Sounds a bit like a title for a Star Wars movie, but COP15 (short for the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) is now underway in Copenhagen.
As the sun rises over the capital city of Denmark today, the citizens of planet Earth await in anticipation to see if world leaders and their negotiators can seal a binding deal to reduce carbon emissions to avert catestrophic climate change.
I can only hope that the negotiations go well and that a deal is formulated and eventually ratified. I also hope that countries act for the benefit of all the people of the world and not just for vested interests that reside in their own patch of turf. The time for turf wars are well past us.
With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly evident and visible here in Australia, and many other nations of the world, it would strike me that this United Nations conference is our last hope to actually take decisive action before the first major climate tipping points are reached.
Many politicians are playing down the outcome (our PM included), to lower the expectations of the general populous. However there is a determined coalition of threatened nations that are determined to shake up the status quo of inaction. These are the leaders of the low laying nations that will, and are being the first effected by rising sea levels as the ice caps continue to break-up and melt.
So, now that I have emphisised the importance of COP15, here are some sites where you can get up to date information about the events in Copenhagan as they unfold;
Also, don’t expect major coverage of the event from the mainstream media over the next two weeks, because
a) They won’t dedicate vaulable advertising space to report about it, and
b) Vested interests advertise on commercial networks who wouldn’t like to upset their customers!
I believe that the ABC in Australia will present a balanced view, and from watching tonight’s 7pm TV News, they will be doing their best with limited funding.
If you really want to be heard and speak for future generations as I do, you can track all the action via the links above, or better still, join my family and I, and many thousands concerned citizens of planet Earth at the Walk against Warming. This once a year event is occurring this Saturday 12th December in major population centres across Australia. I attended last years walk which you can read about at this post titled, “Walk Against Warming 2“. It is a safe and family oriented event and last year we had a ball in the process. I would highly recommend that you all have a look in your calendars and attempt to make time for this one hour event that our politicians look, and take notice of.
See you there if you are attending the Melbourne walk. I will be the one wearing the solar powered fan in his hat!
Gavin
They also have their own news site here