Thousands of protesters marched in Durban on Saturday in an effort to make the need for the fight against climate change known to the world. Zukiswa Zimela of IPS followed the protest and compiled this sound-slide.

By Sudeshna Sarkar

A mountainous country that boasts of eight of the 14 highest peaks in the world, including Mt Everest, Nepal is threatened by both deluge and drought with climate change shrinking its glaciers by 21 percent in 30 years. As rising temperature disturbs the balance of snow, ice and water in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region where it is located, millions of mountain people and 1.3 billion people living downstream in Asia’s major river basins face the loss of livelihood, homes and lives due to flash floods and droughts.

The COP17 negotiations in Durban, South Africa, have been described as the most colourful UN event yet after giant puppets and musicians welcomed delegates to the International Conference Centre in the port city.

En São Gonçalo, una de las ciudades de Brasil con mayor índice de pobreza, un grupo de mujeres logró sobreponerse a las inundaciones que en 2010 les arrebataron lo que tenían. Asociadas en Las Mujeres de Salgueiro, ellas saben bien lo que es enfrentarse a las injusticias climáticas y también lo que es levantarse, mediante pequeños emprendimientos.

Las mujeres son las mayores víctimas de los efectos del calentamiento global, pero al mismo tiempo las que primero reaccionan y levantan las banderas de la lucha en la mitigación y la adaptación al cambio climático, dijo a IPS Janete Guilherme, coordinadora de la asociación comunitaria. “Los hombres vienen detrás”, aseguró.

Days before the start of COP17 in Durban, the UNFCCC has formally recognised the Women and Gender Constituency, giving them full constituency status when the talks start in Durban at the end of November. Tinus de Jager reports that there will be a strong push for a gender-specific focus at the climate-change talks in South Africa