Director of an environmental organisation in El Salvador (Progressio partner organisation UNES), tells us what the consequences will be if the Copenhagen treaty is weak:
“The problems that we already have are going to get worse. This year, for example, as a consequence of a weak period in El Niño, we have seen a shortage in rainfall of more than 15% in the country. In addition, we are losing the regular recurrence of the rains and weather patterns in general.
“So what has this meant? Losses in agriculture for poor people who grow crops in order to survive. They have lost corn, they have lost beans, they have lost sugar cane, they have lost rice, and fruit trees which are more permanent have also been affected.
“Many people in rural areas have lost the harvests that they grow to survive, and this worsens the extreme poverty that they are already living in.
“And there is also an impact in cities, not just in rural areas, as the availability of water decreases. The problem of climate change affects patterns of diseases. In our countries there are epidemics of dengue and cholera, and tuberculosis is becoming more common.
“Climate change is already having an impact on productivity, an impact on the soil, an impact on ecosystems. And in general what is happening is that the living conditions of people who already live in poverty are worsening, and therefore living in a dignified way becomes much more difficult for them.
“Unfortunately many people in countries like El Salvador are still uninformed about climate change. Indeed, in developed countries too, ordinary people are not totally informed about what climate change means and what the repercussions are. They are misinformed, and the system needs people to be misinformed, so that they do not take action.
“But people who know, farmers who live off the land, who cultivate the earth, who protect the earth, yes, they realise how their individual action, action as families, as communities, with small daily changes, can really change the global situation.
“So what we must do, firstly, is adopt an attitude of citizenship. Say ‘We shouldn’t be passive’. And we shouldn’t allow governments, large companies and rich people to decide things for us. We each of us have to take responsibility.”
Brie O’Keefe, Progressio’s Campaigns Officer, talked to Ángel Maria Ibarra Turcios at the pre-Copenhagen climate negotiations in Barcelona
Ángel is Director of Unidad Ecològica Salvadoreña/UNES, Salvadoran Ecological Unity, an environmental organisation in El Salvador and Progressio partner.
"Angel Maria Ibarras Turcios, Mkurugenzi wa shirika la mazingira la El Salvador (UNES), anasema: ""Tatizo la Copenhagen linaweza kuwa kubwa zaidi." Kwa mfano, mwaka huu, kwa sababu ya kipindi dhaifu cha El Niño, tumeshuhudia upungufu wa mvua zaidi ya asilimia 15 nchini. Kwa kuongezea, tunapoteza kurudia mara kwa mara kwa mvua na mifumo ya hali ya hewa kwa ujumla. <unk>Kwa hiyo hilo limemaanisha nini? Uharibifu wa kilimo kwa watu maskini ambao hukua mazao ili kuishi. "Wamepoteza mahindi, maharagwe, miwa, mchele na miti ya matunda ambayo ni ya kudumu.""" <unk>Watu wengi katika maeneo ya vijijini wamepoteza mavuno ambayo wanakua ili kuishi, na hii inaongeza umaskini mkubwa ambao tayari wanaishi. <unk>Na pia kuna athari katika miji, si katika maeneo ya vijijini tu, kama upatikanaji wa maji hupungua. Tatizo la mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa huathiri mifumo ya magonjwa. Katika nchi zetu kuna magonjwa ya kuambukiza ya homa ya deni na kipindupindu, na kifua kikuu kinazidi kuenea. <unk>Mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa tayari yana athari kwa uzalishaji, athari kwa udongo, athari kwa mifumo ya ikolojia. Kwa ujumla, hali ya maisha ya watu ambao tayari wanaishi katika umaskini inaendelea kuwa mbaya zaidi, na kwa hivyo kuishi kwa heshima inakuwa ngumu zaidi kwao. <unk>Kwa bahati mbaya watu wengi katika nchi kama El Salvador bado hawajui kuhusu mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. Kwa kweli, hata katika nchi zilizoendelea, watu wa kawaida hawajui kabisa mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa na athari zake. Watu hawajui, na mfumo unahitaji watu kuwa na habari mbaya ili wasichukue hatua. """Lakini watu wanaofahamu, wakulima wanaoishi kwenye ardhi, wanaolima ardhi, wanaolinda ardhi, ndiyo, wanatambua jinsi hatua zao za kibinafsi, hatua za familia, za jamii, na mabadiliko madogo ya kila siku, vinavyoweza kubadilisha hali ya ulimwengu." <unk>Kwa hiyo kile lazima tufanye, kwanza, ni kuchukua mtazamo wa uraia. Sema "Hatupaswi kuwa passive". Na hatupaswi kuruhusu serikali, makampuni makubwa na watu matajiri kuamua mambo kwa ajili yetu. "Bri O'Keefe, Mkurugenzi wa Kampeni za Progressio, alizungumza na Angel Maria Ibarra Turcios katika mazungumzo ya hali ya hewa ya kabla ya Copenhagen huko Barcelona, ""Bri O'Keefe, Mkurugenzi wa Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña, Umoja wa Ikolojia wa Salvador, shirika la mazingira huko El Salvador na mshirika wa Progressio."