Climate camp 2022

What is Climate camp?

This year’s Climate camp will be 3 – 9 October! A week full of lectures, discussions, concerts and events awaits us.

At a climate camp, climate activists from all over the world come together to protest for climate justice. It’s a safe and open space where everybody is invited to talk, share, learn and find ways leading us to justice and systemic change. Climate camp is run by all the participants and the decisions are being made together.  We focus on inclusive, participatory solutions that work from the grass roots up. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination, such as homophobia, sexism, racism etc.

Climate camp is our joined effort to take back power over our lives. Everybody is invited to join various protests for a just end of all fossil fuels.

Where will this year’s climate camp take place?

In the Moravian-Silesian region, near Ostrava! From the beginning of the week, we will meet at lectures, debates, concerts and plenary sessions. Action days start from Friday: join us in protest for climate justice!

What´s this year´s Climate camp´s purpose? Why are we organizing a Climate camp?

Because we believe that energy should serve people, not for making profit!

Having access to clean and affordable energy is a right, not a luxury. Our dependence on fossil fuels led us to a situation where we have to worry about our bill every month. It’s time to end fossil fuels and implement systemic solutions to fight energy poverty: we need to support community owned sources of clean energy, to reduce energy consumption, to start insulating and protecting vulnerable customers.

In order to survive this winter, we must help each other and stand up for our rights at the same time. We will do exactly that at the Climate camp: in addition to the protest, you can also take part in a self-help insulation workshop and direct assistance in a locality threatened by energy poverty.

Simply: we blocked the mine, now we will insulate the house!

Because we want justice for coal regions!

Since 2015, when we first protested the demolition of the villages in the North of Czechia, we have been organizing climate camps and demanding the end of coal. It was always important to us to articulate that the end of coal has to be not only fast, but also just and that the polluters should pay.

We are currently at risk that the end of coal in Czechia will not be just at all. Within the Just Transition fund there are around 40 billion czech crowns assigned to secure the future for coal regions. The process is untransparent and the projects that  have been chosen by the Government of the Czech Republicare are useless and will not bring any justice.

Why should one of the biggest polluters, the coal tycoon Pavel Tykač get money from public funds? This is what may happen in the region of Ústí nad labem.

The decisions have been made behind closed doors and the exact plans are still not available to the public. At best, the people from the regions influenced by these decisions have been “informed”. Nobody asked them what they needed.

For 2,4 billion czech crowns (about 98 million euros) you could insulate a few hundreds of buildings. The Moravskoslezský region decided not to and instead is planning on spending this money on building a massive greenhouse with exotic plants, that is very likely to be extremely energy intensive. Well, at least there will be a warm place for you to go, when you cannot afford to heat your house anymore!

Just transition = no money for coal barons and corporations

Because we have the power to shine light on specific examples of injustice

Climate camp is a place where we can all stand up to fossil capitalism, even to the green-washed version. And the best place to do it is where we see the effects the most – in the coal regions.

Let’s change the system, not the climate

OK… but what should just transition look like?

We have discussed the need and the ideas of coal with people from the coal regions during our “Climate bike tour” in 2020. What the just transition with real participation of the public could look like is also summed up in a paper Just Transition Through the Eyes of Local People published by the platform Re-Set.

Above all, however, a fair transformation does not only apply to coal regions. Our entire energy sector, economy and society need a fair transformation.

However, due to the rising energy prices, doesn’t it make sense to return to coal now?

Coal is not a solution to unaffordable energy. Now that energy prices are rising, it might seem that coal is actually the cheapest source. One of the main reasons why energy prices are rising is that coal barons and other billionaires are speculating with allowances and thus artificially prop up energy prices. The second and even more important thing is that the consequences of climate change will be much more expensive. Energy prices need to be solved systematically and rationally on a European scale.

What can I do if I don´t want to participate in the protest for climate justice?

There will be a diverse programme prepared for you during the climate camp: discussions with experts, unionists and activist collectives. You are also welcome to create the programme with us.

In the evenings there will also be a lot of culture and different concerts everynight.

Climate camp is a lot of fun, but it’s not a festival: we create it all together. We´re also inviting you to join the organisation and supporting of the camp, for example by helping out with cooking or with logistics.

Climate camp programme (PDF)

Sunday 2nd

Evening

Arrival at the meadow, greeting, chatting, sharing

This programme was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Monday 3rd

Morning

Building the camp together

Afternoon (14.00-17.30 with a break)
Energy poverty – how to organise against it and how to insulate your home DIY (Marika and Josef, Re-set)

This workshop is an introduction to the campaign against energy poverty and for clean and affordable energy for all. You will learn about what energy poverty is, what its systemic causes are, and what measures can help us address it. As part of the campaign, we also want to insulate homes DIY to reduce heat consumption. At the workshop we will try out with you how to organise self-help groups and how to talk to your neighbours about energy poverty. On Tuesday and Wednesday, this workshop will be followed by two days of helping the local community to insulate their homes.

Evening (from 17.30)

Dinner and hanging out

This programme was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Tuesday 4th

8.30-9.30 Breakfast
9.30-10.30 Plenary for all
All-day programme: DIY house insulation with local community
10.30-12.00 Morning programme
What’s going on here or Why is Klimakemp near Ostrava? (Michal, Veronika, Limity jsme my! and anyone else 💚)

What are the biggest problems of Ostrava and other cities in the Moravian-Silesian Region? How is this industrial area different from the brown coal mining areas in Northern Bohemia? How is the housing crisis related to coal and why are so many people moving out of Ostrava? What kind of Ostrava would we like to live in? An informal introductory debate for all local, cross-country and cross-border people.

12.00-14.00 Lunch
14.00-15.30 Afternoon programme I
Patriarchy and the Destruction of our Planet (Dialogue workshop) – Part 1 (Martin and Maja, Sdruženy)

In this workshop we will reflect on the relationship between patriarchy and the exploitation of nature. The destruction of the ecosystem and the brutality towards life is an integral part of the ideology of patriarchy and we will look together into the bowels of this oppression and try to explore together the possibilities to revolt against it.

The day before and after 24.02.2022: climate movement in Ukraine before and during The War (Daria Lazarieva, Ecoaction, Ukraine)

The climate movement in Ukraine used to be peaceful, bright, and powerful. I would like to start by sharing some photos and stories from our activities to describe the movement BEFORE. The second part of the presentation will be about the war’s harm to the Ukrainians and the world’s environment. I will tell participants about the transformation of climate campaigning due to the war starting with plans for the year, the shock that has stopped our work, and the redirection of priorities with new targets.

Psychological First Aid Workshop – Part 1

Do you like to help people around you to solve their problems? Then this workshop is for you. In two 90-minute sessions, we will teach you the basics of crisis intervention and working with emotions so that you can effectively help your friends in psychological distress. The workshop also includes a unique opportunity to expand your newly acquired skills with practice in the awareness tent, where you can take shifts throughout Klimakemp. If you are interested in participating, please apply by emailing: limityjsmemy@riseup.net.

15.30-16.00 Break and a snack
16.00-17.30 Afternoon programme II
Patriarchy and the Destruction of our planet (Dialogue workshop) – Part 2 (Martin and Maja, Sdruženy)
Radical imagination – What does it mean to imagine a radically different future? (Anna Kárníková and Adam Čajka)

If we want to maintain stable societies in a stable environment, we are facing a transformation comparable to the transition from feudalism to capitalism. We are now in a kind of in-between space – the old order is gradually disintegrating, but the new one does not yet exist in more than vague outlines (the so-called liminal state). How can we create a new future from a space of uncertainty and indeterminacy? Why is it not enough to simply imagine a new ordering of society ? And how can we insert radical imagination as a skill into our everyday lives?
The workshop will present Adam and Anna’s reflections so far on what radical imagination can be and how to work with it, but it is primarily a space for co-creation. We will work with many diverse sources such as lateral thinking (Edward De Bono), U theory (Otto Scharmer), flânerie, and Zen Buddhism. Bring all your inspiration, no matter how eclectic.

Anna Kárníková has been the director of the DUHA Movement since 2019, where she has, among other things, prepared the organization’s long-term strategy framed by the ideas of degrowth. In 2018, she headed the Centre for Transport and Energy. She studied European Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University and Environmental Policy at the London School of Economics. She has a background in public administration (she headed the Department for Sustainable Development at the Cabinet Office), works on the social dimension of decarbonisation and strategies to promote social change.

Adam Čajka is an educator on global context, facilitation and non-violent communication. He is exploring the roots of non-growth in the Global South and possible inspiration for the movement in the Czech Republic.

Psychological First Aid Workshop – Part 2
Activism in university environment (Universities for Climate)

On behalf of Universities for Climate, we invite you to a non-hierarchical debate on activism in university environment. While we have some wonderful speakers who will share their experiences, we also want to give space to the audience to talk about examples of good (and bad) practice and exchange contacts so that we can come back to our universities stronger!

17.30-18.30 Dinner
18.30-20.00 Panel discussion
Megaprojects or a better life for people? How could Just Transition look like in our region?

During the 90’s, the Ostrava and Karviná region experienced a careless decline in industry and the privatisation. To prevent the worst case scenarios regarding the climate crisis, we must switch to renewable energy and drastically transform our economic system. We can’t afford for the common people to pay the price for that. We can’t afford wasting public funding. What help could the Just Transition Fund and 20 billion Czech crowns offer? What jobs could people from endangered industries find? Will the end of the fossil industry bring positive change for the local people?

The participants of the panel discussion:

  • Zuzana Klusová (SOS Karviná)
  • Zuzana Vondrová (Centrum pro dopravu a energetiku)
  • Jiří Krist (Místní akční skupiny Opavsko)

Moderated by Mikuláš Černík.

Zuzana Klusová is in the commitee of an organisation SOS Karviná, which focuses on protecting both the environment and civil rights in the context of coal mining in the region. This organisation managed to prevent potential coal mining under the Old Town in Karviná. Zuzana is interested in the just transition, criticizes privatisation, large corporations and their political connections, stands by the miners and their safe working conditions.

Zuzana Vondrová works in the Center for Transport and Energy and she’s been engaged in the topic of the just transition and the coal phase-out for about 4 years. She also offers environmental consulting.

Jiří Krist is active in the non-profit sector, engages in regional development and environmentalism, especially green energy. He’s the chairperson of MAS Opavsko and Enerkom Opavsko.

20.15-22.00 Night programme
Screening and debate about the film Praise for Disobedience (Radek Kubala, Re-set)

The roots of the climate justice movement in film – Disobedience
How important is civil disobedience for the development of the world? What is the difference between legality and legitimacy? Why is it important to be able to resist unjust laws?
These and other questions will be answered in the second film night of a series on the history of the climate justice movement. This time we will be screening, exceptionally, at the Climate Camp organized by the Limity jsme my movement.
We will screen the film Disobedience, which describes the rise of the civil disobedience movement against fossil fuels.

Circle and non-circle dances for everyone (Anna Kárníková and anyone else 💚)

If we want to survive the 21st century, we must dance, says American philosopher and dancer Kimerer L. LaMothe. Dance creates and strengthens community, evokes pure joy and gives strength for the struggles ahead. You don’t need any skill to dance, just your body. Everyone is welcome to join in, it will be fun!

This programme was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Wednesday 5th

8.30-9.30 Breakfast
9.30-10.30 Plenary for all
All-day programme: DIY house insulation with local community
10.30-12.00 Morning programme
Just transition of school canteens (Žbětka and Anička, Nesehnutí)

Do you go to the school canteen? Does your child go there or are you just interested in the topic of school meals? Are you a vegan or vegetarian, or do you have a gluten allergy and therefore don’t eat in the canteen? Do you have to cook your child’s school lunches because the canteen cannot take into account the specifics of their diet? Would you like to change that? In our workshop, we’ll talk about the current school food system and its unsustainability (not just because of the climate) and how we can work together to change it for the better. Work with us to create healthy, plant-based, climate-friendly lunches for all! At the Nesehnutí Colourful Canteens campaign, we are working to change school meals – we want all and everyone to eat in the school canteen. But we need the help of all of you who eat in school canteens every day – or don’t eat there. Find out how you can get involved in the campaign at the workshop. Find out more about the campaign here: https://pestrejidelny.cz

To grow or to live? (Tadeáš Žďárský)

We are living in a time of crises – unaffordable housing, energy poverty, growing inequalities, increased problems of depression or burnout, the climate crisis. Although they may seem separate, their common denominator is an economic system that prioritises growth and profit at the expense of meeting the needs of the majority of people and nature. While international institutions such as the European Union and the United Nations promote so-called green growth, the degrowth movement sees economic growth at the heart of the problem. Can green growth really be achieved? Is it even desirable? What systemic pressures for growth are built into our economic system and how can they be overcome? What would a degrowth economy look like that meets the needs of everyone within the planet’s limits?

What about solar panels? (Radek)

How do solar panels work and how much electricity can they produce? Can a person plug them in a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mode? And where can I get them if I don’t have half a million crowns? Everything you need to know and with a practical demonstration.

12.00-14.00 Lunch
14.00-15.30 Afternoon programme I
Sustainable urban agriculture (Radek and Anička, CSA “z(a)kusme to”)

Community supported urban agriculture: what is food sovereignty and can it be achieved in the Czech context and in the city itself? What are the pitfalls of urban farming? Does farming even belong in the city? What are the economic and ecological aspects of food production? Does it all make sense? And what will we eat?

Working for a Better World (Ondřej Kolínský)

Many of us have jobs that don’t make sense to us; jobs that produce useless things, destroy the environment or do more harm than good to other people. But the less fortunate don´t even have any jobs. Using the example of a specific community, we will try to solve this double problem – acting as local residents, we will think of ways to invest the resources intended for transformation to create meaningful and secure jobs for locals.

Philosophical reading and debate (Universities for Climate)

Anežka and Tereza, students of philosophy and history and members of Universities for Climate, invite you to an intellectual snack. Together we will read a shorter text from the genre of environmental philosophy, discuss it and at the end we can exchange tips for further readings.

Action training – Part 1

Want to get involved in direct action at Klimakemp? Or are you planning to join another civil disobedience action to fight for social or climate justice? Then take part in one of the action trainings. The sooner the better, because there will be more of us every day.
In the past, non-violent direct actions have helped win women the right to vote, end racial segregation or topple autocratic regimes. For example, in the training you will learn how to behave in contact with the police in a way that does not endanger yourself or others, or how to organise and look after each other in tense situations
If you want to get involved, read the ACTION CONSENSUS.

15.30-16.00 Break and snack
16.00-17.30 Afternoon programme II
Green Recovery of Ukraine: what about climate change and energy security? (Sofia, Ecoaction, Ukraine)

Despite the brutality and devastation of the war that Russia started in Ukraine, our society has already started planning the reconstruction of Ukraine. Along with existential challenges that must be addressed in face of the russian aggression, Ukraine has the unique potential to become a global showcase for climate change adaptation and a rapid shift away from fossil fuels. At the seminar, we will explore and discuss, what is the conception of the Green recovery of Ukraine, is there a place for Climate Change adaptation in these plans, and how we can build a safe, green, and prosperous future for us all. Lecture by Sofia Sadogurska, Climate Adaptation Expert, NGO Ecoaction, Ukraine.

Why Capitalism is Destroying Nature and How to Stop It (Jan Májíček)

Although Karl Marx couldn’t have known about the climate crisis, his late work shows the emergence of the so-called metabolic rifts that are a direct consequence of capitalism as an economic and social system. What can this analysis tell us today to not only save the world, but to make it the world we want?

Reunion of historical, current and future university eco-groups (Universities for Climate)

Whether in Ostrava, Olomouc or Prague, as part of a larger movement or just ‘greening’ your department, have you been involved in climate activism at any university? If so, on behalf of the (Prague) Universities for Climate, we invite you to lunch together. Let’s get to know each other, network and complain about the rigid university structures. We look forward to it and bon appetit!

Action Training – Part 2
17.30-18.30 Barbecue
18.30-20.00 Panelová debata
How do we get out of the housing crisis?

Rising costs of housing, rent prices without any limit, contract only for one year, having your own home becoming increasingly unachievable… The housing crisis has become a major topic in the last years both in the Czech Republic and the rest of the world. However, in the Ostrava and Karviná region it has been present since the 90’s. Houses, restored and repaired with money from the communities, were bought by a coal baron Zdeněk Bakala and now they fell into the hands of an international corporation Heimstaden, one of the largest of its kind. Cities and municipalities mostly privatised their housing and the rest is often not being taken care of. What is the stance of local people on this issue?
The debate will introduce an example of founding a social union, so the inhabitants have more control over how much of their rent is in return invested into maintaining their housing in a good shape. We will discuss different ways of working together with fellow tenants against international corporations.
Is the housing crisis similar in different parts of the republic? Who’s to blame and what can we do? How should cities and municipalities respond to make housing accessible for all? Can we achieve this, for example, in Opava?

The participants of the panel discussion:

  • Eva Lehotská (Bedřiška community)
  • Jan Malý Blažek (Masaryk University)
  • Jakub Nakládal (organisations Re-set and Paměť města)

Moderated by Veronika Dombrovská.

Eva Lehotská works as an accountant. She’s been concerning herself with housing for a long time now and she’s also active in her community and as a public figure. As a part of the Bedřiška neighbourhood community she’s been striving to found a social union.

Jan Malý Blažek is an economic expert and a social geographer. He works as a teacher at the Department of Environmental Studies of the Masaryk University in Brno. He takes interest in participative housing – that means such housing in which its inhabitants actively partake in the daily operating. In cooperation with six Czech cities (one of which is Opava) he’s looking into the possibilities and limits of sustainable and accessible participative housing in the Czech Republic.

Jakub Nakládal is an architect and an expert in the field of housing accessibility crisis. He’s part of an organisation called Re-set: platform for a social-ecologial transformation, and a member of Paměť města, a collective which maps and critically adresses changes in the city of Prague.

20.15-22.00 Evening programme
Štěstíčko (Divadlo Feste)

Anxiety. Envy. Songs. Home.

Housing, its lack, its disproportionate costs and its dramatic subordination to only market mechanisms is becoming one of the most difficult problems of today. One million people face insecure or inadequate housing. And all indications are that this trend will continue. That’s why we decided to devote our current theater project to housing.

Fire show
This programme was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Thursday 6th

8.30-9.30 Breakfast
8.45-12.00
Walk through the landscape of Ostrava (Jan Lenart, University of Ostrava)

The typical landscape of Ostrava, which is already disappearing, can still be seen in Vítkovice. A trip with local environmental geographer Jan Lenart, during which we will see the workers’ colonies, mines, architecture, monuments, industrial landscape and talk about how they are related and what their current significance and potential is.

9.30-10.30 Plenary for all
10.30-12.00 Morning programme
How can we achieve socio-ecological transformation through degrowth? (Arnošt Novák)

Over the last few years, degrowth has grown from a small activist and academic movement into a resonant vision that even hegemonic discourse has had to take into account. But we still do not live in a degrowth society. How to create a degrowth utopia here and now? And does it not actually exist around us anymore? How to connect the cracks of capitalism and achieve a socially just and ecologically sustainable transformation? Where to go and what can we do concretely?

Clown-activist workshop (Florent Golfier, tYhle)

This workshop moves between activism, intervention and (clown) performance. It offers a diverse set of performative and activist exercises with which participants can find their own path to clowning. The motto is “Your clown is as individual as you are”, so there are no limitations except your own imagination. The workshop is open to everyone, no previous experience is necessary. The workshop will be held in Czech or English depending on the needs of the participants.

Photovoltaics for residential houses – how to arrange cheaper electricity at home? (Michal Berg)

Practical experience from the jungle of obstacles that apartment buildings have to overcome in order to put a photovoltaic power plant on the roof. Something about persuading owners at meetings, legal pitfalls, current legislation and technical conditions that need to be resolved.

12.00-13.00
Meditation of love for the landscape (Living Laudato si’)

We will meet at the campsite by the large tent (šapitó) and walk to a quiet place near the campsite. There we will create a quiet space of trust together.

For each other and for this landscape, we will create a time in which we remain in wonder, in the presence of all who inhabit this landscape. We will witness this small part of our ecological context and take a loving attitude towards it, trusting that this attitude will spread to the whole world and all its inhabitants.

12.00-14.00 Lunch
12.30-13.30
Recruitment meeting of “We are the Limits!”

Are you interested in joining the initiative “Limity jsme my!”/We are the limits? Would you like to join but don’t know what you would like to do? Want to know more about our movement? Come to the recruitment meeting!
We will introduce you to our movement – what we do, our goals and values and how you can get involved.
At the meeting, it will also be possible to join our buddy program – we will assign you a more advanced buddy in “Limity”, which will gradually introduce you to our activities.

14.00-15.30 Afternoon programme I
Meeting of tenants and tenants of INN (Lída and Yuliya, Re-set)

We are founding the Tenants’ Initiative in Prague! However, the lack of legal protection and problems arising from high rents are experienced by people all over the country. What are our goals and how do we want to achieve them? What was our main motivation for setting up the initiative? The programme will answer these questions and tenants will share their experiences.

Action training – Part 1

Want to get involved in direct action at Klimakemp? Or are you planning to join another civil disobedience action to fight for social or climate justice? Then take part in one of the action trainings. The sooner the better, because there will be more of us every day.
In the past, non-violent direct actions have helped win women the right to vote, end racial segregation or topple autocratic regimes. For example, in the training you will learn how to behave in contact with the police in a way that does not endanger yourself or others, or how to organise and look after each other in tense situations
If you want to get involved, read the ACTION CONSENSUS.

15.30-16.00 Break and snack
16.00-17.30 Afternoon programme II
Fun quiz about EPH or how to destroy Daniel Křetínský and have fun doing it (Anička, Kristina & Val, „We are the Limits!“)

A coal miner, a developer, a football club owner and a media tycoon walk into a pub and the bartender says: “As always, Mr. Křetínský?” Daniel Křetínský, the fourth richest Czech and owner of the biggest Czech company EPH, made his fortune trading in Russian gas and running the dirtiest coal-fired power plants. Now, while we’re dealing with utility bills, he’s buying villas and yachts. The workshop will introduce the new campaign by „We are the Limits“ against EPH and create a space to dream together about a world without billionaires.

MUTUAL CORE: A case study of transformation (Jaroslav Michl)

From fossil energy to green energy, from capitalism to green capitalism: what shape will our future take if it is based on principles that reflect, if not directly reproduce, the same modes of existence and relations that we are struggling with and that should rather be revised? Mutual Core is an attempt to visualize the limits of our ideas of the future and the limits of the current system in terms of ideas of the future that would not include growth (embodied in the paradigm of green capitalism). Our project frames how nostalgia for the socialist past and current trends towards a greener and more sustainable future resonate with existing profit-oriented socio-economic models. It aims to offer a visual metaphor for our belief that the past must be taken into account when planning for the future. At the same time, it seeks to illuminate how patterns from the past can easily frustrate our present actions and distort our imaginations about the future. Authors of the project: Giulia Faccin, Ján Skaličan, Jitka Králová, Jaroslav Michl

Legal Workshop (Autonomous Legal Clinic)

Not sure if you want to participate in direct action at Klimakemp? Or are you planning to join another civil disobedience action to fight for social or climate justice? Then attend one of the Legal Workshops. Beforehand, please read the ACTION CONSENSUS.

Action Training – Part 2
Tour de Stink 2022 – Bicycle ride in Ostrava!!! (Dýchám v Ostravě)

ATMOSPHERE STILL MATTER!!!

The second year of the legendary cycle ride. Take your bikes, tricycles, scooters or other vehicles and take the stench out of Ostrava with us.

Start: Regional office

  • ul. 28. října cycle market
  • Frydlant Bridges
  • Jindřich mine
  • New townhall
  • OKK Coke Plant
17.30-18.30 Dinner
18.30-20.00 Panel discussion
Wearing a sweater is not enough: how to ensure affordable energy for all

Do you live in an energy crisis? The answer might surprise you…
Do you pay inadequately high prices for electrical energy? Are you worried things might get even worse? Do you want some assurance that things will get better? Is it enough that the state put a limit on the price of electrical energy? What are the next steps that should lead to a more affordable and clean electrical energy? What are the things you could be doing inside your own household and what are the things that the state should be doing? What things work in other countries? What to do to make sure that electrical energy becomes affordable and at the same time isn’t produced with resources like coal and gas that cause the climate crisis?

The participants of the panel discussion:

  • Anna Michalčáková (Community Energy Union)
  • Dominik David (Department of Energy Security, Masaryk University)
  • Dušana Dokúpilová (Slovak Academy of Sciences)
  • Josef Patočka (Re-set: platform for social-ecological transformation)

Moderated by Marika Volfová.

Anna Michalčáková discusses community energy and its financing in the Community Energy Union. She sees community energy as a way to democratize the system and as an opportunity to create different models that can address, among other things, energy poverty.

Dominik David is working on energy poverty using a “bottom-up method”, interviewing directly the people most affected by rising energy prices in his research. He debunks the myths that these people are unable to be frugal, concluding instead that the main reason is the poor state of rental housing and the dysfunctional state solution. He is currently mainly concerned with the impact of the collapse of energy suppliers on their clients.

Dušana Dokúpilová works at the Prognostic Institute of the Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (PÚ CSPV SAV). She works mainly on quantitative analyses. She has been working for a long time on climate change issues and the preparation of models and scenarios related to it. Currently, she is mainly involved in energy poverty research (preparation of definition, proposal of measures and solutions to energy poverty).

Josef Patočka is a researcher and campaigner at Re-set, a platform for social-ecological transformation. He works on issues of environmental and social justice in the energy sector, just transformation, energy poverty and democratization of the energy sector.

20.15-22.00 Evening programme

Rap night

This programme was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Friday 7th – Action Days for Climate Justice

8.30-9.30 Breakfast
9.30-10.00 Quick info-meeting
10.00 Leaving for Ostrava for the Demonstration for decent housing and affordable energy
Demonstration for decent housing and affordable energy

Having a place to live and something to heat your place with is a basic right, not a luxury.
While we’re worrying about how to pay the next bill, the profits of big companies are rising.
Join our protest walk through Ostrava, together we can take back our city. We want to have fun, educate and play in the streets of the city that belongs to us, even if it is owned by developers. To create a space where everyone is heard, not just those who have profited from speculation. Program (for adults and children) will be added along with a detailed route.

Start: 11.00 in front of PLATO (former Bauhaus, Janáčkova 11)
Main program:: around 12.00 in the Čs. letců park

Heimstaden owns around 43,000 apartments in the Czech Republic. A large part of them were acquired through the former coal miner Zdeněk Bakala, who stole thousands of mining flats in privatization. Now Bakala, through his property development company Asental, is also planning to make money from the transformation of the region. The land that the region is now buying up for outrageous prices (for example, so that a giant greenhouse with exotic plants heated by mining gas can stand on it) is Bakala’s.

Big energy companies and fossil fuel corporations are also profiting from the energy crisis. While we worry about what will pay our next energy bill, their profits are rising.

Together, let’s show Asental and Heimstaden what we think of their dirty business. Let’s imagine a city without developers, coal miners and speculators.

11.00 start of the demonstration in front of PLATO in Ostrava and marching through centre to the Heimstaden and Asental headquarters (Čs. letců park)
13.00 Picnic at the Demonstration, speeches, orkshop with “Sdílené domy“, gig by Samčo, brát dažďoviek and other programme
Cca 15.00

Leaving the demo back to the camp (if you want to go to the Action Training, you have to leave earlier)

14.30 Action training – Part 1
Akční trénink – 1. část

Want to get involved in direct action at Klimakemp? Or are you planning to join another civil disobedience action to fight for social or climate justice? Then take part in one of the action trainings. The sooner the better, because there will be more of us every day.
In the past, non-violent direct actions have helped win women the right to vote, end racial segregation or topple autocratic regimes. For example, in the training you will learn how to behave in contact with the police in a way that does not endanger yourself or others, or how to organise and look after each other in tense situations
If you want to get involved, read the ACTION CONSENSUS.

16.00-17.30 Afternoon programme II
Action training – Part 2
Affinity group speed-dating

Do you want to get involved in direct action at Klimakemp, but don’t know anyone to go with you? Then this is the space for you! Find the right affinity group that you feel comfortable with and support each other. This meeting spot has the potential to start lifelong friendships. If you want to get involved, read the ACTION CONSENSUS.

Legal Workshop (Autonomous Legal Clinic)

Not sure if you want to participate in direct action at Klimakemp? Or are you planning to join another civil disobedience action to fight for social or climate justice? Then attend one of the Legal Workshops. Beforehand, please read the ACTION CONSENSUS.

Workshop: shared grief (Žofie and Martina)

Our names are Martina and Žofie and we met through climate activism. We share, among other things, love for our planet and are therefore concerned about what is happening to it. We each carry these feelings separately, but we feel a great strength in sharing them. That is why we want to create an environment where we are able to do that and where we feel safe. Join us on a journey of feeling our grief, frustration, fear, anger and any other emotions associated with the climate crisis and ecological disruption. Together we will create a safe space where we can share these feelings and build harmony with humanity and the animal and plant world, a community to turn to, emotional resilience and love for ourselves.

Why nuclear energy cannot save the climate? (Milan Smrž, EUROSOLAR)

There are not many funs of nuclear energy within the climate movement. However, let´s discuss the real options, the capacity and problems around building new reactors. Do we have enough time, uranium and water for cooling? What are the colateral damages of nuclear energy? A lecture with a discussion.

17.30-18.30 Dinner
18.30-20.00 Secret celebration with cake (not only) for people who have birthdays
20.15-22.00 Evening programme

Folk night

This programme was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Saturday 8th – Action Days for Climate Justice

Morning (outside of the camp)
Demonstration
Doing Climate Jsutice with our own hands and legs, because it won´t happen otherwise: An Amazing Transformative Experience of a Fight for Climate Justice

To get involved, read the ACTION CONSENSUS

Meanwhile at the camp

Opportunity to get involved in supporting the Amazing Transformative Experience of a Fight for Climate Justice from the outside (In various tents on site)

Afternoon
Energy industry “Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction” (Oleg Olegovič)

Is coal really mined in Poland? Is EPH a separate state? Can nettles mitigate the carbon footprint of oil? Prepare your intuition and join a programme full of mysterious stories and shocking truths. The program will also include a short film!

The future is feminist: Where to go with (eco)feminism in the climate movement (Veronique Ananké Nebeská)

Are you interested in feminism and ecology? And have you heard of ecofeminism? Let’s share together how to strategically (un)connect feminism and ecology and put our heads together so that we not only don’t all die here, but that we survive in a feminist and inclusive way. The workshop will be partly based on the publication The Future is Feminist: Gender and Intersectionality in the Czech Climate Movement, which I wrote with Miša Pixová earlier this year.

Evening programme

Hanging-out, friendship and DJs

This programme was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Sunday 9th

Collective cleaning of the campsite

This programme was supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.

Camp consensus

Quiet hours, silent zones

Quiet hours: in tent camp after 22:00, in camp after 00:00. There will be quiet zones for rest, work, sleep, etc.!

Alcohol and drugs

Camp consensus says: no hard alcohol, no drugs, no smoking inside, alcohol only after dinner. In general: always ask ppl around if they are okay with you opening a beer, smoking a cigarette. Alcohol and drugs free zone: emotional support tent, chill zone (will be marked in the camp)

Care, awareness, anti-oppression

We refuse to accept any kind of racism, xenophobia, misogyny or any other form of discrimination. Here are some specific tools (please always use them):

  • ask for pronouns
  • use inclusive language
  • no touching without consent (e.g. during action trainings)
  • respect boundaries
  • be aware of power dynamics, privileges, call out oppressive behavior, make sure all participants are heard and diverse gender identities are respected
  • equalize participation – check on how much space are you taking
  • use hand signals
  • be aware of neurodiversity/body ability: our bodies and minds are different and diverse and also function in a variety of different ways
  • always check if translation is needed, ideally use a language accessible to everyone (typically english)
  • normalize emotional vulnerability
  • give content warnings before you talk about sensitive topics which could be a trigger for some people
  • we can call or visit „caucus meetings“ – gatherings of people connected by specific experience (e.g. shared experience of oppression), providing them with space to share: for example POC caucus, FLINTA caucus, LGBTQ+ caucus…

If something happens, contact the emotional support group (number: +420 734 721 694). They can also bring specific topics to the plenary (in case you don’t feel like doing it yourself).

Security and safety

We’re trying to take safety as a shared responsibility, not as something to be outsourced to a “camp security”. We share night shifts and everyone can sign up (for more information, ask at the information tent). In complicated situations you can’t handle on your own you are advised to contact the awareness group (call the emotional support no. and we will, if needed, work with the medics and security).

What about covid?

  • Covid measures at the climate camp are guided by the currently valid measures of the government of Czechia. We kindly ask all for increased caution. For the programme in tents everyone should agree on wearing or not wearing facemasks.
  • Leave us your contact information on a sheet in the information tent so that we can let you know if covid spreads at the camp. (Don’t worry, we will take good care of your e-mail addresses.)
  • If you learn you were in contact with a covid positive person before you arrived, test yourself, respect safe hygienic measures, distance yourself and consider leaving the camp.
  • If you start to feel symptoms, take a test. If it turns out positive, leave the camp and let us know you have covid, so that the virus does not spread.
  • If you are having a common cold, please respect safe hygienic measures and distance yourself, so that no sniffle spreads either.
  • Wash your hands with soap. Before eating, at the toilet etc. you should use also disinfection.

Emotional support

Do your feelings seem heavier and stronger than you? Has something happened to you at camp, during an event or in the past that is bothering you, weighing you down and making it hard for you to deal with alone? Whether you’re worried about the event itself, you’re after the event and feeling uncomfortable, or something else is weighing you down, we’re here to help you process those feelings. Find us in the yurt marked with a heart or call our emotional support number +420 734 721 694.

We’ll also be holding workshops in the yurt, and you’ll find all sorts of snacks, books to read and tea there, so be sure to drop by and see us.

Can I participate if I don’t speak czech?

Of course! Climate crisis knows no borders and neither do we. Upon arrival you will get an information flyer in English and during all the discussions and plenaries there will be somebody ready to translate for you.

What if I have a physical disability?

Well, don’t be afraid to come! We are trying to make the Climate camp as inclusive as possible for anyone who wants to participate! Unfortunately the space will not be completely wheelchair accessible (but there will at least be a disabled toilet!). However, we have prepared a phone number (to be added soon) for the needs of the disabled to call and arrange for assistance on an individual basis with a member of the Awareness group. The Awareness group will be at the Climate camp to make sure that everyone at the camp is as comfortable as possible. The people in this group are here to help you with anything. Don’t be afraid to approach them with any kind of issue!

What will be ensured for sure:

  • barrier-free toilet
  • a place to sleep indoors (nearby rented tourist clubhouse)
  • a tent of emotional support and a structure of people who are willing to listen and help with anything

Can you think of anything else we could do to make the camp more accessible? Get in touch with us.

What should I take with me to the Climate camp?

Please think about the health of all of us – take at least one respirator with you and generally consider if you! have any signs of covid-19. Don’t forget to take an antigen test before you go!

Keep in mind that it’s October and that means the weather can sometimes be quite cold. Therefore, bring warm clothes, a warm sleeping bag, a camping mattress, sturdy waterproof boots (perhaps even a pair of rubber boots if you feel like it), a raincoat and generally anything that can keep you warm (e.g. a thermophore). As the organizers of the Climate camp we will of course try to make sure that we are all comfortable and, if possible, as nicest and warmest as can be, but you for sure can’t go wrong by being prepared!

Last but not least, don’t forget to bring some money for the voluntary contribution that will pay for the food and everything related to the organization of the Climate camp.

How do I get to this year’s Climate Camp?

The background of this year’s Climate Camp is a magical place on the river: the Děhylov shipyard! The most convenient way to get to the place is by train/bus to Děhylov and then a 10-minute walk along the cottage path.

Where will we sleep? Won’t I be cold?

Most of us will sleep in the tent city in our own tents. If for some reason this is difficult for you, you can sleep in a heated indoor space (nearby rented tourist clubhouse) located near the Climate camp area. Please note that the capacities of the indoor spaces are limited and are preferably for people with children, people with health problems, etc.

But you don’t have to worry that if you happen to be cold, we’ll leave you hanging! In addition to heating precautions we’ll be taking, we will deal with the variability of weather and temperatures together on site to make us all as comfortable as possible.

What will we eat?

The Cocina Perdida collective, along with volunteers, will be on site to cook us some great vegan food. If you have any allergies, don’t despair, the kitchen collective will definitely work something out with you!

How about showers and running water?

This year, there will be no outdoor showers in the campsite itself, as it would be too energy-intensive to heat the water. However, it will be possible to take a shower in the nearby indoor space of the rented tourist clubhouses (where it is also possible to sleep, but they are preferably intended for families with children and people with health problems). Otherwise, there will be running drinking water in the area and this time also flush toilets. Soap and disinfectant will be on site for free use.

What if I have kids?

Great, feel free to come with them! We’ll have a kids’ corner at the campsite and you can sleep indoors if you want.

What if I have a dog?

Feel free to bring them with you! Just keep in mind that the area won’t be fenced and there will probably be other dogs there. Keep your dog under control at all times if possible!

Do I have to pay anything?

Of course, providing the entire camp, from food to engaging programming, costs money, and when we say money, we mean a lot of money. Therefore, we deeply appreciate your solidarity contributions for food and accommodation. The recommended amount per day for one visitor is 300 crowns. If you can’t afford that much, that’s fine and contribute as much as your situation allows. However, if you would like to help us pay for additional expenses, we would be very happy for higher contributions. Please bring enough cash with you to the camp, contributions are then thrown into the cash box.

What if I have a motorhome?

Come with it, at least you’ll be warmer at night! There will be parking at the Climate camp area, so you won’t have far to go.

Where do I park?

Parking is possible next to the station.

Where can I learn more?

We will gradually add all important information to this website. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Infotent number: +420 792 524 861

Legal number: +420 910 128 501

Action day at the climate camp: Saturday 8 October.

Climate camp is not only a background for diverse protest, including direct action of civil disobedience. We will start Action Days on Friday with a legal demonstration For decent housing and affordable energy. In the afternoon, action trainings and legal workshops will be held at the camp. If you are only going to the climate camp for the weekend, please try to come already on Friday so that we can prepare well for the event together.

On Saturday, we will continue to protest for a fair future without fossil fuels, developers, coal barons and speculators.

We are the limits of mining. We are the limits of growth. We are the limits of an unfair system.

Action Consensus for Action Days 2022

The climate crisis is not a problem of the future. Extreme weather, devastating wildfires, tornadoes, floods and record-high droughts are a reality for many people around the world. As global temperatures rise, so do inequities and social inequality. If we want to ensure a habitable planet and a dignified life for all, we must end fossil fuels as quickly as possible and once and for all. Rising energy prices have shown us the need to get rid of our dependence on fossil fuels with renewed urgency. But instead of justice, we are only getting false solutions: extending coal mining or replacing it with comparably harmful fossil gas, with the hopes of a fair transition for local people ending up in the pockets of polluters once again.

In its Constitution and other legislation, the Czech Republic tends itself to careful use of natural resources, to sustainability, to the protection of the life and health of its inhabitants and to the precautionary principle.

By signing the Paris Agreement in 2015, the Czech Republic committed itself to acting swiftly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it is not doing so. Instead, it is blocking asseertive climate protection plans, despite being one of the world’s biggest polluters by population. The state’s failure to meet its commitments was confirmed this year by the Municipal Court in Prague, which sided with the people rallying behind the climate lawsuit.

The coming winter of 2022 could be particularly harsh. We are in a multiple.counting crisis. The climate crisis, which is still ongoing, has been joined by other existential threats. Less than 30 hours away, a war is raging, and ordinary people are worried that rising prices for goods, energy and fuel will mean they will not be able to heat, eat or light their homes in winter – or will have to go into debt to do so. Many people are economically threatened and falling into debt traps already. The right-wing government of Petr Fiala is failing to address this situation adequately. It has already moved on from the initial dismissal of the problems with derogatory statements about a ‘second sweater’ to concrete solutions, but even these are ‘too little, too late’.

This situation is most acute in the so-called former coal regions, where the state has, in the long term, failed in a just transition. The demise of the mining industry in these regions has benefited a small group of rich people, leaving ordinary people with a devastated landscape and a lack jobs. This is also the case in the Moravian-Silesian Region, where our protest is being held this year.

Tycoons and coal barons have stolen formerly state-owned land, property and industry. The money from the European Fair Transformation Fund will be used in the Ostrava region to implement megalomaniac projects that will not benefit the people who are facing real problems. But such a transformation plan does not take into account ordinary people who need to go to work, pay rent, eat, heat and live fulfilling healthy lives. Such a transition plan leaves people in the already unstable region exposed and unprepared for the current multiple crises.

Given the unwillingness of politicians to respond to the climate crisis and ensure a just transition from fossil fuels for the people of coal regions, we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands. If the climate and our lives are not protected by the powerful, we need to act.

During the Action Weekend, we intend to engage in legal happenings and demonstrations, but there will also be publicly announced non-violent direct action of civil disobedience against the coal lords and corporations who are trying to profit from the transition at the expense of ordinary people. We ourselves will thus become the limits of their greedy plans, which are not only the cause of the climate crisis, but also of the energy and housing crisis.

Anyone can take part in protests and non-violent direct action, regardless of previous experience. The aim of our protest is to confront the power structures that are destroying both the Moravian-Silesian region and the planet. On the contrary, the aim is not to make life difficult for ordinary people or to disrupt the operation of useful services or facilities.

We will prepare for direct action in advance through training, learn to organize into affinity groups, make decisions non-hierarchically and block effectively. We will behave calmly and non-violently. Escalations will not be provoked from our side so as not to put anyone in unnecessary danger. We will block and occupy with our own bodies or with blocking devices designed for passive resistance, and we will not destroy or damage any machinery or property in the process. If there are police lines or barriers in place, we will walk past them while avoiding any physical contact with the police initiated by us. At all times we will adhere to the principles of non-violence and will not respond to any provocation. Our action will not be targeted against citizens or the police. The safety of the people involved and everyone else present will be our top priority. We will strive to make the weekend of action as creative as possible while being accessible to everyone.

We will all collectively take responsibility of the success of our protests and actions, and we will support each other. If someone knowingly and intentionally violates this Action Consensus, they cannot claim the right to help from others with the legal, financial and other consequences of the Action Weekend.

I want to help somehow! Are you looking for someone?

Great, join us! There is a lot of work to do with the Climate camp and it is easy to get involved – we are looking for people to do partial tasks related to the preparation of the Climate camp (e.g. collecting things or distributing flyers), but there will be opportunities to get involved and help with the running of the Climate camp during the camp also. If you have the opportunity, come to the site earlier (2nd-3rd October) and help us to build the whole Climate camp. You don’t need to know anything special, just come – that’s enough!

Right now, we need your help with:

  • building and then packing the camps and the infrastructure
  • bringing our posters or invitations to your favorite café or your friends
  • organizing departure from your city, school, workplace, with your community or collective; we can help you with creating a Facebook event and sharing it
  • writing us that you would like to join the organization and together we will find what you would enjoy.

So don’t hesitate and write to us at ahoj@limityjsmemy.cz or PM us on our Facebook Limity jsme my.!