Yesterday, Oxfam hosted an international climate hearing in Copenhagen, at the heart of the UN climate change negotiations. We’re well into week two but the negotiations have been characterised by their slow pace and a frustrating lack of progress.
It was a great time to gather up climate witnesses from the four corners of the world. Some high profile speakers; forrmer Irish Prime Minister and UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Mary Robinson and Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu were there to remind delegates that climate change is about people.
In a packed out room full of the world’s media (so full UN security had to step in to limit access) we heard testimonies of the impact of climate change from Uganda, Kiribati, Peru and Bangladesh. Constance, from Uganda, got a massive round of applause when she told the audience that (and I paraphrase slightly) “I’m here to tell world leaders that we want our seasons back, children and old people are dying. We want them also.”
This year over 1.5 million people have participated in hearings in 36 countries. This hearing was a culmination of the thousands of hearings that have taken place around the world and brought all those stories to the attention of negotiators and media here in Copenhagen.
Desmond Tutu spoke about the urgent need to listen to these people. Mary Robinson provided a verdict, calling for urgent action in the negotiations to bring about a fair and binding deal.
After the hearing, Mary, along with the climate witnesses, presented the verdict and a real life-ring with the words ‘1.5 million people. Act now save lives’ emblazoned on it to Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC executive secretary.
In the next few days we’ll find out if the leaders are listening.
More from Live from Copenhagen.
Tags: climate change, climate hearing, Copenhagen, Desmond Tutu, Kiribati, Mary Robinson, peru, uganda
