Copenhagen: The untold story
Conference mobilizes U.S. climate movement
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The world gathered for the climate negotiations in the name of hope . As a primary goal, people from all over the world, blog about Copenhagen. |
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By JON ISHAM Herald Correspondent - Published: January 17, 2010
Many reporters who wrote about the disappointing outcome of Copenhagen missed the incredible spirit that came from the world's citizens gathered to fight climate change. Something new was afoot — something hard to convey — how alive, diverse, forceful and beautiful the world's citizens can be when they assemble, especially those dedicated to our grand fight against global warming.
Walking through the United Nations' Bella Center and the sprawling scene in Copenhagen, I witnessed tens of thousands of citizens, in traditional clothing and formal attire, armed with drums and laptops, texting and passing out business cards. These diverse groups were all connecting and becoming instant allies. Their collective presence was transcendent. In every available corner of the city, they strategized and organized flash mobs, sang hymns and delivered petitions, cried and got really adamant and found time to laugh. As Paul Hawken documents in "Blessed Unrest," civil society of the 21st century is a Gaia-like organism. In Copenhagen, connected by both wireless and trust, it blossomed.
I arrived in Copenhagen full of ideas for how to ratchet up the climate movement. Jessy Tolkan, director of the Energy Action Coalition, perfectly captured what we have to do. For the moment, I'm calling it "10X."
Early in COP15's second week, Tolkan and another 10 distinguished climate movement leaders arranged a meeting with a high-level member of the U.S. delegation. By their account, it was highly charged, emotional, and as frustrating as any 30 minutes they have ever experienced.
Behind closed doors, they witnessed what Bill McKibben and other members of 350.org were to discover so strikingly two days later: COP negotiators knew all along that their draft plan was nowhere near a trajectory to get to 350. And as the meeting ended, the official seemed to twist the knife when he looked at them and declared: "You haven't done enough. You haven't built the popular support that we need to get behind something like a 350 trajectory." (Many researchers and national governments are now saying that 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.)
But after some outrage and some tears, these inspiring leaders did what they have always done since the climate movement began to coalesce seven years ago. They vowed to work even harder, as hard as humanly possible, to win this fight of the ages.
As Tolkan put it during our debriefing later that night: "Never again am I going to sit in the room with an elected official and be told that our movement isn't strong enough. I'm going to go home and do my part to make it 10 times as big."
In other words, it's time for 10X.
I know that Tolkan is right. It's time for all of us climate warriors here in the United States to work harder than ever to get a world-changing bill. And I like the idea announced by Al Gore that we set April 22, Earth Day 2010 as the deadline for bold action on climate change in the U.S. Because even the frailest international intention will vanish if the U.S. Congress doesn't act.
And indeed, that's what I felt coming to life in the last hours of COP15, among our own particularly American civic Gaia, the globally-wired but U.S.-based warriors here for over a fortnight: green groups in their war room; 1Sky, Energy Action, and Focus the Nation; Climate Project volunteers; new app-driven groups like the Alliance for Climate Education and Kids vs. Global Warming; foundation heads.
Even so, these and other U.S. leaders now are not the most important players in this critical process over the next three months days. Who must lead an unstoppable groundswell, in all 50 states, to force our elected leaders to follow game-changing precedents like the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965? All of us — U.S. citizens everywhere — in churches, synagogues and mosques; in Girl Scout groups and small-town business groups; in informal social networks. It is the hearts and hard work of those who have been home all along that must comprise an unstoppable groundswell — in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Territories.
And again, this is why the Earth Day analogy is good. In creative and crazy and app-driven ways that leaders are cooking up right now, we must spark not only a multimillion person celebration of who we are and what we do: we must make our leaders understand that this too is a transcendent moment. Listen up: over the next few weeks, every time an inside-the-beltway type nods sagely that global warming legislation may have to be delayed due to the legislative calendar, we'd better be able to say to them: "No. This is our time. This one can't wait. This is what U.S. citizens want, now."
So pour more coffee. Gather friends and family in the kitchen. Work the iPhone. Fire up your block associations and classrooms. Schmooze with your influential old friend. Write a letter a day to your local paper; call your senators' and reps' offices once a day. Find respected local political players in your state who are on our side and ask, "How can I help?" And enjoy this exhilarating four-month ride.
Until April 22, go 10X.
Jon Isham is a professor of economics and environmental studies at Middlebury College. He can be contacted at jisham@middlebury.edu.
ON THE NET
www.350.org
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