Solving the Debt & Climate Crises Together: a Global South-led union & climate justice strategy

Born in Argentina, Esteban Servat is an _Solving_ A5 leaflet, both sidesenvironmental activist and innovative biotechnologist. He founded Ecoleaks, and was forced to leave the country after denouncing fracking and mega-mining in Mendoza.

Esteban is now one of the leading organisers of the Debt for Climate movement, which has been gathering much attention globally and is putting pressure on the IMF, the World Bank, and rich-country private lenders and governments to cancel the debts of Global South countries.

Its special strength lies in linking up with campaigns for a properly resourced global Climate Loss and Damage Fund and for international climate-protection payments to leave fossil fuels in the ground: “This is going to put a chill down the spines of government everywhere. It is great. It is just what we need.” (George Monbiot, June 2022).

Although now living in exile to Europe, Esteban is still working with Argentinian unions and with groups such as Progressive International. He is joined both by union activists from across the Global South and by debt and climate campaigners.

The Debt for Climate campaign is rooted in the working class and offers a model for how unions and social justice campaigns worldwide can unite to solve the big climate and development questions for all those affected.

Until the debt is cancelled, there will be no halt to the forest-destroying,  river-polluting and climate-damaging extraction of fossil fuels, timber and rare minerals in the Global South because, while the debt exists, these will continue to be among the few ways for impoverished Global South countries to fend off economic and ecological collapse and raw poverty.