In Cancun Mexico, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP16 ended the two weeks of negotiation with a modest agreement sign by 193 countries, included for the first time are both US & China. The U.N. delegates are calling this “a victory”, and many organizations within the environmental movement consider this a step forward.
Last Year the Youth Rallied at Copenhagen’s COP15 and this year there was even more action at COP16. Youth demanded Climate Justice from World Leaders, and they might have indeed helped to create a change..
Mirna Haider, a 21-year-old from Lebanon, today delivered a frank moral message of responsibility from international youth to United Nations leaders at the climate talks.
Haider, a youth climate leader from Lebanon, pressed negotiators during Friday’s high level segment to be more ambitious during the crucial second week of negotiations and highlighted the schism between the urgent case made by scientists and the inadequate solutions proposed by politicians.
“To be young and aware today is to be confused; to wonder why you can stand in front of us and both call for change, and refuse to change,” Haider said.
But Haider also added that she remains hopeful: “To be young and aware today is to know that a bright green future is possible.”
Haider spoke on behalf of about 1,000 young people from more than 40 countries that had traveled to Cancun for the two-week climate talks, many of whom represent large domestic youth constituencies.
A passionate and frustrated Haider spoke out against negotiators’ lack of transparency and interactions with civil society. “You’ve locked yourself in hotels and isolated yourselves from the communities who you are affecting.”
Haider finished by referring negotiators to a powerful statement that has become an unofficial slogan for youth groups at the UN: “You have been negotiating all my life. You cannot tell me you need more time.”
This motto is part of a unified action campaign run by youth organizations at the UN negotiations that intensified the negotiations.
Through science-based emission reductions youth held interactive demonstration.
Cancun, Mexico 9-12-10 – In an interactive demonstration of the threat of rising sea levels, the international youth climate movement (YOUNGO) showed support for communities vulnerable to climate change disasters.
A 3-metre-wide world map showed the altered coastline of a world in which 2°C of warming has occurred. Passersby, including Mexican government delegates (photo: http://tinyurl.com/2ucnfwp) added their fingerprints to climate change affected areas on the map to call for limiting temperature rise to 1.5oC.
Youth at Cancun are pushing to keep temperature rise level below 1.5 oC, in line with updated science. This in contrast to the target of 2 oC outlined in last year’s Copenhagen Accord, which young people from at-risk communities say is inadequate.
“Small island states are among the most vulnerable to rising sea levels, but developed countries will suffer, too,” said Krishneil Narayan, a youth delegate from Fiji. “We need science-based targets or entire communities will experience disastrous flooding or even disappearing underwater.”
In addition, while the Copenhagen Accord aims to limit temperature rise to 2 oC, its non-binding nature means that countries’ current emission reduction pledges would not meet even this target. Meanwhile, negotiators have struggled to find consensus on setting targets for the second round of the Kyoto Protocol—the most prominent legally binding international treaty on climate change.
As the Cancun talks are wrapping up with high-level ministers negotiating behind closed doors, youth and other affected constituencies are clamoring for raised ambitions and increased urgency on an agreement that addresses the concerns of communities vulnerable to intensified storms and higher sea levels.
Alina Pohkrel, a 19-year-old youth climate leader from Nepal, said to country delegates: “You have been negotiating all my life. You cannot tell me you need more time.”
Victory for Alassane Ouattara?
As the UNFCC conference Cop16 is underway in Cancun Mexico, there is transformational action with results on Africa’s Ivory Coast where Alassane Ouattara has won the long awaited elections.
“Justice for the people, we are all, very, very happy,” said Sinan Kamagate a native of the of the Village of Bolndoukou in the Ivory Coast and supporter of World Team Now.
Sinan Kamagate comes from a linage of activists and political leaders; his Father was Abdula Kamagate stood his Grandfather for independence and reform. He explained, “Corruption has been the rule on the Ivory Coast for many years. This event is the results of many groups coming together, and the voice of the people”.
Here too, the question is; whether the results will be binding, and whether sustainable justice can be for the Ivory Coast with these election results? This is the same question at stake on the global arena, for binding global policy for international environmental justice.
Photo by Jeff Pantukhoff / Spectral Q
“Solar Eagle Takes Flight”
by Suzanne Maxx
On Sunday, October 21st I joined my friend and World Team advocate, John Quigley as he directed another global aerial art piece; “The Solar Eagle”,(click here) from the Los Angeles Historical State Park, as part of 350.org’s Global eARTh project, which could be seen from outer space.
World Team Now’s (WTN) constituency was invited to participate, so I went to join the team of people that made up the art, to help create the image of the Eagle using solar materials, backing, copper , and us—human bodies.
On the ground at the event there was a message for all about global climate solutions. We were inspired to take action in the “Clean Green Energy Revolution” (click here for video). Soaring above from the sky down to the earth, we were there to move people around the world, and especially our leaders- before next week’s UN Climate Conference in Cancun (COP16), into action for binding, enforceable global policy.
This was my first time being a participant in an aerial art piece when I arrived on the site all were fighting the wind to keep the solar backing down on the ground. I brought duct tape, and I wondered if I was really making a difference by being just one more body, it could be anybody (even though I know that each person makes a difference). Working together with volunteers, people of different backgrounds, many I didn’t know, but all were kind, enforced the good in humanity.
The experience was peaceful as we lay on the solar backing our bodies being the font, to make part of the art. The Satellite came over on schedule to capture a photo courtesy of DigitalGlobe’s, and we all were still gazing up at the sky listening to the DJ’s music powered by solar.
After the Helicopter circled for their shot of the image from the air, we cheered and howled and stood up. John later shared about the arrival of the duct tape, “It was the right thing at the right time,” and hearing those words were helped validate the World Team path. As it has been so hard to be patient, and to learn to trust the timing, and keep persevering with World Team.
The vision for World Team over these years is a consciousness where all people play together as a team for the peaceful transformation of the world to live in balance with our natural resources.
This global art project is another that WTN has supported by 350.org and is an example of this vision. We have been blessed to see the global environmental movement really grow, and be a part of that growth through World Team Now.
With people taking action, eventually the leaders will follow, as there is a universal truth about where we are in humanity that each of us knows; we must embrace change, of consciousness and be aware of how we use our energy.
Since our journey to Rio in 1992 for the Earth Summit/Global Forum John has found his self expression in the environmental movement with activism and aerial art (click here for more of SpectralQ) . We both were in Copenhagen last year for COP15 and with the UNFCC’s COP16 coming up in Cancun next week this was opportunity to raise awareness about renewable energy, especially solar and other renewable energy locally and globally. The image, the experience and this Global eARTh Project is the true meaning of the expression; “Far out!”
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