 | Madisonians Give Activists’ Account of U.N. Climate Talks |
by Daniel Spitzberg, Energy Institute Writer
An ice sculpture of a polar bear outside the conference center in Copenhagen Photo: REUTERS
What exactly happened at the U.N. climate talks last December? While countless commentators have weighed in on international politicking, only a few individuals have discussed the on-the-ground activities and activism.
Speaking before a crowd last Wednesday on UW-Madison campus, two Madison locals shared their first-hand account of their recent excursion to Copenhagen. Molly Stentz of WORT and Free Speech Radio News and John Peck of Family Farm Defenders and La Via Campesina narrated the story alongside dozens of photographs they took both inside and outside the 15th annual U.N. summit.
The presentation was intended to give the perspective of an well-informed visitor, and so Stentz and Peck highlighted many colorful, humorous, and grave incidents. Ice sculptures of (melting) polar bears and other public art decorated the whole city. Singers, speakers, and street theater performers entertained and educated crowds, while fair trade coffee roasters, Food Not Bombs, and other vendors fed the marching masses. And wherever corporate sponsors co-opted the “hope” motto for the conference, graffiti artists made creative edits.
In addition, Peck addressed some items of public concern. He related to the audience that the worst global polluter as recognized by conference attendees is our northern neighbor, Canada. He pointed out how large blocks of African states and island states banded together for voting power. And he said that the two-page Copenhagen Accord resulting from the summit is neither binding nor a draft text to provide the basis for future discussion.
Podcasts broadcasted live from Copenhagen on WORT are available at http://archive.wort-fm.org/
