All posts in COP15

By J. Taj Schottland

As I sit in our initial communications work group meeting I can’t help but feel some frustration. The working group is charged with facilitating communications between the media and the international youth non-governmental delegation (YOUNGO). We are essentially the voice of the YOUNGO delegation. Obviously we have an extremely important role to play during these negotiations. We create the overall message that YOUNGOs will spread to governments, industries, civil society, and other constituents.

We have an awesome task ahead of us, both in importance and sheer difficulty. At the risk of sounding elitist however, my frustration stems from the high percentage of individuals present who mean well but aren’t particularly knowledgeable about the relevant topics. Furthermore, the vast majority of people in the group have no practical experience in creating an effective messaging campaign. What to do? Most people would argue that the power of the youth movement stems from its grassroots base and the moral leverage that we bring to the table. We youth are inheriting the triumphs and mistakes of the current climate negotiations. We have an especially high stake in COP 15.

Looking around the room at the high diversity and enthusiasm of our participants I can’t help but feel hope for our future. These people make the base of our movement and the existence of our movement possible. But I also look around the room and see people who are not necessarily the best people to create a message that will permeate through the media in an effective manner to capture attention. Really though, who am I to judge their ability?

I can’t decide. Should we create a communications work group made up of only youth with experience, high levels of education, and strong drive to lead? This workgroup would be both efficient and effective. Or, do we utilize the diversity of our work group? By valuing diversity and openness above creating a streamlined group of individuals with experience, what do we lose? Anything? I am always wary of elitist tendencies, however I can’t help but acknowledge that our communications workgroup will struggle longer and harder by attempting to be inclusive of everyone. Is that struggle worth it? Probably.

By Lauren Nutter

About two weeks ago now, our COA group had our final get together, complete with apple cider and excited chatter about the change we want to see in the world.  There is no doubt in my mind that our ambitious, dedicated, and idealistic group is ready for this two week marathon of negotiations in Copenhagen.

(COA Road to Copenhagen group)

I will set off from Logan tomorrow night, and my bags are almost packed.  At least my granola bar, trail mix, and peanut butter supply to survive two weeks in an expensive European city, are all in my suitcase.  COA students were serious about fundraising to make this trip happen, and I know we are all thankful to those that made our plane tickets, hostel stay, and food supply possible.

So what does the next two weeks look like for the COA group at these negotiations?

-Most of us arrive this weekend. We will be meeting up with several hundred other youth from around the world who are coming together for the Conference of Youth (COY).  COY is the preparatory meeting for the youth NGOs who attend the negotiations.  COA students will be working closely with the youth constituency to follow the policy proceedings, help frame the global youth voice, and collaborate on a few plenary statements to the government delegates.  Some of us will also be doing direct action either inside the conference center or out on the street with other activists.

-During negotiations our days will begin early (6am) and end late (12pm or later).  It will be a flurry of running to youth meetings, official plenary sessions, and NGO briefings by the US state department. We will be sharing as much of it as we can with you through our blog.  We hope you join us through the journey, and please comment away on our blogs!

I also want to end this post by touching on some concerns about Copenhagen not yielding a treaty.  It does upset me that we aren’t able to address climate change as fast as we should.  But I think it’s important to stress that a lot will be decided in Copenhagen that will affect the final binding agreement hopefully a year from now.  The number of youth and other concerned global citizens will be record at this year’s negotiations; I believe that our many voices will have an impact that we’ve never seen before. And we will hold our governments accountable and demand strong actions now.