COP15 – Blog Post #2 from Copenhagen

Cross posted from Sustainable Futures

How do you like the creative title of this post – catchy, eh?

Morning woke cold, overcast with a resounding 10 minute ring of church bells. I thought it was a reprise of the 350 demonstration, but it turns out that is normal custom here every morning.  Security at the Bella Center was stricter, due to the arrival of high-level ministers.  The UN has been absolutely overwhelmed with the numbers of NGO observers seeking access.  The Climate and Energy Funders delegation has moved its briefing and events to other venues around the city.

I attended a panel entitled “Environment as a Corporate Strategy”.  Afterwards I had a good conversation with Daniel Kreeger, Executive Director of Association of Climate Change Officers.  Many organizations are developing a sustainability strategy but do not have the talent or understanding of where to focus their efforts.  President Obama signed an executive order directing all federal agencies to develop a sustainability plan and assign a senior official to be accountable for implementing and reporting on progress.  The federal government is the largest customer in our economy, so this is a very significant development.   Daniel and I discussed the concept I am developing for EDF of an open-source repository of sustainability training materials.  We both see a great need for offering training and executive development for this emerging profession.

One of the absolute highlights of the trip so far was a boat tour to an offshore wind farm.  Each of the 20 wind turbines generate 2Mw of power.  It is absolutely stunning to stand underneath these monsters that whirr day and night, producing clean, renewable energy.

Jim - CPH offshore wind farm

20 wind turbines in a row

On the boat I spoke with Jon Isham, economics professor at Middlebury College, whose students started350.org and Kris Stevens, Executive Director of Ontario Sustainable Energy Associations.  Both men are deeply committed to solutions that get us to the low-carbon world we need.  Jon is launching a new journal; a hybrid between a peer-reviewed academic journal and a general interest magazine.  Kris was responsible for the passage of an innovative law in Ontario that will allow citizens to become conservors and generators of clean power and build a strong local economy.  Listen to his story here.

News from the official talks do not sound promising, as reported here and here (free log-in required).  A mass protest is being organized tomorrow within the formal talks and by activists outside the Bella Center.  In my delegation, opinions about this action are mixed.  Some say a bad deal (CO2 reduction targets too low; not enough protection for developing countries) is better than no deal and the disruption will come at the worst time possible.  Others say, enough is enough – time to stand up for meaningful change.  Thoughtful leaders such as James Hansen and Bill McKibben argue a weak deal is unacceptable and will be tantamount to a suicide pact for low-lying nations.

I am attending a small breakfast with Al Gore tomorrow and will listen closely to his perspective.  Stay tuned for another post about Gore and his current work:

“Not too many years from now, a new generation will look back at us in this hour of choosing and ask one of two questions. Either they will ask, “What were you thinking? Didn’t you see the entire North Polar ice cap melting before your eyes? Did you not care?” Or they will ask instead, “How did you find the moral courage to rise up and solve a crisis so many said was impossible to solve?”