Climate Justice Fast

COP15 - it begins! And they’re saying all the right things…

Submitted by Anna Keenan on Mon, 07/12/2009
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Right now, I am sitting in the 'Plenary 2' room of the COP15, which started just a few hours ago. I'm sitting on the carpet on the floor in fact, because it is packed out and there are no chairs left. And the 'Plenary 1' room is totally full as well (only people with tickets could enter, no laptops, jackets or bags allowed), so here in Plenary 2 we're just watching the talks on video.



So what have they been saying? And does it matter?

Prime Minister Rasmussen of Denmark has spoken, Dr Rajendra Pachauri of the IPCC, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Yvo de Boer, and the President of the COP Connie Hedegaard (Denmark's COP15 Minister). They have all made impassioned speeches calling for 'ambition', 'commitment', 'consensus' and so on. They have called for action that reflects the science, for binding and not just 'political' decisions, and for major changes to come in the next two weeks. They talk about protecting the most vulnerable nations, and protecting future generations.

Connie Hedegaard said that, with these two weeks of negotiations, "the time has come to set the right course for our world - while we still can." She urged all the negotiators - "Let's open the door to the low-carbon age!"

"Yes, there are many obstacles. But it is up to us in this room now to overcome them. The science has never been clearer, the solutions have never been more abundant, and the political will has never been stronger, and will never be stronger... If we miss this one, it could be years until we get another opportunity like it."

The thing that strikes me from the sessions today is that they are all *saying* the right things. But will it translate into action? Will it translate into emission reduction?

Because meanwhile, while all these negotiators are discussions, there are shopping malls all over the world, blaring pop music to make people want to consume more, bright flashing lights saying 'eat this doughnut!', 'buy this popcorn', and glamorous images and mannequins that destroy the self-esteem of teenagers, making them want to buy more skimpy, glamorous clothes that they can barely afford. Meanwhile, there are 'happy family' ads on TV's and bus-stops everywhere selling appliances, flat-screen TVs, bigger cars and bigger mansions that they simply don't need. Meanwhile, there are failures in public transport in my city and most cities, people in rich countries are developing diseases of over-consumption because they don't play enough sport, and they have lost all knowledge of how to grow food and feed themselves. Meanwhile, wealthy countries still think that getting richer, increasing GDP, increasing consumption, is their top priority. Australia - speaking on behalf of the Umbrella Group, just said in the same breath that they want to reduce global emissions only 50% by 2050, (Lame. Science says 80% is needed.) and that they are committed to 'success' at Copenhagen. How can something that is less than scientifically necessary be defined as success??! Crazy!

How disconnected are these negotiations from 'real world' solutions? What sort of changes can we expect even if a binding deal is signed at the end of these two weeks?

Yvo de Boer said that 'Copenhagen will only be successful if it starts to bring practical change on the day that this conference ends.' I would suggest that in order to achieve such a goal, we will need a lot more than a binding legal agreement from all the nations of earth. We will need a shift of consciousness - a deep realisation that this challenge - addressing climate change - must now be the top priority of governments everywhere. Not just GDP growth. This conference, if we are to solve climate change, must be the end of the neo-liberal 'growth is good' paradigm that has persisted for the last 30 years and ultimately, caused this climate crisis. We will then, over the coming months and years, need compassionate, honest and earnest values-leadership, a communication from global leaders, from NGOs and from global citizens, at the end of this conference that our lifestyles in the developed world are about to change, and change for the better - that we must get to work - practical, on-ground work - creating a world where our highest goal is happiness instead of material gain. Where we lead lives rich in arts, sports, nature, health, family, community, and where we learn to be happy with 'enough'. And where we begin to create a world free of fossil fuels, and where we re-grow forests rather than cutting them down.

For developing nations, these things - the need to reform the greed and over-consumption of the developed world, to end fossil fuels and deforestation - are literally a matter of life and death. Grenada on behalf of the AOSIS group just said that 'They will not accept a made-for-television solution' out of these talks. Papua New Guinea said that 'c onsensus' in the UNFCCC process is not even acceptable to them if it means that any decision made here would be based upon the lowest common denominator. They cited the existential threat posed to its citizens and communities by climate change - especially rising sea-levels - and said that they would not support any agreement that compromised the survival of their nation. These nations need real solutions, and we are fasting in solidarity with them.

Ultimately, the solutions must come at all levels - global, national and local. So yes, what they are saying today does matter. COP15 is a great opportunity - perhaps the greatest that we have ever had - to awaken world consciousness and to start creating these solutions. But it won't just take the form of a political agreement at COP. It will take a deep, true, and moral values shift as well.

So I'm glad that Climate Justice Fast is here!