Further Reading

Raising Questions and having time for reflection

The Living Earth Campaign brings to the forefront the important questions facing humanity at this time. The world is changing at a rapid pace, and with this there are deep discussions in our network about the ecological impact we have when we organise our projects in terms of how staff, activists and volunteers travel, the food eaten, the materials used etc..
 
We must promote an ecological model that corresponds to our values as a peace organisation, a socially just and ecologically sustainable IVS protecting our ecosystem, and our natural resources.

Growth at all costs entails human exploitation and environmental destruction, this is no different whether it is for new technologies or old, it is the same story of harming the earth, poisoning the land, destroying communities, enabling the clearcutting of forests and now the mass production of E-Waste. 

In a movement that is reflecting on Decolonisation and attempting to look deeper at our own practices, we must not forget that in the name of saving the planet,  neo-colonialism continues, just some examples can be found in: 
Colonial conservation/Green colonialism: Indigenous people, peasants and small-scale farmers being removed from their homes and food sources in the name of conservation; 
Big Tech colonisation: Land being bought up for automated farming, undemocratic forcing of new technologies ‘surveillance capitalism’ destroying traditional livelihoods, under the name of sustainability and Net 0. Seed patenting, synthetic fertilizers and genetic engineering; 
Climate colonialism and the European or US/Global Green New Deal: By offshoring environmental damage, exporting carbon emissions to developing nations; 
Climate colonialism and carbon offsetting: Companies quest to buy land, thus evicting its inhabitants in order to plant trees. 
Corporate colonialism: Land grabbing for natural resources and the continued exploitation of countries for their mineral resources, where profit is taken by a ‘foreign’ power or company, often leading to exploitation and unethical conditions of local labourers 
‘Colonisation, occupation and annexation, these three ways of appropriating other people’s space and territory are based on different but complementary arrangements, one of which can prepare the ground and the conditions for the application of the other.’ (Johanna Schreiner)


These are just a few of the reflection points,  as IVS organisations we need to be aware and ensure that we do not replicate or support these practices through our work. The Living Earth Campaign provides us with a space to go deeper, to foresee the possible consequences of our decisions,to dive down the rabbit hole and to put key questions about the continuity of our work on the table.

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