DailyRadical

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*(PL and ABI New York, April 21, 2008).- (translation from Spanish
courtesy Jubilee South/Americas)*

*Bolivian President Evo Morales said today that to save the planet requires
putting an end to the capitalist model and for the North to pay its
Ecological Debt. This was the first of 10 points presented by Morales at the
inauguration* of the UN's VII Indigenous Forum, in a long address acclaimed
by participants at this annual gathering.**

Morales Ayma proposed 10 commandment to save the world, life, and
all of humanity, making reference to respect for the earth,
renouncing war, bilateral relations without impositions, water and
land as human rights, clean energy, no to biofuels, basic services,
prioritizing what is produced locally, promoting cultural diversity,
and the notion of "living well" through communitarian socialism and
in harmony with mother Earth.

The president affirmed that there remain two paths toward saving
humanity, life, and the plant Earth: either recovering a way of life
in harmony with mother Earth and all of life, or following the path
of capitalism and death.

Morales insisted that the only way to save the world is to put an
end to this way of thinking that promotes individualist selfishness
and a thirst for profits. He asked indigenous peoples, peasants and
governments of the world to consume what is necessary, giving
priority to what is produced locally and avoiding waste and luxury.

The head of state further expressed that "the huge impact of climate
change is not a product of human beings in general, but of the
dominant capitalist system with its unlimited industrial
development; that is why I feel it is important to put an end to the
exploitation of human beings and the plundering of natural resources".

*TEN COMMANDMENTS TO SAVE THE PLANET*

1. In order to save the planet, the capitalist model must be
eradicated and the North pay its ecological debt, rather than the
countries of the South and throughout the world continuing to pay
their external debts.

2. Denounce and PUT AN END to war, which only brings profits for
empires, transnationals, and a few families, but not for peoples.
The million and millions of dollars destined to warfare should be
invested in the Earth, which has been hurt as a result of misuse and
overexploitation.

3. Develop relations of coexistence, rather than domination, among
countries in a world without imperialism or colonialism. Bilateral
and multilateral relations are important because we belong to a
culture of dialogue and social coexistence, but those relationships
should not be of submission of one country to another.

4. Water is a human right and a right for all living things on the
planet. It is not possible that there be policies that permit the
privatization of water.

5. Develop clean energies that are nature friendly; put an end
to energy wastefulness. In 100 years we are doing away with the
fossil fuels that have been created over millions of years. Avoid
the promotion of agrofuels. It is incomprehensible that some
governments and economic development models can set aside land in
order to make luxury cars run, rather than using it to provide food
for human beings. Promote debates with governments and create
awareness that the earth must be used for the benefit of all human
beings and not to produce agrofuels.

6. Respect for the mother Earth. Learn from the historic teachings
of native and indigenous peoples with regard to the respect for the
mother Earth. A collective social consciousness must be developed
among all sectors of society, recognizing that the Earth is our mother.

7. Basic services, such as water, electricity, education,
healthcare, communications, and collective transportation should all
be considered human rights; they cannot be privatized but must
rather be public services.

8. Consume what is necessary, give priority and consume what is
produced locally, put an end to consumerism, waste, and luxury. It
is incomprehensible that some families dedicate themselves to the
search for luxury, when millions and millions of persons do not have
the possibility to live well.

9. Promote cultural and economic diversity. We are very diverse and
this is our nature. A plurinational state, in which everyone is
included within that state - whites, browns, blacks, everyone.

10. We want everyone to be able to live well, which does not mean to live better at the expense of others. We must build a communitarian socialism that is in harmony with the mother Earth.

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