La Via Campesina - Day 1 Photo credit: Sheila Menon

In the clip below, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! asks John Vidal, the environment editor at the Guardian newspaper, what the difference is between the United Nation’s Climate Summit and the one organized by International Peasants Movement La Via Campensina. You may remember Via Campesina from their stance of solidarity with Haitian farmers in protest against the toxic donation of Monsanto hybrid seeds after the devastating January earthquake.

Today is the last day of the U.N. climate summit in Cancun. The talks, which are breaking down, are being held at the plush Moon Palace seaside resort with some very tight security. Meanwhile at the alternative La Via Campensina summit in downtown Cancun over 20 miles away thousands of peasant farmers, indigenous people and social movements from across the globe have gathered.

viacampesina.org/en