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Notes from the Field
Civil Society Organizations Are Holding Governments and Delegates Accountable
Day 1 Observations from the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland, held Dec. 1 - 12. This is my first UN conference on climate change. I used to attend HIV/AIDS conferences, and today, being December 1st –World AIDS Day – my thoughts go back to those moments. It is a very different atmosphere here in Poznan, with many scientists and, on the surface, fewer activists. But the truth is that here, too, there are many deeply passionate and committed people. Civil society organizations attending this conference are truly acting as watchdogs of governments and holding delegates accountable. The promises made in the opening plenary seemed genuine to me because I am a neophyte. How could anyone not take seriously the consequences of a global temperature rise of more than 2°C or 3.6°F? We are talking about entire populations of small island states in the Pacific Ocean buying land in New Zealand and planning for country-wide evacuations. We are talking about lower Manhattan going under water – permanently disappearing – and oceans rising up to 1.5 meters (5 feet), on a good scenario. It is terrifying, yet political negotiations have not even started, because countries are still busy agreeing on the agenda. The global financial crisis is the backdrop here in Poznan. No major speech has failed to mention it, but most also highlight the potential that a green economy has when it comes to creating jobs and new paradigms. There is talk of a New Green Deal, while a lot of hope rests on the incoming U.S. President-elect Barack Obama. He, too, is another backdrop here in Poznan, with delegates hinting that the U.S. may, after all, step-up to the plate and lead the new climate change negotiations on a post-Kyoto framework. Maybe we shall see the light at the end of tunnel.
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