The latest from WDM

Food campaign news

European parliament vote leaves food speculation regulation ‘too weak’

World Development Movement blog

Printer-friendly version

So what is the Real George Osborne all about?

22 November 2011

This morning we launched The Real George Osborne, a 14-part Youtube comedy series and online action calling on George Osborne to ‘do the right thing’ and support regulation of food speculation. It stars Rufus Jones (Holy Flying Circus) as George Osborne and follows George and his long-suffering advisor, Vicki, as he tries to raise his political profile in a bid to become the next Prime Minister.

Occupations and food justice – from Brazil to the UK

Amy Horton

11 November 2011

Highlights from a recent event in Manchester featuring leading Brazilian and Sri Lankan activists for land redistribution and food justice. And what next for food sovereignty in the UK?

How the G20 counter-summit helps build the movement

Sarah Reader

8 November 2011

On the final day of the ‘people’s summit’, a local journalist asked me: “Given that the G20 summit is being held all the way in Cannes, do you actually think this week’s mobilisations are going to have any effect? Are your messages going to get through to the heads of state?”

After pausing to collect my thoughts, I answered her in a three stages:

US plays dirty with set up of the new Green Climate Fund

Kirsty Wright

7 November 2011

At a recent meeting of the UN transitional committe the US recently refused to agree to proposals for the new green climate fund at. As a result, instead of having a clear set of proposals two work from, the climate talks in Durban will now have to start from scratch. This makes it unlikely that there will be a new climate fund set up in 2012.

Joint action against tax havens

Sarah Reader

4 November 2011

With the G20 counter summit being held less than 20km from one of the world’s most famous tax havens, it was apt that a recurring theme in the workshops and at the mobilisations has been tax justice. Yesterday, on the first day of the G20 talks, hundreds of people took the twenty minute train to the Monaco border for an action against tax havens.

Bringing together the 'occupy' movements: part I

Sarah Reader

4 November 2011

Yesterday I went to the first international gathering of the occupy movements and 'Indignados' at the G20 alternative summit. ‘Towards convergence of the movements from the Mediterranean region’ was a space for people from different groups and countries to share their experiences and think about working towards a coordinated international movement.

"Tous a Nice": Setting the scene for the G20 counter mobilisations

Sarah Reader

3 November 2011

This week the G20 heads of state are meeting in Cannes on the south coast of France. Just over 30km away, the alternative summit, the ‘people’s forum’, is taking place in Nice, where thousands of people from different countries, organisations, social movements, unions and campaigning groups have come to discuss alternatives to the current financial system and take action against it.

The price of coffee

James O'Nions

31 October 2011

It’s a little disconcerting to walk down the road to Nueve San José and see men and even boys as young as 10 carrying large machetes in the opposite direction. But its coffee picking season here in south-west Guatemala and with school just finished for the year, everyone‘s taking the opportunity to earn what they can.

What do the new US regulations on commodity speculation mean in practice?

Anonymous

28 October 2011

A few weeks ago the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, responsible for regulating commodity speculation, voted to introduce position limits. Position limits are essentially rules on how much of the market one particular trader can control at any one time and are one of the key demands of our campaign in Europe.

Audio slideshow: Climate activists from the global South come to London

Guest

27 October 2011

Tom Pursey, used to be events officer

On 13 October 2011, we held climate justice public meeting with civil society activists from South Africa, the Philippines and the UK. Here's an audio slideshow documenting the event.

A big week in the campaign to regulate food speculation

Heidi Chow

21 October 2011

This week marked an important moment in the global campaign to regulate excessive food speculation. Speculating on food prices is a global problem and can’t be addressed in just one region alone. This week, there were major developments in all three arenas where the campaign is being fought; the G20, the US and Europe.

Video: Interview with South African activist Bongani Mthembu

Pontus Westerberg

19 October 2011

Bongani Mthembu is from Umlazi, South Africa’s second biggest township. He is a campaigner with South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, and campaigns against industrial pollution in the area. He is working to educate ordinary South Africans about environmental injustice, and organising demonstrations at December’s UN climate talks in Durban, calling for solutions that also tackle poverty and inequality.

A recipe for financialised food

Christine Haigh

16 October 2011

This recipe is increasingly common for consumers in global food markets. Although unpalatable, it is gaining popularity with investment bankers and hedge fund managers.

“Our kids are no longer eating healthy food, they just eat to survive”

Guest

16 October 2011

Rosa Fletcher, used to be activism and events intern

Last week, Bandile Mdlalose, general secretary of the South African social movement Abahlali baseMjondolo was in the UK speaking at our climate justice speaker tour events. While she was here she spoke to WDM staff about rising food prices and hunger in South Africa.

Our speaker tour is over but the action is just starting

Katharine Talbot

14 October 2011

Eight events in towns and cities across the UK, two amazing activists from South Africa, local speakers, and countless train journeys.... our speaker tour, ‘Africa demands climate justice’ has just come to an end.

However, we were determined when planning this speaker tour that we would avoid simply creating a series of one-off events that people attended and left, feeling better informed about climate justice but taking little else away.