Tod@s aquell@s interesad@s en saber / participar en la cumbre sobre el clima que tendrá lugar en diciembre 2009 en Copenague, aquí va una información recopilada por Hildur Jackson (de la red danesa de ecoaldeas). Os recomiendo en particular la iniciativa Windows of Hope (ver abajo), que se está creando desde la Red Global de Ecoaldeas, GEN-Europe, y que se desarrollará en la ecoaldea Christiania.
Climate Meeting, Copenhagen 7-18 Dec. 2009
Hildur Jackson July 2009
Top Down.
Governments meet in Copenhagen in December to reach an agreement to solve the problems of the global climate. For the first time NGO’s have been invited to join the official conference, which takes place in the Bella Centre near the airport of Copenhagen on the island of Amager. The 92 gruppen a Danish group of environmental and Southern Solidarity groups has been following and participating in the official work for years and are very active participating in the official meeting. GEN has also been admitted and Albert Bates, Ross Jackson and several others will participate.
Governments and NGO’s had a big preparatory meeting in Bonn in June and many more meetings are planned for the summer and autumn. The 92 group did participate. Their conclusion from Bonn: It is depressing when non of the rich countries will take the lead and show just a little political will to adapt goals of reduction which are near the 25 – 40 %, which IPCC recommends, and the 40 – 45 % in 2020 related to 1990, which recent science point to as a necessary to prevent a climate catastrophe.
.The 92 group just June 11th launched a new website http://www.worldclimatecommunity.dk/en/Public/
Bottom Up.
Copenhagen Climate Council- Connie Hedegaard(minister), Erik Rasmussen and others have set up council to facilitate cooperation.
Business has been quite active focussed around Erik Rasmussen on the magazine Monday Morning. They arranged a big forum: Nordic Climate Solutions in Nov/Dec 2008 (where Ross and I were invited and Ross presented his CO2 proposal, and a follow up meeting starting May 22: Global Climate Solutions (uncertain of title). In May they arranged a huge World Business Summit who came up with the Copenhagen Call. in 6 points.
In order to set a firm foundation for a sustainable economic future it is imperative that the following six steps are implemented:
1. Agreement on a science-based greenhouse gas stabilization path with 2020 and 2050 emissions reduction targets that will achieve it;
2. Effective measurement, reporting and verification of emissions performance by business;
3. Incentives for a dramatic increase in financing low emissions technologies;
4. Deployment of existing low-emissions technologies and the development of new ones;
5. Funds to make communities more resilient and able to adapt to the effects of climate change, and
6. Means to finance forest protection.
Presented by the Copenhagen Climate Council, the Copenhagen Call was informed by discussion with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development; 3C; the World Economic Forum; the UN Global Compact and The Climate Group, and deliberations among participants at the World Business Summit on Climate Change May 24-26 2009. www.copenhagenclimatecouncil.com
The Scientific world .
Scientists met in Bella Center in Copenhagen sponsored by The University of Copenhagen. in March 2009.The newest international reserch show a much worse tendency than the IPPC numbers from 2007, as they built on old numbers.This led the poorest countries at a Climate meeting in Bonn, June 2009 to demand further reductions from the rich countries with 45% in 2020 and 95 % in 2050. There is a wide gap down to what is accepted by the rich countries.
Hanne Strong at a meeting in Copenhagen July 3-5 told about how an organisation (?which one?) will set up a tent just ourside the Bella center (between teh airport and Copenhagen Center where the official conference is happening) with 20 scientists and all computer equipment so that if questions arise participants can very quickly get the answers.
NGO’s
NGO’s have been active for years in planning for how to best contribute to a necessary and satisfying agreement among the nations of the world and to start building sustainable communities from below. So far mainly two major, different groups, which I know of, are planning NGO meetings in Copenhagen around the Summit.
1. People’s Climate F orum 09 is a collaboration between 23 groups: among others Noah, Klimabevægelsen, Frie Bønder – Levende land og Rådet for Bæredygtig Trafik. Klimaforum09 is supported by more then 50 global development and climate organisations and networks. They just made their own secretariat in ”Kødbyen på Vesterbro”. Some names are Tony Andersen (permaculturist) and John Holten Andersen , publisher of Salt, a leftist magazine. Events will happen in the “DGI town” near the central station. They already got 8 mill. kr. for their initiatives from Peoples Climate [email protected].
2. They are calling for new themes from all over the world- se existing themes on website. Everybody has a chance of offering workshops or talks, theater or whatever.
3. They are planning a big demonstration to go to the Bella Center on Dec 12th.
4. People you can contact:
Safania Eriksen: activity and logistic coordinator, [email protected]
Hans Henrik Samuelsen: programme coordinator, [email protected]
Lisbet Nielsen: economy coordinator, [email protected]
Niels Fastrup: communication coordinator, [email protected]
Klimaforum09 has prepared an outline/proposals for Klimaforum09. www.klimaforum09.org
5. This is their call:
“We demand that world leaders take the urgent and resolute action that is needed to prevent the catastrophic destabilisation of global climate, so that the entire world can move as rapidly as possible to a stronger emissions reductions treaty which is both equitable and effective in minimising dangerous climate change.
We demand that the long-industrialised countries that have emitted most greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere take responsibility for climate change mitigation by immediately reducing their own emissions as well as investing in a clean energy revolution in the developing world. Developed countries must take their fair share of the responsibility to pay for the adaptive measures that have to be taken, especially by low-emitting countries with limited economic resources. Climate change will hit the poorest first and hardest. All who have the economic means to act, must therefore urgently and decisively do so.”
2. Bottom Meeting- Windows of Hope.
This is another initiative arranged by GEN, the Global Ecovillage Network, LOS, the Danish org of ecovillages, Christiania and Agenda 21 groups. It will take place on Christiania and in many places around Copenhagen during the conference. Contact persons are Troels Dilling Hansen (LOS and GEN), Britta Lillesø (Christiania) and Jens Hvass, Agenda 21. Besides a lot of activities around the town their main activity is constant seminars/workshops at Christiania in a big heated tent and other buildings covering all themes of sustainability with international participation. They have got 500.000 DKK. “ because the program was well worked through and had a “folkelig” appeal”. They have a full program planned for Dec 5-20, 2009.
Peoples Climate Action
A secretariat has been made to coordinate the NGO activities: Peoples Climate Action up to the Climate Meeting. They have their secretariat on Fælledvej 12, where also MS (Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke) reside. The leader was hired in March: Lene Vennits, former head of magistrenes fagforening, (+45 20 57 89 32) and +45 21 24 42 57. Gitte Verner also work there and 4 more people. They have a website which will help people to be housed privately and very cheaply.You contact the host family directly yourseæf. The government has put 20 mil. DDK at stake including this secretariat. Money has been distributed in portions of 12 mil, 4mil. And 4 mil. Only for Danish applications. www.peoples climateaction.
Campaign ideas for NGO’S and Governments
:
1. Lifestyle Changes, localisation, simple living. GEN
2. 350 Campaign (www.350.org). Findhorn is among a number of ecovillages that have been active on this campaign. It aims for an agreement that will see CO2 emissions stabilised at no more than 350 parts per million, thus giving a reasonable chance that we will stay below a rise of 2 degrees centigrade over pre-industrial levels. (Lots of assumptions packaged into this that are looking increasingly weak, but it an effective international campaign that has a head of steam behind it.) 350 does not have a position on the mechanism by which such a target would be reached, preferring to focus on the building of a mass public campaign around a simple and easily understandable objective. (If you have not already done so, consider registering a campaign on the 350.org website for the big international day of actions on October 24.)
3. Food Security. Vandana Shiva, Ray Taylor, Open University, www.Cooling Ray Taylor has a document co-edited by Vandana Shiva on agriculture called “Manifesto on climate change and the future of food security” from the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture. This has concrete proposals for the COP UNFCCC treaty. (Also WTO.) I think it’s a good rallying point. The specific contribution of GEN could be to promote this approach (updated), with real world examples, from a stand in Copenhagen, which the delegates while walk past several times a day.
4. Fasing out of F-gases- much easier than CO2. EIA (Environmental Investigations Agency), South Africa, Brazil and China on F-gases (especially HFC23), as this is the lowest hanging fruit in terms of warming potential. It’s the only greenhouse mitigation measure that can now help protect southern Africa from accelerating warming in the next 10-20 years. (Carbon emissions reductions take 30-50 years to have an effect.)
5. Soil carbon/bio-char.Bio-char is one point but it may be better to talk about soil carbon in general (without highlighting one particular technique), agroforestry, rainwater harvesting, green water credits, permaculture, perrenials etc, Also in agriculture some of the biggest gains are from switching to organic, going local, managing fertliser use better etc. because of reduced energy use. At the moment this is probably more urgent than sequestration, which will take longer.
6. Populations –total stop and reduction everywhere. China and Vietnam have shown that it can be done. We are just too many humans for this planet. We need to start discussing global fair politics on this subject. Hildur’s campaign proposal. So far
3. World Spiritual leaders
Dena Merriam of the Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW) ( Dena Merriam. Marianne Strong (director) have decided to bring 20-30 spiritual leaders to the meeting starting Dec 5- Dec 11 similar to other big UN meeting at the end of the last millennium Hanne Strong is a partner in this. Hildur has offered to help arranging this.
Spiritual leaders at the Habitat II in Istanbul 1996 Wangari Matthai, Kenya , UN in Istanbul.(Photo: Hildur)
The purpose of this is for the group to meditate together and create a loving atmosphere conducive to reaching a necessary agreement. And come up with a declaration to be presented to the conference. Also a visit to the queen is a possibility and a concert in the new Danish Radio Concert hall . Being part of a one day conference. The preliminary date for the concert is Dec 10.
4. Indigenous People.
A group of Indigenous spiritual leaders had planned a big meeting and ceremony on Greenland (Fire and Ice : http://www.fireandice2009.com/) but are now planning a smaller ceremony happening in July and will take part in the above and then of arranging a conference (Inner Climate Change) before the concert (Dec 9th or 10th. We have made a Danish planning group cooperating closely with GPIW and Alice Miller from Canada and AWE (org of Indigenous People). Bente Milton (who made a film: The Fifth Gate about the Hopi Indians) and Peter Engberg are behind this initiative along with Alice Miller from Canada and many more.
5. Concerts and Conference
The Concert in the Danish Radio’s new concert hall on Amager close to the Bella Center will be on Dec 10th. Earth will be projected holographically and turn in the middle. It will hopefully be transmitted all over. We have gotten the concert accepted for the official COP15- I believe- and we are working on a document on how the conference and concert could be one big thing and both be part of the official conference. This needs the approval of GPIW and AWE. We are working intensely on the content of the conference, participant list, and content of concert. (room for 1500) and hope to have something ready soon. As facilitator we have Toke Paludan, a highly professional facilitator. May be May East will be part of the team.
This group will cooperate with the NGO meetings.
The Club of Budapest is arranging a concert in the Park, a stadion which holds 50.000 on Dec 11th. Many of the names of the Fire and Ice concert will apper at both conferences
6. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature Group of Nature Conversation. Hanne Strong!
Conclusion.
We just need a shift in consciousness and our thinking, which will make this wonderful Earth with her billion of years of evolution and Humanity survive. We need all good wills to cooperate from top down and from the bottom up. We need all the points of views included. And everybody to accept that all is needed. Let us create a new and unseen cooperation between governments, business, science, NGO’s/Civil Society and spirituality. Let us create an atmosphere of love and cooperation in Copenhagen.
