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Tuvalu at Copenhagen: ‘The Fate Of My Country Rests In Your Hands’

Rhys Gerholdt — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:58:57 +0000

Ian Fry, the Tuvalu delegate to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, makes an impassioned plea for legally binding agreements to be made by world leaders to save his nation and other low-lying island states.

He notes that is is “an irony of the modern world that the fate of the world is being determined by some senators in the US Congress,” and suggests that President Obama earn his Nobel Peace Prize by addressing the greatest threat to humanity and to security: climate change.

Tearfully, he concludes: “The fate of my country rests in your hands.”

Big Copenhagen Climate Demonstration – Noisy, Colorful, Insistent – Pushes For Climate Action

Keith Schneider — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:28:06 +0000

By Keith Schneider
US Climate Action Network

COPENHAGEN – Great social movements are about the intelligence and vision of individuals, and the compelling strength of crowds. Both have been in abundance throughout the first week of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and especially today.

Wearing polar bear costumes, red suits and dark glasses, black jeans and matching black tee-shirts, and carrying a multitude of colorful signs aimed at speeding the pace of negotiations and results – “Bla, Bla, Bla. Act Now,” “There Is No Planet B,” “The World Wants A Real Deal” – tens of thousands of people crowded into Parliament Square for a rally this afternoon, and thousands more joined them for a 4-mile march to the Bella Center to present negotiators with demands as potent as their numbers.

The swelling crowd, variously estimated by the police and organizers, as measuring between 50,000 and 100,000, was peaceful, insistent, and cold. Temperatures were just above Fahrenheit freezing, and a wind tugged at upturned collars. Those in attendance wore pins and badges and carried banners indicating they came from all over the world.

Ride From Australia

One demonstrator, Kim Nuygen, said he took 16 months to bike here from Australia. Most of those who attended today were young. A trio from Paris said they’d come to organize a film festival that next week features former Vice President Al Gore. A group of students from the University of Michigan said they wanted to see how theories of dispute resolution, climate science, and chemical engineering actually worked when subject to the vagaries of political ideology and social differences. Their conclusion: It ain’t pretty.

“I’d like to think that something good will come out of the next week,” said Aubrey Parker, a University of Michigan student who was raised in the Traverse City region. “But I’m a little pessimistic. There’s a lot of bureaucracy. A lot of countries have come here with plans that are not progressive enough.”

Marcia Lee, a 27-year-old graduate student in dispute resolution from Marquette University, in Wisconsin, said, “I really wanted to see how negotiations work on the international scale. I just wanted to gather people’s stories and learn and understand what really breaks peoples hearts. If we can reach that heart level it is possible to start the conversation of how to heal that broken heart.”

When pressed about what she meant, Lee said: “There are four elements that everybody needs: The need to love and to be loved. The need to belong, and to be of use. If we can reach people at that level then a lot of things that separate us are changed. There is a lot of overlap to being human.”

More Around The World
The Global Day of Action here coincided with thousands of other gatherings of climate activists around the world. Five thousand people demonstrated in New Delhi. Paris decorated its North Station yesterday and dispatched the Climate Express, which carried hundreds of people to join demonstrators in Copenhagen. Tweets from the demonstration in Melbourne reported 50,000 people in attendance.

The purpose of the Copenhagen rally, march, and the candlelight vigil that ended the day was to amplify that essential sense that young people brought here, the idea that there must be a better way, and to provide mass to the individual voices of concern that have made the planet’s changing climate the signature issue of this generation. Speakers at the large and noisy rally pointed out time and again there is a vast difference in perception and language between those marching today, and those inside the Bella Center, where negotiators from 192 nations are racing a December 18 deadline to reach agreement.

The Heart vs. The Numbers
Inside, for the most part, the ornate language of diplomacy joins with complex science to set an often confusing table for negotiating numbers. There are differing views among delegates about how much carbon should be removed from the emissions of industrial and non-industrial nations; 20 percent? 40 percent? 0 percent. And when: 10 years? 25 years? 50 years? How much should be invested to do that: $10 billion annually; $195 billion annually within a decade.? How many acres of forest need to be preserved? How should uses of land change? And can the world hold the level of warming to 2 degrees Celsius, an increased viewed by many here as manageable, or will the climate shift be 4 degrees or more by late in the century, a level thought to be a threat to the species?

Outside, in the streets of Copenhagen, the words and phrases shouted through loudspeakers and in the mix of song and music carried in the wind was of people facing urgent consequences of climate change, and calls for an end to delay. A woman from Ghana opened the rally with a story of how her village, economically robust at the start of the decade, and easily able to feed itself, had been under siege in recent years by killing floods that gave rise to plagues of mosquitoes. The two growing seasons that used to exist have been cut in half to an uncertain one. After the floods came droughts and then floods and erosion and an end to bountiful harvests. Sickness has brought unexpected deaths. She blamed the fluky weather and its sober consequences on climate change. Not once did she use a number to describe the compelling misfortune of her family and her village.

Vigil and a Plea Heard Globally
The plaintive and plain spoken messages seem to be heard inside the Bella Center. The march today concluded there with a vigil. Sails that demonstrators carried from Parliament Square were ceremoniously handed to Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the conference’s organizers.

Early in the week, Tuvalu, the tiny Pacific Island nation of 12,000 residents, three of whom are here as climate negotiators, raised its voice to insist on faster action on climate that was legally binding for all nations. The proceedings slowed considerably, but did not stop, as the issues raised by a nation that lies four feet above sea level and understands that its fate will be determined by what happens in Copenhagen.

Indeed, the competition is fierce between developing nations that are the first to confront the immediacy of climate change, and the industrial nations that have varying levels of conviction about the consequences. Negotiators found a way later in the week to work through Tuvalu’s concern, at least temporarily, and draft texts of a final agreement were circulated on Friday and met greeted favorably by many nations. Environment ministers arrive this weekend to carry the negotiations closer to a final agreement next week, and the UNFCC is telling NGO representatives that a number of heads of state are planning to be in Copenhagen days earlier than planned.

That is an indication of the anticipation building here that something worthwhile will come out of these two weeks in December. The Bella Center itself has gotten so jammed that its capacity of 15,000 people is close to being exceeded. The UNFCCC yesterday alerted participants that it will initiate a new system of issuing what it called “secondary cards” to keep the packed center from being too full. The new badging requirement will take effect on Tuesday.

“Fate of My Country”
As demonstrators and negotiators converged at the Bella Center at the march’s end today, the text was made public of a dramatic statement in the plenary session late in the week by one of Tuvalu’s diplomats. Circulated by NGO groups and read on hundreds of Blackberrys and IPhones, the clear-headed plea for action by one man from a little-known nation reflected the will of many of those who’ve come to Copenhagen.

“This is not just an issue of Tuvalu,” he said. “Millions of people around the world are affected. Over the last few days I’ve received calls from all over the world offering faith and hope that we can reach a conclusion on this issue.

“Madame President, this is not a media trip for me. I have refused to take media calls on this issue. As a humble servant of the government of Tuvalu, I have to make a strong appeal to you that we consider this matter properly.

“I woke this morning. I was crying. That’s not easy for a grown man to admit. The fate of my country rests in your hands.”

Keith Schneider, a journalist specializing in environmental policy, is media and communications director at the US Climate Action Network. Reach him at kschneider@climatenetwork.org

COP 15 Kickoff: Climate Action Hotline, Dec. 11

USCAN — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:31:51 +0000

December 11, 2009

Day five of the UN Climate Change Conference. American delegates are joined in Copenhagen by dozens of American NGO and hundreds of American climate activists, many of them students. The U.S. call for action is strong inside the Bella Center, where the conference is being held, and outside in the many scheduled and spontaneous events occurring in the city. Tomorrow heralds a Global Day of Action, that could attract 50,000 people or more, according to the event organizers.

The week has been framed by slow progress across all of the negotiating proposals — from how to shape a common vision for a global agreement to how to conserve the world’s forests, to how much money wealthy nations will invest to assist developing nations to make the transition to a clean energy, low carbon economy. American delegates say they are optimistic the pace will accelerate and that a significant agreement will be reached a week from today. The Obama administration is engaged in a charm offensive here, much of it staged in the 6,500-square-foot US Center, where EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on Wednesday became the first of the president’s most senior advisors to appear at the center. In a departure from recent international climate conferences, including the preparatory meetings earlier this year, the new approach seems to be working with US delegates who appear more animated and confident, and less defensive.

Whether it works with the 191 other nations here is not clear.

President Obama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday, arrives here on December 18, the conference’s final day. That’s noteworthy since American presidents attend such conferences to consummate agreements they and their aides previously negotiated.

USCAN is in the middle of the action here. See our Web site for videos, articles and blog posts from Copenhagen. And take a look at the Energy Rebellion report, which day in and day out reports on the vigorous action at the grassroots to seek the economic and environmental transition, the same transition sought in Copenhagen, that makes us safer and more prosperous.

Talk to you next week, Keith

Hold Big Polluters Accountable

The EPA recently proposed a draft rule which would require the largest industrial facilities covering 70% of the country’s global warming pollution to obtain clean air permits. By generating a large number of grassroots comments into the docket in support of this rule we can strengthen the Administration’s hand in regulating greenhouse gases through the EPA and we can show Congress that Americans support action on clean energy and climate. The docket closes December 28.
Check out Sierra Club’s action alert.

For more information, contact jkurz@climatenetwork.org.

Copenhagen Summit Opens with Calls for Action and Strong Targets

As climate negotiations get under way in Copenhagen, countries are wrapping up months of posturing and putting final proposals for emissions cuts on the table. The pressure is on developed nations and big polluters like the U.S. and China to commit to adequate reductions, with impassioned calls for urgent action during opening remarks.

At Copenhagen Climate Conference, Science Facts and Deceit at Odds

Climate change skeptics are continuing to seek traction on the debate over scientific consensus of global warming evidence. However, there is no debate about the science in Copenhagen, where transparency is being used to combat the skeptics. At the U.S. Center at Copenhagen, the Obama Administration is holding a series of briefings to explore the numerous scientifically peer-reviewed dimensions of climate change, and UK scientists plan to publish all data collected at over 1,000 weather stations from the past 150 years showing a global rise in temperatures.

Tuvalu Calls for Legally-Binding Protocols

On the third day in Copenhagen the tiny nation of Tuvalu said that the talks should end with a new set of commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, plus a new agreement that includes the United States. While a number of African and small nation states endorsed Tuvalu’s request, China and India registered objections that temporarily stalled the conference.

Senators Outline Bipartisan Plan for US Climate Legislation

On Thursday, Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) unveiled the broad outlines of their climate plan in a four-page document. The proposal sets a target of cutting 17% of US emissions and would bolster nuclear power development and offshore drilling.

EPA Announces Endangerment Finding for Regulation of Greenhouse Gases

On Monday, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, pose a danger to the environment and American’s health. Based on this endangerment finding, the agency is obligated to regulate and reduce the emission of these gases. See reactions from the NGO community.

Current Decade Warmest on Record

The World Meteorological Organization reported on Tuesday that the 2000-2000 decade is on track to be the warmest in the 150 years that these records have been kept. It is also likely that 2009 will finish as the fifth warmest year on record. Final data will be released in 2010.

Tens of Thousands March for Climate Change Action

Anticipating the opening of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, protesters around the world took to the streets to urge leaders to reach a comprehensive and binding deal. An estimated 40,000 people joined the Stop Climate Chaos march – organized by Oxfam, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and WWF – through central London over the weekend, encircling the Houses of Parliament with a “human wave.”

Green Patents to Get Fast-Track

The Obama Administration released plans on Monday to expedite the review process for “green” technology patents. The goal is to reduce the review time from 40 months to 12 months to bring technologies such as electric vehicle batteries and advanced photovoltaics to the market more quickly.

Climate Action Hotline is the new weekly update by the US Climate Action Network. Let us know what you think.

“The clock has ticked down to zero. After two years of negotiations, the time has come to deliver.”

-Yvo de Boer

CAN-I Press Conference, Dec. 10: Tuvalu Takes Center Stage

Rhys Gerholdt — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:29:37 +0000

The press briefing on December 10 covered the dramatic action of Tuvalu in the negotiation hall, potential loopholes for logging in northern countries, and a focus on the EU, spotlighting finance issues. Experts on todays panel included David Ngatae, Cook Islands Climate Action Network; Saleemul Huq, IIED; and Chris Henschel, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society; and Matthias Duwe, CAN Europe.