Travelling together

Travelling together to sustainability after Copenhagen

Picture a line of thousands of people, about twenty feet across and very, very long, standing in the dark until sunrise, inching forward through the daylight and a light snowfall around noon, standing as the light fades and the sun sets, with the last 2000 or so being dismissed in the dark, unable to pass through the gate. That was me there in the middle, on my first day at the COP15 climate negotiations in Copenhagen, trying to enter the Bella Centre where the talks were held.

It was very hard to get in, because the crowd of properly accredited people was way beyond what they had expected. I did get in on my second day, at about 1.15pm, having inched along next to the president of the Club of Rome. Seven thousand were admitted that day, but we were told that on the next three days they would only admit 1000, 300, and on the final day ninety.

Why was I there? I knew that making any input was precluded. Nations had had to submit any words to be negotiated by mid-June. Ordinary people who showed up in Copenhagen wanting to add anything substantive were out of luck. Nonetheless it was important that we be there, representing the numbers and commitment of civil society demanding a FAB outcome: Fair, Ambitious and Binding.
I came with two intentions. The first, to hold open, public meetings for worship in the Bella Centre, failed totally. The second, to build international connections among Friends who care about the Earth, had a good beginning.

Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW), which I represented at the UN, had extended an invitation to Friends internationally to attend as our guests, and we made a group of eight. At their midweek evening Meeting Copenhagen Friends gave us a warm welcome. On Friday, having given up on the Bella Centre, we met in a worship-sharing that became ‘gathered’ and lasted all day. We talked about the possibility of an on-going, global Friends network for the health of our planet, and plan to work together as way opens. As individuals we are already connected with the international Quaker groups QEW, QIF and FWCC. I hope to have more to say about this over time.

What’s next?

The sheer numbers of the public turnout in Copenhagen is a sign that people around the world are informed and prepared to speak out. To quote rabbi Arthur Waskow: ‘At the official leadership level, it was a dismal failure. At the grass-roots level, it sprouted another stage of growth. Which narrative controls the future – top-down failure or grass-roots growth – depends on us.’
In central Copenhagen a people’s ‘Klimaforum’ featured major speakers and provided a center for networking. What a contrast to the formal meetings at the Bella Centre! There was energy and laughter. They wrote a Declaration much better than the disappointing results of negotiations at COP15. (You can read and maybe sign it at www.klimaforum09.org)
I believe the climate crisis and the societal patterns that underlie it are the challenges for our generation. We can pray about how to step out of our comfort zones, and let ourselves be stretched by undertaking what we see as ours to do. Discernment will lead us to different choices and different actions, all of which are important and will supplement each other.

In the Reykjavík airport waiting room on my way home I ran into Bill McKibbon, founder of 350.org, who was travelling on the same plane. He thanked me for my work. I thanked him for his. I am pleased to be travelling a path that crosses Bill McKibbon’s. Let’s all thank each other as we travel together.

Mary is UN Representative for Quaker Earthcare Witness (North America) and represented them at Copenhagen. She is a member of New England Yearly Meeting.

Bill McKibbon, author, educator and environmentalist, started the group 350.org to work to keep our CO2 emissions below 350 ppm (parts per million of molecules of CO2 in our atmosphere), the amount that scientists believe is the maximum the climate can sustain on its own. It is higher at present.

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