BELÉM (PA) – The discussion on the climate and social future took center stage in Axis 3 of the People’s Summit Plenary, with the participation of important leaders advocating for a radical transformation of current economic models. The debate brought together global and grassroots perspectives, focusing on deconstructing the system of exploitation and commercialization of natural resources and guaranteeing rights for the peoples of the Global South.
Demand for Systemic and Democratic Transformation
Fernando Tormos-Aponte, a political sociologist, researcher, and member of the Just Transition Alliance in the United States, articulated the need for a change that goes beyond market solutions. His speech pointed directly to the structural root of the crises:
“We are demanding to go against the capitalist, racist, and patriarchal system that consistently prioritizes profit and accumulation over life and nature. We see the impact of this system in the privatization of all social services, where what does not generate profit is not worthy of attention. We therefore propose a different system that does not put profit before life. And for that, we must have a systemic transformation. We know that this transformation is a process that leads to other people being affected by these transitions. And this is a bet on democracy.”
The perspective of the Brazilian working class was brought by Rosalina Amorim, National Secretary for the Environment of the Unified Workers’ Central (CUT), who highlighted the urgency of democratizing energy. Rosalina vehemently criticized the way the energy transition has been implemented, without guaranteeing access for the most remote communities and penalizing the working class. She reinforced that it is necessary to be at the forefront of the discussion to ensure that energy does not become another factor of exclusion and that the working class is not the main victim of this process.
Activist Farai Maguwu, Founding Director of CNRG (Centre for Natural Resource Governance) in Zimbabwe, joined the discussion, bringing the African perspective on the fight against the exploitation and commercialization of natural resources and the human rights abuses linked to this trade. His work, especially in denouncing crimes related to diamonds in Zimbabwe, reinforces the need to control transnational capital and guarantee sovereignty over natural resources.
The consensus in the Axis 3 Plenary is that the Just and Popular Transition must be a process guided by democracy, social justice, and the abandonment of a system that puts profit above life.
The Common Thread: Pain Unifies Global Struggles at the People’s Summit
The Plenary of Axis 3 of the People’s Summit opened space for a moment of fundamental importance: the direct sharing of the pain and injustices felt in different parts of the world. The power of this moment lies in the realization that, although they work in different countries and organizations, activists are driven by a common impulse: confronting the ills generated by the same capitalist and exploitative system.
The narratives converged in a single direction, proving that the crisis is systemic. Maria das Graças Lima Bento, affected by the Samarco, VALE, and BHP crime (the Fundão dam collapse in 2015) in Mariana, brought the drama experienced in Barra Longa, Minas Gerais. Describing the devastation of the sludge that compromised planting areas and family income, she stressed that the struggle for conquered rights — such as the Income Transfer Program (PTR) — has already lasted ten years, and that her participation is in solidarity with all those affected, whether by dams or other forms of exploitation.
This fight against the denial of rights finds an echo in the direct critiques of power structures. Moira, a Mapuche activist from Patagonia, made a strong appeal for a change in political paradigm, advocating that land be recognized as a historical and social subject in democratic discussions, and not just people. She sharply criticized the current “country models that deny the rights of indigenous peoples and, above all, that deny the land,” classifying South American nations as “colonial republics.”
The global responsibility for this structure was highlighted by Tyrone Scott, from the British organization War on Want. Scott defined the Summit as a collective process of imagination and organization of movements from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe that refuse to see the idea of transition being “captured” by the status quo. Scott drew attention to the historical and ongoing responsibility of the Global North for the climate chaos and ecological death, arguing that there can be no just transition in the South without wealthy nations and corporations being held accountable for causing the crisis.
In essence, the speeches, united by the same motivation, echo the criticism made by Rosalina Amorim (CUT Brazil) at another point in the plenary: the rejection of any energy transformation that is implemented without guaranteeing access to the most remote communities or that penalizes the working class, reinforcing the urgency of democratizing energy and resources. The collective clamor is clear: the pain of capitalist exploitation is the driving force for building a unified front for a just future.
Conclusion
With the conclusion of the contributions, the Axis of the Just, Inclusive, and Popular Transition concludes, celebrating the Unity and Hope that mark the spaces of the People’s Summit. The synthesis document, enriched by the contributions of nearly 30 activists, will now proceed to the Final Declaration, and all participants are invited to proceed to the Solidarity Tent, where they will meet with the other axes in a crucial step towards the consolidation of a unified front of struggle.
Photos: Samara Silva/Ag.EficazPress