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Delay kills, Pre-COP15’ers

Published 17th November 2009 - 12 comments - 3350 views -

Today the two day Pre-COP15 ended. While ministers and diplomats were doing their thing inside, activists were waiting for them outside. Waiting for the brief chance to send their message as the "important" people would enter and exit the building.

I arrived just as the all-white WWF (I think) activists decided to leave. The politicians had sneaked in through the back door, evading the activists. Bummer.

So, a lot of what it means to be an activist is being ready to wait outside for two and a half hours - wearing a crazy outfit in the company of police and the main stream media brigade - for the next few minutes of opportunity as the politicians would leave again. Such as the all-red Climate Debt Agents did today.

Here is my video for you:

 

As you just saw, the activists had to scramble for the back door again, acting on an inside tip, I suppose. Only to see Connie Hedegaard stroll out the front door. They did manage a "Connie we're hoping for you!" shout (2:30). The rest of the delegates seemingly vanished into thin air or were hiding inside. So everyone outside left.

Later on Danish TV I saw Connie Hedegaard et al promise it'd be a very serious political agreement in December. One with a deadline for a legally binding agreement.

Browsing the official website all I see is also positive news. And, curiously, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, giving a message very close to the activists':

"There is a moral hazard in any attempt to further delay action on climate change [...] Political leaders in Copenhagen will have to explain in a credible way to the two to three billion people who are living on the frontline of climate change why they could not reach a deal. [...] any delay has real cost implications in economic, social and human terms and those implications must be at the forefront of the people's minds as they go to Copenhagen." (UNEP chief: Delay at a cost)

The Climate Debt Agents are looking for more activists.

Category: International Action, UN Climate Change Conference 2009, | Tags: cop15, activism, think2, connie hedegaard,



Comments

Benno Hansen on 17th November 2009:

Am I the only one who has issues with Vimeo today? Just says “uploading” indefinitely :-(

Adela on 17th November 2009:

Benno, I can’t upload anything to vimeo either. I tried earlier & thought it was something I was doing.

Are you a Climate Debt Activist?

Benno Hansen on 17th November 2009:

No.

Aija Vanaga on 17th November 2009:

This is attitude from elected politicians who escape using back door?
Is it what we agree too?

Benno Hansen on 18th November 2009:

Well, Aija… if there is one thing politicians are scared of it’s bad publicity.

Aija Vanaga on 18th November 2009:

@Benno
So then we neec to use this instrument ..

Paul Montariol on 18th November 2009:

By developing new energies one killed two birds with one stone. Everyone is ok for more business!

Pamela Drew on 19th November 2009:

The red Climate Agents are fantastic; if only we could send armies of them to the corporate offices to round up the scoundrels who create the disasters and sail away.

One by one and day by day millions of individual actions come together to form an unstoppable force.  We simply need to keep the faith and keep moving forward one by one.

Mike on 19th November 2009:

Who would want to be confronted by a group of violent insane environuts?

Benno Hansen on 19th November 2009:

Violent? What violence did you notice? Perhaps something violent happened to your head, Mike?

Paul Montariol on 19th November 2009:

New energies put violence out!

Benno Hansen on 28th April 2010:

Why the secrecy? See TH!NK3 / Secret evaluation of COP15 leaked from Danish government.

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