We, over 500 representatives of the Community Forest Network, the Land Reform Network, the network of indigenous and tribal peoples of Thailand, the Thai Fisherfolk Federation, the network to fight against the power stations and heavy industry, the Alternative Energy Network, the Alternative Agriculture Network, the Assembly of the Poor, the Women’s network, and the Traditional Fisherfolk Youth Network of the South, joined together to discuss the problems of global warming and share views towards resolving these problems in a two day forum held on 3-4 October 2009. We see clear inequities in the present situation as follows:

Inequities

It is unjust that the industrial sector, including companies and state enterprises, including PTT, Chevron, oil as well as other companies emit greenhouse gases, creating a global warming crisis, but do not suffer the impact of their deeds themselves.
It is unjust that these companies and agencies do not get punished, but in fact receive endless promotion and subsidies from the state. For example, the Energy Development Plan provides for the construction of more than10 new coal-fired power stations and at least 4 nuclear power stations.
It is unjust that while there are clear lessons of the negative environmental impacts of industrial development, such as at Maptaphut, the state has not undertaken a review. Heavy industry will still be developed in Thailand as if it were a garbage bin or a centre for pollution for the developed countries.
It is unjust that local communities, indigenous and tribal people who have been living and farming in the forest areas for many generations, and who care for the forest according to local wisdom handed down through the ages, have now been turned into criminals and accused of forest destruction and causing global warming. Some families have been sued for millions of baht in damages.
It is unjust that the fishing communities who are suffering the very first direct impacts of global warming have not been listened to, their rights to manage coastal resources have not been recognized. Moreover the development projects of the southern coastal industrial zone simply adds to the existing problems of impacts from global warming.
It is unjust that the smallholder farming sector, which produces food in all its diversity and quality through sustainable agricultural systems, has not been seriously promoted by the state and are liable to have their lands seized for carbon sequestration.
It is unjust that the industrial farming sector is allowed to go scot-free, and are not required to take responsibility for releasing greenhouse gases.
It is unjust that communities which have tried to develop new alternative energies are not being supported properly at the local or the policy level.

proposals
To bring about justice, the Thai government must:

1. Create justice in development by allowing the people to participate in development. The people must be allowed to determine the direction of national development and have rights and powers to monitor and investigate implementation processes.
2. Review and reorient the approach to development towards sustainable development and reduce the use of fossil fuels.
3. Review the Power Development Plan (PDP) and make serious efforts to promote and support renewable energies.
4. Hold the implementation of the REDD policy, and give proper recognition to local communities’ rights to manage land and forest resources.
5. Recognise rights and give support to sustainable management of coastal resources by coastal fishing communities.
6. Halt the energy development projects and the southern coastal industrial zone project.
7. Stop destroying communities’ capacity to adjust to the global warming crisis through development projects which destroy community livelihoods. Instead make serious efforts to develop community capacity and support ideas and approaches already implemented by the communities.
8. Promote and support sustainable agriculture systems and integrated cropping systems – these are production systems which work in harmony with the ecology and can help in carbon sequestration, which makes them geo-friendly.
9. Make serious efforts to promote and support energy management at the community level, scaling up to policy and implementation at the national level.

Stated by
Thai Climate Justice Working Group and Thai People’s Organisations Network
4 October 2009