Thursday 11th January, 6:00PM
‘Connecting Climate Justice, Civil Society and COP28: A Feminist Analysis with Katrin Geyer’
Katrin Geyer, WILPF’s international Environmental Advisor, has been with WILPF since 2017, working at the intersections of human rights, disarmament, gender, and ecological justice. Katrin will report back from the international WILPF delegation of 5 feminist peace activists to the UN COP 28 in December 2023. WILPF’s delegation networked with other NGOs to put demilitarization for gender and climate justice on the climate talks agenda. Katrin will make a feminist analysis the COP 28 process and the achievements of WILPF and the civil society delegations.
Thursday 8th February, 7:00PM
‘Connecting the dots…challenging the addiction to war and militarism: Campaigning for peace, climate justice, and the abolition of war with David Collins’
David Collins is a former Royal Marines Officer, active with the Veterans for Peace USA Climate and Militarism Group, and an Executive Committee member of the Movement for the Abolition of War. He will explain why at 18, he became a policeman in a remote part of Zimbabwe during the bush war; at 22 joining the Royal Marine Commandos, why after service in the Dhofar war in Oman he resigned at 32, later becoming an offshore directional drilling engineer in the oil and gas industry based for two years in Vietnam, and finally after a personal catharsis, taking an MSc and finding fulfillment both in the peace movement and in the renewables industry where for 15 years he was Head of Biogas at the Renewable Energy Association.
David will include discussion on the “rules of warfare” compared with the actual nature of war, with particular reference to the diaastrous and cruel consequnces for women, girls and children, citing the particular case of the UK’s unique addiction to military intervention in preference to wise diplomacy, and challenge the commonly held view that war is either necessary or inevitable by exploring the prohibition or abolition of war. What is the direct effect of war on global heating, climate justice and exploitation of scarce resources? How much carbon will be emitted – and for how long? What are the realities and consequences of the current expansion of military budgets and the spectacular profit bonanza currently being accrued by arms companies whilst resources needed to effect the promises made at COP28 are grossly diminished. Does the description of warfare by US General Butler in 1918 as “A Racket” still resonate today?
Zoom links have been shared to members through our member mailings. If you are not a member but interested in attending, please do get in touch so we can pass the link details on to you – ukwilpf.info@gmail.com