Our Copenhagen meet

So the 15th Conference of Parties in Copenhagen has begun. If you think of it, the most spectacular part of it has been the pressure created by people like you and me. How did they do this? Most often, by reaching out to other people, networking and mobilizing, reports Bharati Chaturvedi.

So the 15th Conference of Parties in Copenhagen has begun. If you think of it, the most spectacular part of it has been the pressure created by people like you and me. How did they do this? Most often, by reaching out to other people, networking and mobilizing. That’s why Hopenhagen, No2CO2 and 350.org, for example, are such powerful, global movements-they belong to all of us. Movement like this are also what set Copenhagen apart from other environmental negotiation in history. It is as much the common person’s negotiation as it is the world leaders’.

HT Image

Look at the Indian example. On one hand, we don’t accept binding emission cuts because we have to consider our poor and their future.

This makes sense. Yet, at least the middle classes in cities are finding ways to cut down emissions, something that is being widely reported. NGOs here are also working to reduce emissions in all kinds of ways, helping people understand the issue and working on the government. There is a larger point here-about how the aam admi can become an important player in international issues, just by local action.

Fast for the Planet

From the 7th to the 18th of December, while Copenhagen is going on, take it upon yourself to experience a lower carbon footprint. It’s simple, but challenging. Stay vegetarian, wear woolens before you switch on the heater, and use electricity carefully. These are ways to show you care about this huge issue.