Had an easy-going morning of wandering around the World Social Forum looking at stalls and doing a spot of shopping. 🙂

Around noon I attended a Climate Change workshop on carbon trading and strategies. Basically the workshop was separated into 3 groups: 1 group to discuss carbon trading as a concept; 1 to debate the concept and discuss alternatives; and a small break-out group to come up with a World Social Forum statement.

I attended the discussion of carbon trading as a concept. We discussed the Kyoto Protocol; the push for a different international emmissions reduction treaty that’s effective and equitable; and the push for removing a market-based treaty that is ‘exploitative and promotes corruption’.

I think the only agreement was that climate change was a matter of global justice – how this justice is achieved was the point of contention.

I support the implementation of a global emmissions reduction treaty that’s effective and equitable.

After this session I met up with my friend Nicola from Perth who I left relaxing at a food/beer tent. Upon returning to the tent I found it deserted – free of chairs and people and staff. Rather odd. Nicola found me and told me there had been a convergence on the tent by protesters.

The people were protesting about the expense of the food inside the World Social Forum so took over the tent. Young, hungry children (presumably street kids) were brought along and the staff were forced to stand aside and the children were given food.

Nicola found herself in the midst of the kerfuffle as many patrons handed food to the hungry children. The food/beer tent – which was oddly run by a local golf course – closed down after that.

This evening I had to say goodbye to a big group of GYG people, including two special people – my beautiful tent roomie Hannah from Tasmania and also my dear Joachim from Germany.

It’s actually quite a cruel game to play – to bring like-minded people together from all over the world to work, live and play together for a week and then say “OK! Time to go home now!”

Their departure upset and saddened me. Hannah I will surely see again. As for Jo, well I’m not so sure.