Climate, Copenhagen, and the world: We've come a long way, baby

sign at Copenhagen conference on climate change

photo by Maurita Prato

Things are brewing and building to a climax at this week's conference at Copenhagen. Will world leaders decide on a "survival pact" (let's get serious about the future of humanity and do something about it) or a "suicide pact" (let's chicken out and blow this opportunity to truly take care of the planet before it's too late).

As I write this, some of the campaigners and activists that I follow on Twitter, who are reporting on the proceedings at Copenhagen - Kris Krug, Jason Mogus, Jason Barnett, Joe Solomon, The Uptake - are alternately despairing and determined. But no one knows whether a last-minute "Real Deal" can actually happen.

Now people are saying: what next? What happens after Copenhagen, regardless of the outcome?

What happens is: we keep building the movement of the millions around the globe who are speaking out, joining together, becoming a part of the wave of change that is needed, until the wave is the whole world.

Regardless of what happens at Copenhagen, our survival on the earth requires changes from all of us.

But I have hope. I have been around awhile now, and we have come a long way, baby.

Twenty years ago at Clayoquot, we leaders of the blockade were publicly labelled Eco-Terrorists when we sang and danced on logging roads. There were about twenty-five of us in 1992, fighting against major international corporations. And then we'd hear about things coming down the road like climate change, and I wondered how in heck we would ever get to the mass awareness needed - to make the changes we would need to make -  when we ragtag bunch with no resources were being publicly ostracized for caring about our little corner of the planet.

Twenty years is not a long time for change in the human race. But we have changed. We have come a long way, baby. There aren't just a handful of people who are taking action. We are millions. We are growing exponentially. No matter what happens at Copenhagen, this movement is growing and we will not be stopped until we have woken up enough of humanity to join us as we endeavour to save ourselves.

Join us.

More info:
www.avaaz.org
Kris Krug, Jason Mogus, Jason Barnett, Joe Solomon, The Uptake