FORWARD

Systemic Change Now: No to Climate Change!

The climate crisis has brought severe damage to frontline communities who depend on nature for their lives and livelihoods. Food producers who feed the world are facing immense challenges due to the climate crisis, and their living conditions are deteriorating day by day, resulting in violations of their basic human rights.

According to the ILO, fisher peoples are among those engaged in one of the most dangerous occupations in the world and are being pushed deeper into poverty, hunger and vulnerability due to the climate crisis. Frequent natural calamities such as hurricanes, typhoons, gales, tsunamis, and storms, along with changing sea waves and water current patterns not only devastate their lives and livelihoods, but also damage ecosystems and coastal areas.

The current trend of global warming has intensified the unaddressed climate crisis, severely impacting fishing communities. Sea-level rise and sea erosion have caused serious damages to fishing communities around the globe. However, this situation is happening not only in the seas – it is also a common phenomenon in freshwater and inland fishing areas. Coastal and riparian communities living along the fresh water bodies face constant threats, leaving them with no peace or hope for the future.

The contribution of those communities to the global climate crisis is minimal to none. Yet frontline communities are the main victims as they face numerous threats. The consumeristic culture driven by the capitalist system and the promotion of petrochemicals and fossil fuels further deepens the crisis without offering real solutions. The capitalist system, led by corporations and supported by conservation NGOs, continues to propose false solutions. All while ignoring frontline
communities’ practical ways to cool Mother Earth and the sea.

Fisher peoples world-wide cannot escape from this crisis. As a global movement representing 10 million fishers, the World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) cannot turn a blind eye and remain silent while our communities are among the immediate victims. Clear indicators are the loss of coastlines, destruction of property and fishing equipment, houses, displacement, and severe ecosystem devastations, among others.

In response, the 8th General Assembly of the WFFP, convened in Brazil on November 2024, adopted a series of resolutions to guide member organizations in addressing the climate issues we face. To this end, we wish to raise awareness by sharing clear facts, lived testimonies, and stories of our struggles. Guided by the Coordinating Committee of the WFFP, we decided to conduct a study across 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.

This report is the result of those country case studies, conducted in Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Our aim is to present this collective work at COP-30 in Belém, Brazil.

We extend our sincere thanks to all WFFP member organizations in these countries for their commitment in conducting field research, facilitating the work on the ground, and preparing the country reports in a timely manner. We also express our deep gratitude to Yifang Tang of FIAN International for her dedicated work as the lead researcher, and to Michelle Brown Ochaíta, intern with NAFSO and Alternatives Canada, for her dedication in copy-editing all the country case studies and the report. We, the WFFP, salute everyone who contributed in any way to making this effort a success, including Grassroots International for their steadfast support.

Finally, we echo the voice of frontline food producers and allies at the 3rd Nyéléni forum:

“We Need Systemic Change Now, No to Climate Change!”

Herman Kumara
General Secretary, World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP]

Download the book RISING TIDES, SHRINKING COASTS, AND SNIKING RIGHT: Climate Crisis and the Struggles of Fisher Peoples on the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vg0didiRf_svvhuyyUMo03uwJGwcPo5_/view?usp=sharing