First Call for the Mesoamerican Caravan for the Climate and Life

A call to participate in a caravan traveling from Mexico to Brazil organized by Indigenous and campesino social movements to take place later this year. Published in Spanish on the Centro de Medios Libres and translated by Scott Campbell.

To all the struggles, peoples, and movements of Mesoamerica, Abya Yala, and the Global South:

The climate crisis advances unstoppably, and with it, the devastation of our territories, our cultures, and our very lives. Dispossession, extractive megaprojects, and structural violence stalk us with greater intensity every day. In the face of this planetary emergency, we respond with unity, resistance, and hope.

This caravan will be a space of encounter and mobilization for the peoples and communities that fight in defense of Mother Earth and of territories. We will unite our voices and forces to resist violence, make visible the biodiversity and cultural plurality of our peoples, and denounce the financial system that perpetuates destruction and dispossession.

The caravan will leave from the Mexican southeast, passing through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and will arrive in Belém, Brazil, where we will raise our voice in the framework of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP30) and in the midst of this Civilizational Crisis that threatens our future with global collapse.

In order to achieve a deep analysis of reality that will allow us to identify the current threats and challenges, as well as to exchange experiences and strategies for the defense of the earth, common goods, nature, and territory, we will continue reflecting on the Four Interconnected Pillars of the Global Collapse.

These pillars emerge out of various historic and current crises, mainly present in the Global South, with the climate crisis having the greatest impact, as it cuts across and amplifies all our struggles. In the Mesoamerican context, these pillars reflect the particular way these historic and contemporary problems impact our peoples and territories.

FOUR PILLARS OF THE COLLAPSE:

1. Megaprojects and Militarization: Impact in Mesoamerica

The first of these pillars is the growing presence of megaprojects and militarization that severely affect local communities in Mesoamerica. In our region, megaprojects such as large hydroelectric dams, mines, and agro-industrial projects are a constant threat to Mother Earth. These projects, driven by transnational extractive interests, not only destroy the environment, but also devastate local economies, limit the self-determination of our peoples, and generate greater levels of insecurity.

The militarization that accompanies these megaprojects intensifies the repression and violence in the territories, with armed forces and paramilitaries protecting corporate interests instead of guaranteeing the security and wellbeing of the communities. This problem is reflected in the reorganization of borders and territories in a global geopolitical context where the powers of the Global North impose their economic interests at the expense of the peoples of the South.

2. Migration and Forced Displacement: The Reality of Mesoamerica

The second pillar is related to migration and forced displacement, phenomena that have intensified in Mesoamerica due to a combination of factors: armed conflicts, the violence of organized crime, and climate change. In the northern triangle of Central America, thousands of people flee from violence generated by drug trafficking and gangs, meanwhile, along the coasts and in the rural areas, Indigenous peoples and campesinos are displaced by the destruction of their lands due to extreme climate events such as hurricanes and droughts.

In addition, communities that live near large dams or extractive projects are forced to abandon their homes due to the destruction of their environment and the displacement generated by these projects. The global transnational economy and the restrictive migration policies of the countries of the Global North further aggravate this situation, creating a migration crisis that requires urgent and humanitarian solutions.

3. Monetarization and Commodification of Life: The Global Extractive Logic

Third, we face the monetarization and commodification of life, a process that is deepening in the Mesoamerican region. The expansion of the neoliberal model, in very little time, has turned our natural resources into commodities, subjecting them to the interests of large international financial funds, such as private banks, insurance companies, and transnational extractivism and speculation.

The megaprojects that devastate our territories are financed through debt by these entities, maximizing profits through the plunder and privatization of the commons. So-called “debt swaps” and “carbon credits” are examples of false climate solutions that, far from addressing the crisis, perpetuate injustice, as they do not attack the root causes of the climate crisis but impose measures that continue to benefit the most powerful countries and corporations.

In Mesoamerica, touristification and gentrification are also tools of this colonial economic logic that displace Indigenous communities and deepen social and economic inequalities, forcing thousands to abandon their homes and lands.

4. Global Water Crisis: An Urgent Problem in Mesoamerica

Finally, the fourth pillar is the global water crisis, which is particularly serious in our region. Mesoamerica is home to large water basins and unique ecosystems, but these resources are increasingly threatened by the plunder of extractive industries, the privatization of water, and climate change.

In countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, Indigenous and campesino communities face serious difficulties in accessing clean water due to the contamination of rivers, the shortages caused by deforestation, and the monopolization of water resources by large companies.

This crisis also affects food sustainability, as water sources are essential for local agriculture. The unsustainable management of water, coupled with the lack of equal access to water, puts not only rural zones at risk, but also the large cities which depend on these resources for survival.

A Call to Action: To Defend Live and the Earth

These four pillars are profoundly interconnected and are the base of the global collapse we are facing. Climate change, the destruction of territories, and the plunder of natural resources are driven by an extractive logic that violates human rights and destroys life on the planet.

In the face of these challenges, it is essential to unite our struggles and strategies, to strengthen resistance, and to continue defending life, Earth, and our territories. From Mesoamerica, where historic struggles for self-determination, social justice, and environmental defense have been examples to the world, we must continue to raise our voices and organize ourselves to confront this civilizational crisis.

This call is for those of us who defend life, climate justice, and the dignity of the peoples. It is time to act!

WHO CAN JOIN THE CARAVAN?

We offer an extensive invitation to the Peoples, Communities, Organizations, collectives, and individuals who have the capacity to self-finance their mobility expenses during the trip to join the Caravan.

We also call on Peoples, Communities, Organizations, collectives, and Movements to collaborate in activities to be held in each geographic point and territory that the Caravan will travel through.

WE NEED YOUR HELP IN THREE KEY COMMISSIONS:

1. Communication Commission:

The proposal is to provide coverage, record, and implement an effective communication strategy among caravan participants, local communities, and the media, to ensure that peoples’ voices are heard and their struggles documented fairly, as well as to give visibility to the Caravan and its demands along the route.

Post-Caravan: To coproduce a documentary on the Caravan, as well as audiovisual material for social networks.

2. Research Commission:

The proposal is to take minutes and compile information during the caravan’s journey to elaborate reports, analysis, and materials that make visible the situation in the territories of Mesoamerica, to generate collective knowledge, and to provide evidence to strengthen the demands of territorial struggles and social movements.

Post-Caravan: To continue systematizing and disseminating information on the climate crisis, the impacts of extractive megaprojects, violence, and the peoples’ resistance.

3. Observation Commission:

The proposal is to accompany the journey, in person and virtually, to monitor violations of human rights that may occur during the journey, assuring that participant communities and members of the caravan are protected and accompanied at all times, denouncing any acts of violence in the territories, as well as repression by the authorities and other actors that impact our struggles.

Post-Caravan: To make a report of human rights violations encountered in the territories visited.

We invite you to be part of this cry of global resistance! Together we walk towards a future where life, water, territory, and dignity are respected. The struggle for climate justice cannot wait, and every collective action is one more step towards a world where we can live in harmony.

For more details and how to join the commissions, stay tuned for more information we will be sharing in the coming weeks.

We invite you to fill out our preregistration form:
https://forms.gle/QM6mJeR1Z7dJzwsJ6

See you in the Mesoamerican Caravan for the Climate and Life!

The Global South organizes and resists. Below and to the left!

The South Resists in every corner of the Global South!

The struggle in defense of the earth is the mother of all struggles!

The struggle for life is in our hands!