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Most viewed in Environment
Climate change, and the focus provided by one of the largest international conferences ever, have galvanised non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to act together. One result is the TckTckTck website, a “hub” established by what calls itself an “unprecedented” alliance of 200 NGOs intent on pressing developed countries to make a “fair, ambitious and binding” commitment to reduce emissions by at least 40% by 2020 (a commitment made so far only by Norway). Its most immediate goal is to encourage visitors to get behind one of its members, 350.org, and get out on 24 October, the International Day of Climate Action.
Greenpeace is seeking to get through to politicians directly in their offices. Its Call for Copenhagen campaign gives people the phone numbers of politicians so that they can put directly to them the case for a deal in December. Mark Breddy, a Greenpeace spokesman, says that “one supporter in London recently got through to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who spent three minutes on the phone with him”.
Political leaders will find themselves under intense lobbying while they are in Copenhagen. As 350.org will do on 24 October, the Global Campaign for Climate Action (GCCA), the moving force behind the TckTckTck alliance, is organising synchronised demonstrations “in as many places as possible” around the world on 12 December, midway through the talks.
The city of Copenhagen will itself take part a demonstration during the talks. It is calling for locals to turn out their lights for an hour on 16 December, just before the talks end, to impress on political leaders the need for an agreement. It is working with Vote Earth, which says that 1.7 million people in 88 countries took part in a voluntary hour-long blackout in March.
The European Commission is also becoming involved, by linking up with MTV. “The first step is to engage people,” MTV's Antonio Campo dall'Orto said in early October at a joint press conference with Margot Wallström, the European commissioner for institutional relations and communcation strategy. MTV is already well into the six-month Play to Stop campaign, with television spots running in 11 EU member states and two of its three concerts already held. The last will be on 8 December in Copenhagen, the first night of the talks. “We are trying to make the governments feel the pressure,” Campo dall'Orto said, “but it is important that the youth feel the pressure as well – this is going to be their world.”
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