A Lengthy Post Script—Heading Home, Moving Forward (Wednesday, December 23rd)

As I started my journey home on Sunday (December 20th) I reflected on what I’ve experienced and learned in Copenhagen.  Some broad points can be found in a “10 Lessons from Copenhagen” article in “The Root”.

Otherwise, to tie things up, I thought I’d share some random sights, observations, and experiences that didn’t necessarily make it into any of the prior blog entries and/or that happened in the past three days as I’ve endeavored to get home!

Being in Copenhagen itself has been interesting in terms of how the city embraced this summit and how the summit embraced Copenhagen, in a love hate relationship.  My landlords, for the apartment I rented, shared that Copenhagen had never hosted a meeting of this size. They stated that the city had been preparing for two years and had brought in help from neighboring countries to design and execute the plan for hosting a gathering of this magnitude and import.

All around the city there were billboards and posters advertising the commitment Copenhagen had to seeing positive outcomes from the summit, as well as touting the city’s existing and ongoing allegiance to green energy.  In the airport there were signs advertising the green energy measures and the plans for continued improvements in conservation. There were also signs all around about “Hopenhagen”. Different agencies had erected various displays related to the climate summit.

At the Copenhagen Airport

 

In the Town Square the "Ice Bear" represents the melting occuring in the North and South Poles

 

At 19 metric tons per capita, the US leads the world in per capita carbon emissions!

Images of the Near Future and Call to Action

Conference goers enjoyed free public transportation passes, issued at the summit, which enabled us to bypass the otherwise exorbitant costs (by our standards) for getting around the city in the most energy efficient way, outside of cycling (as most people in Copenhagen do) and/or walking.

On the other hand, as I mentioned before, the less than cordial side of Copenhagen rose to the fore during the “People’s Assembly” demonstration where civil society activists seeking justice were met with tear gas, attack dogs, and gratuitous beatings by baton.

Politi has baton raised in the midst of a downswing...courtesy of The Guardian

Due to inclement weather, I ended up enjoying 3 extra days of Copenhagen hospitality. Unlike the US, the land of delineation of responsibility, they didn’t have such a strict policy that says you’re out on the street if flight delays/cancellations are an “Act of God”.  KLM put me up for three nights in a lovely hotel in central Copenhagen with all meals paid and provided free transportation to and from the hotel from the airport! They also upgraded me to first class for my whole trip home. Now that’s what I call hospitality!

On the other hand, before my flight was cancelled I had gone into the airport, checked in, checked my bags and had gone through security.  Security was a bit different in that there wasn’t the male-female sensitivity when you needed to be patted down due to setting off the metal detector.  My search was so involved that at the end I didn’t know whether to ask for the guy’s medical license or to ask for his hand in marriage!  Good grief!  It was only when I was going through the second time (today when I actually made it out of the country) that I noticed a small discreet sign off to the side that said “you have the right to request a female officer”.  I will definitely keep that in mind for next time and I advise my sisters to do the same!

Back to more grave matters, though some claimed success in developing an “accord” at the end of the summit, most were disappointed by the lack of legally binding agreement with clear and aggressive targets agreed upon by each nation respectively.  Today (now Wednesday) in the news the analyses, reactions, and planning for moving head continue:

• In the Financial Times today the headline is “Climate Change Alliance Crumbling”! The article goes on to say, “Cracks emerged yesterday in the alliance on climate change formed at the Copenhagen conference last week with leading developing countries criticizing the resulting accord. “  In the article it states that Brazil labeled the talks “disappointing” and complained that the financial assistance from rich to poor countries was insufficient.  South Africa called to failure to produce a legally binding agreement “unacceptable”. The environment minister of Sweden, the current European Union President stated that the accord was a “disaster” and “a great failure.”  The Environment Minister of India was marginally more positive by calling the accord “a very, very small step forward”. Of course, the caveat is that 100 nations signed the accord, but many are saying it is only because folks thought that “something” was better than nothing. Even today as I was riding home in my taxi, on NPR President Obama was compelled to adjust his assessment of the outcomes of the conference when he stated that many were disappointed by the lack of progress and that the primary objective was not to go back any steps.  That was a sad statement indeed.
• Yesterday Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, announced the “World Conference of Social Movements” in response to the failure of the Copenhagen Summit , to be held on Earth Day, April 22^nd 2010 in Bolivia. According to President Morales, the key aim will be” to support a large-scale international mobilization to defend the environment, especially water.”  One key focus of this meeting will be food due to widespread famine which is already occurring with the threat of more decline as climate change progresses. President Morales was one of the more outspoken leaders calling for accountability from high emitting nations and continues to be an iconic leader and proponent of the rights of “the people”.

To sum up, and set our sights ahead, I’ll reiterate that my favorite parts of being in Copenhagen and participating in the summit were referenced in the 10 Lessons article under “The People, United, Will Never Be Defeated” and “President Obama Can’t Do It Alone, But WE CAN Do it Together…and WE MUST!” We as civil society have a lot to do in moving ahead to get this thing on course, keep it there, and hold leaders accountable to preserving the common good they were elected to uphold.  As per the civil society refrain from the summit, we must push for “System Change, Not Climate Change.” Three emerging groupings are most relevant to this reading audience:

US Communities of Color—Through Thursday’s press conference, last week’s joint press conference with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, at the People’s Assembly, the various rallies and actions by the Indigenous Environmental Network, and through numerous other events, US Communities of Color made their voices known and presence felt at this summit.  The Movement Generation for Change/Right to the City/Grassroots Global Justice played a significant role in organizing a delegation to participate, as did the Indigenous Environmental Network, and then there was a group of intrepid students from Georgia area schools, Morehouse College and Georgia State University whom I must give a shout-out for participating.  We have all committed to staying connected and keeping the work going to continue to raise awareness that there are affected communities within the United States (otherwise known as in the belly of the beast) and that the US identity in the discourse should not be defined narrowly to the #2 leading emitter. We decided that the US Social Forum 2010 and its Ecology Justice Track will be our next milestone for organizing in-country and as it relates to COP 16. In the meantime I urge our communities to continue gathering stories illustrating differential impact, local self reliance, and resistance.

Movement Generation/Right to the City/Grassroots Global Justice Delegation Meets to Plan Next STeps

Gender—Throughout the conference were meetings, caucuses, informal discussions, articles, etc addressing the intersection of gender and climate change.  However, all agreed that it was not enough, that the intersection was not addressed in the media, and that there was little integration of mainstream with most gender related content only being highlighted by “women’s groups”. The Black Women’s Roundtable on Climate Justice, the From Katrina to Copenhagen Initiative, Women of Color for Climate Justice, Gender CC, Mobilization for Climate Justice Gender Justice Working Group, and other efforts examine gendered differentials in climate change impact and uplift the unique roles of women’s leadership in mitigation and adaptation. The UN Commission on the Status of Women will be an opportunity for more joint planning and action.

South-North Collaboration—Recognizing our common struggles and common aims, affected communities from the global south and the global north were intentional about convening spaces, joint actions and collaboration for moving forward. Through such events as the joint press conference between African American and African leaders during the first week of the conference, numerous joint actions in solidarity, the People’s Assembly, the South-North meeting to discuss our mutual concerns and how we can work together, and groupings such as Climate Justice Now, we created space and opened doors for future work together.  The UN Commission on the Status of Women and the US Social Forum’s Ecological Justice Track and Caucus will be the next convening spaces involving international allies and we will use these spaces to build towards COP 16.

Meeting between groups from US communities and the Global South

Day XII in Copenhagen—People Get Ready, The Train is Coming…Just Get Onboard!

President Obama issued a charge this afternoon to all assembled at the COP15 to “act boldly and decisively in the face of this common threat.” He affirmed that obviously all in the room agreed that the threat of climate change is a clear and present and scientifically proven danger.  In his speech, he chastised those who “want aid with no strings attached”.  By this, as opposed to talking about countries in the global south, he was referring to the feud with China, the only nation leading the United States in emissions, which had yet to commit to participating in monitoring mechanisms to ensure accountability on their commitments. He further acknowledged the US role as the largest economy and second largest emitter and the responsibility that comes with this position.

Though President Obama stridently stated that we can’t go on with business as usual and that “changing the way we use energy is essential to America’s national security”, the stated target for the US reduction of 17% by 2020 seemed somewhat contradictory to the urgency. That level of reduction (which falls short of many projections of what is needed to halt our trajectory towards catastrophic climate change(25-40%) ) means little to the Maldives, Seychelles, coastal Louisiana and coastal Alaska, all who, by some analyses, face submersion within that same timeframe. I’m not blind to the resource constraints, the onerous need to build political will, and the mechanics of transitioning to an alternate energy economy, but are we pushing ourselves enough to rise to the urgent challenge of addressing this global threat? If we were able to address the resource and political will issues in a matter of days/weeks to mount a war, can’t we mount an effective campaign to gain nationwide understanding and buy-in for averting catastrophic climate change? Certainly US commitment to 80% reduction by 2050 is more like it, but by then will it be too late? Let’s mobilize so that we can get these numbers up higher and sooner.

In regard to President Obama’s observation, about how there are those who think that nations who emit the most should pay the most to clean up the resulting mess, I say, mos def! Wealthy nations who emit the most and have the capacity to contribute the most should bear the greatest responsibility. The mantra coming from the Bolivians for the week, regarding differential contributions to mitigation and adaptation efforts, was taken from our own professed principles of responsibility and accountability in the US, “You break it. You buy it!”  

We, as wealthy nations in the global north have indeed broken the gift and treasure of this planet, and its wonderfully synchronistic and harmonious ecosystem, with our excesses and abuse. We have set the earth on this trajectory which has and will continue to hurt communities of color in the US and countries in the global south first and worst. Several wealthy nations are most responsible and should pony up the lion’s share (excuse the horrid mixed metaphor, but work with me here ) and compensate for the harm we’ve caused.   Some are calling it ecological debt and/or reparations and yes, basically the wealthy nations have been racking up credit at the expense of others within their countries and in the global south and the bill is past due, and there is interest.

In the end, though discussions went late into the night/morning, there was no legally binding agreement. President Obama ‘s leadership ensured that for once the US wasn’t the bad guy/obstruction in the room and instead he actually played the role of pushing countries to do more and to be accountable. However, they basically walked away with a text with no teeth, a few rounds of handshakes and loose “promises” with a range of weak to more aggressive targets, but no mechanisms of true accountability that would be rendered by being legally bound.

A group of us gathered at the end of the day to discuss how we are going to organize towards the US Social Forum in Detroit from June 22-26the 2010 and on to COP 16, which may be in July 2010, but will occur in Mexico City. We agreed that we needed to mobilize our member bases to participate at the US Social Forum in full force so that we are working together to build this movement.  As with the civil rights movement and any other successful social justice movement, it builds from the ground up so we must mobilize!  We need to be in Detroit to work with others on the ground to ensure we are building power and speaking with one voice and we need to be in Mexico City to make sure that there isn’t another COP that is completed without a legally binding agreement while our communities are being displaced by rising sea levels, while our folks are being swept away by storms, while our children are starving from the boroughs of New York to the favelas of Brazil to the hinterland of Africa, while our women are walking for miles to get water in Botswana and being sexually assaulted during Katrina in the US. This must stop. We can do this. Climate Justice NOW!!  Get onboard! ….hope to see you on the train…..

Day XI in Copenhagen: Dear President Obama…….

By Jacqui Patterson, NAACP Climate Justice Initiative Director

This morning we delivered the aforementioned letter to the US Embassy for President Obama. First we held a press conference where several riveting speakers gave compelling testimony about why President Obama’s strong action on climate change is imperative.  With the event being MC’ed by Kalila Barnett of Alternatives for Community and Environment,  we started with testimony from Michele Roberts of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, followed by Wahleah Johns of the Black Mesa Water Coalition and Kandi Mosset (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara) from the Indigenous Environmental Network, Mari Rose Taruc  from Asian Pacific Environmental Network,  and ending with Diana Lopez from Southwest Workers Union.  Each speaker shared, impassioned heartfelt stories of the gravity of what we’re facing, from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina to the incessant violations on indigenous lands, and the urgent importance of swift and sure policy setting, that is legal and binding. Kalila’s introduction and the first speech, by Michele, can be found below:

Fortunately, there were other videographers in the group whose fingers did not turn into excruciating and paralyzed blocks of ice within the first 10 minutes of filming. L So, please find their footage posted here shortly. Also, please excuse the shaking in the above clip. I was trying to rearrange my fingers in my glove in hopes that the cold and pain would be abated, to no avail. J

In the afternoon the side event, on whose panel I was supposed to serve, was moved due to the shut-out of the Bella Center.  So in a darkened pub setting,  in the Bellona Foundation Lounge as opposed to a fluorescently lit conference room, John Grant of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Bob Gruenig of National Tribal Environmental Council and Jerome Ringo of Apollo Alliance, actress and spokesperson Gloria Reuben, and I, chaired by Joe Mendelson of the National Wildlife Federation, shared our observations, analyses, and calls to action as it relates to climate change and climate justice in the United States.  Gloria spoke of her experience in West Virginia following a local hero who is resisting mountain top removal. Jerome talked about surviving Katrina and spoke of the real life consequences of failure to act. John implored folks to think of ways they can contribute and stated that everyone has a role. I spoke on the intersection of climate, gender and race. A video of the panel will follow shortly. (It hasn’t been uploaded to the Bellona Foundation site yet)

Day X in Copenhagen: THIS is what democracy looks like!

By Jacqui Patterson, NAACP Climate Justice Initiative Director

Now this was a day like none other! I started the day with a face of pepper spray and staring down the snout of an attack dog, progressed to being in a semi-formal dress sipping cocktails with Al Gore at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and ended with my highlight of the day, at the Greenlandic House participating in a gender and climate roundtable with sisters from around the globe.

So to start off, I arrived at the demonstration late, but with video camera in hand prepared to capture the images to give readers at home a window into what’s happening among activists rallying for democracy in Copenhagen. I’ll briefly summarize what I saw, because the footage says it all. Demonstrators were chanting, “This is what democracy looks like” “What do we want? Climate Justice! When do we want it? Now!” “When I say climate, you say justice! Climate! Justice! Climate! Justice!”

Then, the energy in the air shifted palpably as the crowd prepared to push through the police and advance towards the Bella Center.  The rally leader began to say. “Okay, everyone come together and PUSH!  PUSH!” “Reclaim Power! Reclaim Power!” At the same time she urged others to “Form a chain around the truck! Don’t let the chain be broken!” In between her alternating refrain directed at the now advancing police was “This is a peaceful demonstration!!” and “The whole world is watching! The whole world is watching”!

Then the announcements began to be issued from the police, “By order of the queen, this has been declared an illegal demonstration.” “ Clear the area or you are subject to arrest”  Dressed In full riot gear from head to toe they aggressively advanced on the crowd with tank like trucks and on foot, with swinging batons, spraying tear gas, and barking German Shepherd attack dogs! For all of my years of AIDS activism in different countries I had never seen such a show of force, aggression, and brutality directed at demonstrators…..and I hope I never see something like that again. Many people emerged from the melee in tears, limping, and supported by their friends in the struggle. But the crowd pushed on unrelentingly. Soon there were literally hundreds of policy and they had driven aggressively into the crowd with their trucks and soon formed their own chain surrounding the crowd and by creating this barrier, combined with some intense battering with the batons and administering tear gas, had managed to contain the crowd.

According to some sources, there were about 4,000 demonstrators in attendance. A cleaner version of the protest can be found from this footage, courtesy of The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2009/dec/17/copenhagen-climate-change

Meanwhile Friends of the Earth, Avaaz, and Tck, Tck, Tck were refused entry into the Bella Center this morning and weren’t provided with any rationale for being banned. Speculation is that this was part of the crack-down to try to prevent any more actions from being held in the Bella Center.

Also meanwhile delegates on the inside, led by the Indigenous folks, mounted their synchronized action where they marched through the Bella Center to head out and join the rally to “Reclaim Power”. They were restrained by the police in actually exiting and joining the others, again with a show of force. However, they made their voices heard!

Later that afternoon, through an invitation that came to the NAACP I joined the Alliance for Climate Protection Reception featuring Al Gore.  He spoke more stridently and with more passion than I had heard him speak as he encouraged all to pull together and push for advancement of climate legislation in the US. He also pushed for concerted action to make the Mexico City COP16 relevant and productive. He even suggested that we think about holding it in July, the hottest month in the year, for emphasis of what we’re talking about. Gore was also pragmatically concerned that having the COP 2 days after the US midterm elections would not be politically wise. Finally, he emphasized that we needed to act in accordance with the urgency of this issue and thought we needed to instill deadlines as the US and globally.

Finally, the best part of my day was meeting at the Greenlandic house that was organized by the Black Women’s Roundtable, led by Felicia Davis,  and included women from India, Cameroon, Kenya, the US, Denmark, Germany, and several other countries. People introduced themselves and how they came to this work, with inspiring tales of impact and activism. We reflected on our successes at COP 15 and talked about our plans leading to COP16 in Mexico City.

At the end, I was fortunate to interview Letetia Daniels Jackson from Dothan, Alabama and Anna Pinto from Jaipur, India as they respectively told their stories of how they reached this level of commitment in addressing climate change. Anna spoke of how her mother first noted the change in the taste and smell of food and water and how the insects and agriculture also began to change.  Letetia talked about her work in tobacco and deadly secondary exposure, as well as her observations re wasteful and excessive lifestyles, as well as noting Alabama farmer experiences with changes in bees and how all of this is connected. She ended with a call to action, stating that our very lives hinge on our concerted response.

Day IX in Copenhagen: Gearing Up to “Reclaim Power”

By Jacqui Patterson, NAACP Climate Justice Initiative Director

Today was a day of organizing, planning, drafting, and evading capture!

There were conversations to plan for the “Reclaiming Power” People’s Assembly Demonstration that is occurring tomorrow.  The demonstration will involve folks gathering near the Bella Center and then marching to the Bella Center to protest the exclusion of civil society from negotiations and resulting lack of democracy. Simultaneously, the few who had passes to enter are going to mobilize to do a march out in solidarity.

At some point during the course of the day, the cyber-ways and hallways were filled with the word “Don’t go to the Rad” which was where we were supposed to have the big conversation to plan for the rally. Several of the planners, including Climate Justice Action’s Tadzio Mueller, had been arrested by undercover “politi” (police persons) who had infiltrated those  planning spaces for the sole purpose of obstructing organizing for the demonstration.  Rumors were that the police even used wiretaps to gain intelligence on the plans.

Otherwise, our intrepid delegation spent the day drafting a letter to President Obama which was to be delivered to the US embassy in advance of his arrival and call on him to be accountable to the electorate for the campaign promises he made to advance aggressive action on climate change.

Towards the end of the day I accompanied friends to the mall. One of the friends had to retrieve a lost glove that he had left there when he took a break, from his seven hours in line to pick up his accreditation on Monday, to get something to eat . Besides spending good times with good friends, my goal was to pick up a pair of boots so that my time at the demonstration wouldn’t be marred by having to stand around for several hours in those mini-torture chambers I call my “cute boots”. So I emerged from the mall with a sturdy, albeit dowdy pair, that would do the job!

We ended the day with a strategy session at the group house. I parted the house bound for my apartment, just shy of midnight thinking of the day ahead and the adventures we would face.

Day VIII in Copenhagen: Where Do I Begin?

By Jacqui Patterson, NAACP Climate Justice Initiative Director

So much to share, but I will try to keep it brief!

This morning we started the day in front of the Canadian Embassy demonstrating against the proliferation of tar sands operations. This action was led by the Indigenous Environmental Network. In brief, “Tar Sands” refer to “bitumen”/petroleum heavy sands which are mined to extract oil. These tar sands in Canada are on lands where the indigenous people have not given permission for extraction and furthermore, the process of extraction and transport is one that is hazardous to the environment as well as using copious amounts of water, a precious and diminishing resource. Sharon Lungo of the Ruckus Society and part of the Indigenous Environmental Network delegation, explains more.

Courtesy of Alan Lissner at http://www.alanlissner.net

On my way to the Canadian Embassy, the metro announcer stated that the metro stop for the Bella Center (where the climate talks are occurring) was closed due to overcrowding and that people would have to get off at the station before and walk.  When I later arrived at the Bella Center I saw why!  The line to get in for accreditation was unbelievable…hundreds of people were standing outside looking grim and frozen. When I got in to where the bag screening occurred, I looked over to the “organizations without badges” area and the line had stopped to such an extent that folks were sitting on the floor working on their laptops. What did that mean for how long the folks were standing outside and how much longer would they be out there?? When I got inside I saw a friend who had made it through and was in the last line before receiving accreditation papers. She and her line mates shared that they had been outside for FOUR AND A HALF HOURS in that line!  I had to put that in caps because last week I was feeling abused after my two hours and had lost feeling in my extremities, and it was warmer then!  I later saw another friend who had been out there for 6 hours. I must frankly say that the situation was inhumane and just wrong.  I’m sympathetic to the notion that they didn’t know how to plan for such a large meeting, but after it went so badly the first day, surely there were some lessons there that they could have used to do some on the spot reform? To add insult to injury some folks were turned away as registration shut down, after they had been standing in the cold for hours! This isn’t a Rolling Stones Concert…these folks spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars to come here to participate in “democracy” and this is what happened. Simply appalling!

Courtesy of Associated Press

As I entered the building, I did film some demonstrators out front who were raising some noise on the issue of reparations and ecological debt, as well as stating that the World Bank had no role in the proceedings.

In the afternoon we had a meeting of the environmental/climate justice organizations from the US to talk updates and strategy.  There we learned that the G77 nations (developing countries) walked out of the climate talks today in frustration and a sense of powerless due to their perception that there were backdoor deals that were making the real decisions and the COP15 was a façade. Otherwise our group decided to draft a letter to President Obama stating what the EJ/CJ community would like to hear in his time in Copenhagen.

During  that meeting, I had the awesome fortune of sitting next to Reverend Gwendolyn Jenkins of the South Carolina NAACP! I was overjoyed to find a comrade within the NAACP to help advance the climate justice agenda! We have lots to do together! She shared her story of what brought her to her climate justice mission and how she sees NAACP units playing a role going forward.

Later that afternoon I finally caught the infamous “Fossil of the Day Awards”, staged by the Climate Action Network, which happens daily at 6pm in the exhibit hall in the conference center. It is a farcical presentation of “awards” for the worst abusers of fossil fuels.  Watch the video to see who today’s winner was:

We ended the day with a North-South Exchange where people from various countries from the global south and people representing various communities and organizations in the global north gathered. During this sessions there was also some insider information shared from folks who participated in discussions with some of the lead negotiators in COP15. One development was that the language on adaptation and mitigation had been relegated to the preamble which was the non binding section of the agreement.  Secondly another person heard a couple of the negotiators being very dismissive regarding the walk-out of the countries, indicating that the walk out would have no effect because of the lack of ticketing. Otherwise we discussed common struggles and how we might work together to advance common aims.

Day VII in Copenhagen: The People’s Assembly

By Jacqui Patterson, NAACP Global Justice Initiative Director

Today was brief for me, mostly because the Bella Center was closed, I slept in and then I spent a chunk of the day at the airport! However, I was able to catch a bit of the People’s Assembly at the Klimaforum and had one great interview.

I wish I could say that I had some footage from the People’s Assembly and the various poems, speeches, and films that were shared, but I don’t because my video camera battery was depleted.  However, as footage gets posted, I’ll link to it on this blog.   I did, however, get to show a bit of footage from the Women of Color for Climate Justice Road Tour, which was a gift to be able to show folks a glimpse of how climate change is impacting women of color in the US, who are oft invisible in global climate discussions.

Also, I promised to post footage of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance Press Conference.  The embed link didn’t work but you can find the entire press conference online at : http://www1.cop15.meta-fusion.com/kongresse/cop15/templ/play.php?id_kongressmain=1&theme=cop15&id_kongresssession=2372

Finally, I did a riveting interview with Esmerelda Brown of the United Methodist Women. She provided compelling testimony of how climate change affects her, as a woman of color, and her family and community. She also shared what the United Methodist Women does to address climate change and advance climate justice.

Day VI in Copenhagen: Demonstrations and Declarations: “The People” Raise the Roof on Climate Injustice!

By Jacqui Patterson, NAACP Climate Justice Initiative Director

Another amazing day! As folks gather and organize, and frustrations mount, the intensity of the voice of the people increases.   The leaking of “the Danish Text”, the evident lack of commitment to advance a legally binding agreement, the continued advancement of false/harmful solutions such as REDDS, cap and trade, and “alternatives” such as nuclear energy and “clean coal”, as well as the latest offensive from the US, the approval of drilling for oil in Alaska, all act as kindling for the inferno of outrage.

At the Klimaforum, people were engaged with gaining signatures for “System Change, Not Climate Change: A People’s Declaration from Klimaforum 09.” The declaration calls for 1) Complete abandoning of fossil fuels in the next 30 years with 40% reduction in emissions by 2020. 2) Recognition, compensation, and payment of climate debt. 3) Rejection of purely market oriented and technology centered false and dangerous solutions. 4) Real solutions to the climate crisis based on safe, clean, renewable, sustainable use of resources and transition to food, energy, land, and water sovereignty.

Today 100,000 people, with indigenous leaders in the front, took to the streets of Copenhagen and marched 4 miles from the town center to the Bella Center where the conference is being held.  With signs making proclamations such as “There is No Planet B”, “Planet Not Profit”, and “Mother Nature Does Not Compromise”, “Bla, Bla, Bla Climate Justice Now” voices were heard nationally, regionally, and globally as a result of this massive demonstration.

Courtesy of Mari Rose Taruc

Courtesy of Mari Rose Taruc

Rewinding, I started the day with a mad-capped run to the DGI Byen University where I participated in a meeting on Gender and Climate change as part of the Development and Climate Days Side Events.  I showed a couple of clips from the video interviews I’ve filmed of women of color speaking on climate change.  Otherwise, the panelists presented studies on gender and climate change revealing a range of differential challenges women face, as well as the distinct roles women already play in mitigation and adaptation.

Perhaps the best clip to show linkages particularly with this last panel and some of the discussions around gender and climate change in the US, would be from the SisterSong National Membership Meeting where Elizabeth Barajas Roman of the Population and Development Program at Hampshire College shared her analysis of the challenging framing around the environment and population and impacts on women’s reproductive rights.

Day V in Copenhagen: In the Wake of Yesterday’s Walk-Outs and Protests, Struggles Continue

By Jacqui Patterson, Director of the NAACP Climate Justice Initiative

Though I missed some of the fun yesterday because you can’t be everywhere at once! I did learn that there was a bit of drama in the official proceedings as the representative from Tuvalu walked out of the deliberations along with some reps from other small island states such as Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago. All were frustrated over the failure of the states to commit to coming up with a legally binding agreement at the conclusion of the Copenhagen climate talks. Having much to lose if aggressive action is taken in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, the small island states were extremely frustrated by the reticence of wealthy/developed nations in taking responsibility for their actions.

Meanwhile civil society was out protesting in the halls, including staging a die-in where one participant feigned a collapse, signifying the death of the Kyoto Protocol.

Today I was at the airport, pleased to begin to receive the early arriving members from the Movement Generation for Change, Right to the City, and Grassroots Global Justice delegation.

Before going to the airport I was able to stop in on the Klimaforum and participate in a half day panel on the intersection of Food and Energy Sovereignty with Climate Change.  One point that was made that was particularly striking was referencing the dynamics around food and agriculture with transnational corporations holding sway, as a “plantation” situation with external corporations mining nations for their natural resources while the inhabitants are engaged as field hands, as opposed to rightful owners to the land and its produce.  Mono-cropping that has begun to proliferate as a direct response to climate change, is exacerbating the situation as well as destroying the biodiversity necessary for a healthy ecosystem.

After traveling for 22 hours, Mari Rose, the arriving delegation member who works with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, was generous enough to allow me to film her story and early thoughts about how she plans to engage here in Copenhagen and represent the interests of her community here.

Finally, each day we’ve tried to tie what’s happening here in Copenhagen with stories of what’s happening at home in the US because the talks here are interconnected with the experiences and interests of our communities, particularly communities of color. So I leave you with a video interview I did with Michelle Macarenhas Swann because it is very relevant to this question of food sovereignty and the principles we want to espouse in terms of community local self reliance.

Day IV in Copenhagen—On Human Rights Day Things are Heating Up in Chilly Copenhagen

By Jacqui Patterson, Director of the NAACP Climate Justice Initiative

Activists have been here for a few days, and have met and strategized together. Thus, the actions are an increasing reflection of growing solidarity and joint action across borders, movements, etc.

First thing this morning, a panel of African American and African activists, led by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance,  joined forces to honor President Obama’s receipt of the Nobel Peace on Human Rights Day, hail President Obama as a native son of Africa, and call on him to show leadership in advancing aggressive targets to address climate change.  Also represented on the panel was the Pan African Parliamentarians Network on Climate Change, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, and the Black Women’s Roundtable.

Photo Credit: Peter DeJong/Associated Press

In late morning, indigenous rights activists gathered in front of the US embassy to call on President Obama to stop the war waged on native people and lands by the energy industry. They cited tar sands, oil refineries, coal fired power plants, etc. and called for just energy policies and enforcement of regulations.

Later, in the Bella Center Indigenous and Youth Activists gathered and simulated a storm through use of their bodies and vocalizations.  The sound was an impressive representation of what is already occurring and what will increase in terms of severe weather events.  Participants then gave testimony of the threat that increasing climate change has for their lives and what they want to see in the way of change. They called on decision makers to “seal the deal” for the sakes of their lives.

To end out the day I went over to the Klimaforum and listened to a talk on Cuba and Oil that centered on their efforts to maintain sovereign rights over this coveted natural resource. One of the audience members counseled Cuba to consider a model such as that of the Nordic nations who are also oil rich but execute a mixed economy model where they keep a significant portion of their oil for use in the Nordic region. Then they only export what they don’t need.  This is as opposed to many models where countries export all of their natural resources and end up buying their own resource back at a premium after it has been process/refined by an external entity.

I also met a fantastic youth activist from Senegal named Minielle Tall. She can tell her own story, which echoes so much of what we’ve heard in terms of being a cry for justice for the travesty of the suffering of her country and continent due to the lack of willingness by wealthy nations to adjust lifestyle and practices for the good of all.