The urgency felt by Morales and the more than 15,000 people from 150 nations attending the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth (CMPCC) was evident from the first sentences uttered by the host and convener of this unprecedented gathering in Tiquipaya, a small town just north of Cochabamba, home of the historic “water war” that helped sweep Morales into power.In a 21st century twist on “Revolución o Muerte” Revolution or Death, the slogan that powered Latin American revolutionary movements of the 60s and 70s, the generally soft-spoken Morales opened the conference by shouting “Planeta o Muerte!” Planet or Death. Morales' slogan drew raucous responses from the diverse and mostly dark-skinned crowd filling a stadium that bore more flags of indigenous nations than it did of nation states like Bolivia. Having sung just prior to Morales' invocation the song “Oye amigo tu tierra está en peligro,” Listen friend, your earth is in danger, a variation on the Spanish-language version of “The people united will never be defeated,” the crowd was ready to accept Morales’ challenge to forge “a new planetary paradigm to save the Earth.”
