It's Only the Beginning

Well, it has been about 3 weeks since I've been back and I've had more time to process and digest my experiences in Copenhagen. The argument is ongoing: was Copenhagen worthwhile? worthless? Did Copenhagen achieve what it needed to? Many have asked me, "Was it worth it to go to Copenhagen?" My answer is simply, yes.

Even though I didn't get to actually attend the summit for more than 8 hours, even though I spent almost 2 days waiting in line, even though the results of the negotiations were disappointing, Copenhagen was not altogether a lost cause. Stories were told there, and voices were heard. In the midst of delegations walking out and groups attempting to storm in, one message rose up loud and clear. Something needs to be done and it needs to be done now.

I realize that not everyone believes in global warming, and as I have said, the percentage of people in the United States who don't believe in it is going up. However, it is almost impossible to deny climate change. The most surprising aspect upon returning, for me, has been that climate change is EVERYWHERE!! It is almost impossible to listen to the news or read a newspaper without hearing or reading something related to climate change. Much like anything else, I'm sure it was there before, but my awareness is heightened to the extent that now it seems almost everything is related to climate change!

Here are just a few examples: on the Sunday after Christmas, a woman at worship mentioned that it has never rained in Iowa on Christmas (in her memory). This morning there was a news story about the new LED traffic lights that are 'environmentally friendly' but that are unsafe for drivers when it snows. Almost all parts of the United States are experiencing a cold snap. I have heard many analysts predict that the wars of this decade will be fought over water. A furniture company is going to zero-waste. A farming community in California is suing the EPA for stopping the flow of water to their fields in order to save a species of fish. Those are just regular news pieces.

Then there's the news about the conference in Copenhagen. A professor from Kenya has been very vocal in his criticism of Copenhagen for 'abandoning the poor countries who are most affected by climate change.' Last night Rachel Maddow was on the Dave Letterman show and talked about how the world is looking to the United States as a leader in policy making surrounding climate change. Morning talk shows have applauded the millions of dollars pledged at Copenhagen, and are saying that more needs to be done.

Copenhagen may be over, but this is only the beginning. Now we can, both as a faith community and as citizens of the United States, tell our elected officials the kind of legislation we want passed. In the wake of health care reform, financial reform, and national security, climate change is easily lost to 'more important' things to deal with. Health care, finances, and security are all very important, but if there is no land to live in, no food to eat, or water to drink, none of those things really matter.

I drove to Wisconsin to visit a friend earlier this week and was awed at the beauty of nature. I saw bald eagles, deer, trees frosted by steam from the river, and beautiful falling snow. (Granted that is balanced by the -10 degree temperature and the shoveling, but all in all I'd say the beauty wins over the inconvenience!) God has given us this beautiful creation both to enjoy and to sustain our lives. We have been given stewardship of this land, and rejecting that climate change is happening or knowing that it's happening and not taking action are inexcusable. Even if Christ is coming back soon, as many believe, what sort of world would he find? As a matter of faith, believing that God has redeemed all of creation, not just the people, it is our responsibility to care for creation.

There are scores of quotes and teachings on creation and its beauty throughout the history of humanity. One of the most poignant quotes I have found recently is as follows:
Only when the last tree has died, and the last river has been poisoned, and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money. ~ Cree Indian Proverb
How true this proverb is. Money is at the root of many of the most recent advancements and developments in renewable energy. It simply costs less and saves millions to use sustainable practices. If money is your reason, then that's a good start. But it cannot simply stay at a financial incentive. Care for creation is about the livelihood of all of creatures, it is about being good stewards of what God has so graciously given us.

In closing, one of Martin Luther's most famous quotes comes to mind. "If I knew I would die tomorrow I would plant a tree today." Thank you for reading my blog and following my adventure to Copenhagen. I pray that you will continue to support and be active in calling for climate change legislation. I pray you will tell others about stewardship of creation and the need to re-examine our way of life in the United States so as to work for justice for all. I pray that you will continue to enjoy and be blessed by the fruits of creation.

Peace,
Erika

We Still Believe in Miracles

Well, I am home now. After a very long and tiring day of travel yesterday, I arrived back in Cedar Rapids about 8:00 last evening. I was plagued with long lines and delays (hmmm...I'm beginning to see a theme with this trip!) but thankfully ALL my flights were delayed so I didn't miss any of them.

It is official - a document has been signed. While I was in Paris yesterday, it still looked as though nothing would come of the conference, but in the 8 hour flight back to Chicago a deal was reached and it was all over on the TVs there. According to one of my colleagues who was at Bella Center yesterday, there were three different drafts of the document circulating at one point, and none of them were "comprehensive" or "ambitious". However, that being said, at least there was some agreement, even if it wasn't what every country hoped for.

This is a quick version - more to come later. To read the agreement for yourself, click on the following link: http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Environment/documents/2009/12/19/copenhagenaccord.pdf

The accord that was signed seeks to limit the rise of global temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius, a number that is higher than many scientists were hoping for. In addition, the accord is leaving responsibility with each individual government to pass sanctions limiting emissions, and the hope is to have a new, legally binding document signed at next year's conference. The document upholds the Kyoto protocol, as well as lays out some very loose dollar amounts that are on the table.

However, now it is our job to ask our governmental leaders to adopt the accord. We the people do have a voice, and this is our chance to use it.

Thanking God for miracles in this season of Advent!

Day 4: Snowfall and Downfall?

We awoke to a beautifully white world after Denmark received huge amounts of snowfall (up to 2 feet in some places). Copenhagen had a solid 3 inches and cold temperatures; even the locals were surprised by the amount of snow and the cold!

We also awoke to rumors that the negotiations had broken down overnight (for the second night in a row) but was pleased to overhear at breakfast that they resumed early today. The arrival of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her announcement of the need to allocate 100 Billion dollars annually to fund the necessary changes and development to drastically reduce CO2 emissions and the amount of poverty. This announcement was met primarily with skepticism and the call for the US to do more than just pledge money. I said yesterday that the US was throwing around the number of 40% emissions reduction by 2050, but today many were calling for a reduction in CO2 emissions of 80% by 2050 with severe warnings of the effects on climate if this is not met.

There was a rumor, I repeat: a RUMOR, going around today that Obama had cancelled his trip to Copenhagen, however, we have word that his advanced staff is here so he is still coming. The international community has placed much of their hope in Obama, and at this point it is almost certain that, barring a miracle, no legally binding treaty will come out of the conference.

At Klimaforum today I attended a presentation called "Climate Wars and Refugees" where we discussed the issue of immigration and its relation to climate change. Unfortunately the speaker wasn't able to attend because, "they have fallen due to the recent demonstrations." I took this to mean that they had been arrested.

At any rate, the meeting was more of a discussion in which the topics of racism, systemmic injustice, poverty, mitigation and adaptation in terms of climate change, and climate justice were addressed by several people. The initial question was posed: what do you know about migration due to climate change? The first thought that came to my mind was the story of Abraham migrating to another country. Obviously that was not due to climate change, but when Jacob and his family migrated to Egypt it was because of famine and drought. Migrants and refugees have been talked about since the beginning of time.

We were blessed to have a man from the Sudan in our midst and he was able to talk first-hand about how the issues of climate change and migration have directly impacted him and his country as water, food, and land become scarce resources. Sadly, in a conversation about how rich countries can oppress poor countries and how we don't listen to their voices, the gentleman was asked to sit down and wait to give comments until the discussion about their topics was finished. Towards the end of the discussion, a gentleman rasied his hand and criticized the leaders of the discussion for doing exactly what they were trying to stop and invited the Sudanese man to speak again. He was able to expound on what he had started to say earlier: lessons learned from his own country are that climate change causes massive migration and the government needs policies that protect refugees. He urged us to fight xenophobia, carefully weigh the options of climate change policy, and foster love and tolerance among our communities, especially our children.

Migration and border control will continue to be topics of discussion. How will we as a faith community respond? One of the words that was talked about but never said was 'hospitality'. Many talked about the need to welcome those who are migrants and refugees, especially when they are forced from their homes because of war and climate issues. Another word that was spoken about but never said is 'accompaniment'. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America partners with churches across the world to accompany them in their journey (based on Jesus accompanying the disciples to Emmaus in Luke 24). "Solidarity is working with people based on their agenda, not on the agenda we think is best for them. It is not just charity but involves listening, building relationships, and dialogue."

I was surprised at how much of the conversation could have taken place in an adult forum or bible study discussion, with the exception that God was entirely missing and most people have never thought about this issue in terms of faith or Christ.

"Hope transforms pessimism into optimism. Hope is invincible. Hope changes everything. It changes winter into summer, darkness into dawn, descent into ascent, barrenness into creativity, agony into joy. Hope is the sun. It is light. It is passion. It is the fundamental force of life's blossoming." ~ Diasaku Ikeda, Buddhist philosopher

Christian hope is all of this and more, because we know that God is present in our pain, darkness, suffering, and despair and have hope in the resurrection in the midst of life. We have heard how our actions have negatively impacted the environment - lizards and creepy crawly things, water, trees and flowers, birds, mammals, and human beings. We know that God is present even now as creation is sustained and new life is formed through the creative powers of the spoken Word of God through the Holy Spirit.

We pray for renewal, for justice, and for change in the way people live their lives, so that all of creation may experience God's salvation and justice. We pray for a miracle at the UN. Mostly, in this season of Advent, we pray for our Lord Jesus Christ to come.

Day 3: Happenings with the Conference

Well, the leader of the conference resigned, there was a large demonstration both inside and out, NGO presence in the conference has been severely restricted, and leaders don't seem to be any closer to a treaty - either political or legal.

There doesn't seem to be much to hope for at this point, though people are still calling for something to happen at the legal level. China is resisting any sort of accountability measure, the US still seems to be resisting any firm numbers of emission reduction, and the G77 are still upset about funding. Unfortunately, some of the NGOs are making the process more difficult by interrupting negotiations with security threats and demonstrations in the middle of the precious few negotiations that are open to them.

That is at the official COP15 Climate Change Conference. However, there is more than just that event happening. As I said before, we stopped by Hopenhagen and saw several displays and videos. We stopped at other displays spread intermittently throughout the city, which included ice sculptures that have been slowly melting since COP15 started last week, trash turned artwork, pictures, montages, sculptures - you name it, it is probably in this city somewhere.

We also stopped by Klimaforum, the unofficial NGO parallel of the UN COP15. It is held in an event center, and is open to all people. (Since it is open to all the credibility of some of the presenters is a little suspicious, but we'll let them have a say.) Today we were able to hear a presentation by Michael Braungart entitled, "Growth is Good." Using humor and common sense, Braungart called for industries and people to shift from a cradle to grave paradigm to a cradle to cradle paradigm. The shift is primarily away from conservation as the only way to help with climate change, which invokes a feeling of guilt for being on the planet, to a re-thinking of how we consume and live on the planet. "Why do things right when we could be doing the right thing?" is one question he posed to the audience. He debunks the notion of 'carbon neutrality' saying that even trees, which are often used in carbon-neutral campaigns and ads are carbon positive. To be carbon neutral, one cannot exist.

His cradle to cradle paradigm, which is further explained in a book titled, "Cradle to Cradle, Remaking the Way We Make Things," coauthored with William McDonough. It is a fascinating alternative and has a lot of wonderful implications in Christian theology. He takes seriously the worth and value of every created being (and I would add every created being as God's creation), ensures people that creation is good (thinking back to our scriptural witness) and encourages people to think not, "how can I reduce my carbon footprint" but "how can I make the footprint I leave better?" His solutions involve finding ways to create carbon rather than just trying to conserve the amount of carbon we produce. In one of his humerous explanations, he pointed to a picture of a methane molecule and stated that it is a harmful gas. He then went on to explain how we can limit the amount of methane in the atmosphere by refusing to eat at a Mexican restaurant.

In the midst of his humor, I do think he was able to pinpoint a key point, and it was directed at Americans: When Bush was president at least we expected nothing to happen. Now that Obama is president everybody is hoping for something to happen. Meanwhile, we have wasted 10 years waiting for other people to fix our problem for us.

Once again someone has pointed out that it is not only up to our political leaders, but it is up to the global community to be a leader in climate change action and justice. We have such a wonderful opportunity to, as the girl scout pledge says, leave our earth better than we found it. Faith communities are getting on board with this, and I think that together, whether any treaty or policy comes out of the UN or not, we can make a difference.

God has given us brains. Let us use them for good. Let us use them for justice. Let us use them to praise God for all of God's abundant blessings.

And who knows, there are still 2 days of negotiations. Perhaps a treaty is still within reach. In any case, we continue to pray.

Until next time

Day 3: Experiencing some culture

I haven't talked about food at all, but I just returned from eating some of the most amazing Indian food I've ever had - garlic naan with lamb korma. Good food and good conversation following a good day overall. (Ironically, since we've been here I have had Italian food cooked by an Italian, Middle Eastern food from a Middle Eastern neighborhood, Indian food, and a hot dog.)I also ate my first Danish today. It was quite good and to my surprise it had raisins in the middle of it. It was called juttemobel but I just pointed because can you walk into a bakery and ask the person behind the counter for a Danish??

It has been snowing off and on for a couple days but has been snowing steadily all day and the ground is covered with an inch of beautiful snow. We went out and about this morning since NGO delegates have been restricted entrance to the conference. (This was even before the demonstrations.) We did a long walking tour which got cold quickly but it was much better than standing in line and the wonderful, new sights quickly made the chill go to the background.

The city is decorated for Christmas and there are live Christmas trees and garland everywhere. In the streets, they are hung from building to building and have hearts and lights on them. Christmas trees can be seen dangling from high buildings and masts of ships in the harbor. We walked from our hotel to the city center and walked past Hard Rock Cafe and Tivoli Gardens which were closed so we couldn't get in. We then came up to the center where Coke and other companies are sponsoring "Hopenhagen" with displays, concerts, talks, and a giant Christmas tree with lights powered by bicycles for people to hop on and keep warm.

In another square we came across "100 Places to Remember Before They Disappear" which encircles the whole plaza with large photographs of these 100 places. They showed vividly places which are already affected by climate change and those that will be if nothing changes.

We saw some shops and lots of school groups while walking towards the harbor. The changing of the guard took place and the guard marched through one square we were in - they were playing "Let it Snow" while marching and holding their guns and the local children mimicked them...

We saw some beautiful churches, unfortunately not all of them were open so we couldn't go in. One of my favorites was St. Peter's and was built in the 1100s. You enter in the back of the sanctuary and straight ahead is the altar area with a beautiful statue of Christ, arms open, and in front a shorter statue of an angel holding a large shell for the baptismal font. As we were walking out, I noticed that the pews were like train or subway seats, with some facing forwards and some backwards. Then I noticed that the pulpit was off to one side, half way between the altar and the back of the church. It would be interesting to go to worship there!

After that, we passed by some stores and lots of school kids on our way to the harbor. Because of the chill it was difficult to pass up some of the warm looking hat and mitten sets, and it was even more difficult to pass up the many assortments of candies and nuts in the stands we passed. (We were saving room for the Danish though.)

Once we got to the harbor we saw beautiful ships, a special outdoor Christmas market, and lots of restaurants along the waterfront. All the restaurants had their tables and umbrellas out with candles burning. It was 27 degrees and snowing. And we still saw people eating outside.

Regardless of the amazing resilience to cold the Danes posess, and my utter wimpyness, it was wonderful to spend 1/2 a day exploring the side streets and squares of Copenhagen. We returned to the hotel to warm up before heading out to some more of the Climate Change conference events. More on that in the next post.

Until next time.

Day 3: Massive Upheaval

Hello friends - I'm sure that this is already coming across the news in the US, but there was a demostration at the Bella Center this morning. It was mostly non-violent, but there was tear gas fired and a water canon used.

There was a planned walk-out for today, led by those concerned about how climate change is affecting the poorest of nations and people. Some delegates from inside the conference were going to meet demonstrators on the outside. The president of Climate Justice, an NGO from Germany has been arrested.

We were at the center after the major demonstration was over and the police had contained about 300 people in the street. Unfortunately, access was denied to NGO's. We had the opportunity to speak with one of the medics with the Danish military who assured us that only a few people were injured and that everything was under control.

This follows last night's announcement of the President of COP15, Connie Hedegaard, that she would step down from her position and allow the Danish Prime Minister to finish the conference. She warned for the first time that failure is a real possibility.

We continue to pray for the leaders of the nations and the delegates as they work through negotiations.

We were out and about exploring the Climate Change Conference in the rest of Copenhagen and will now be doing more of that this afternoon. More on that later - we've got to get lunch and head to the next meeting.

Until next time...

Day 2: Leaders Continue to Call for Treaty

So we got in - you already read about that. Once we were inside, there was a smorgasbord of activities, speeches, or exhibits to choose from. To make this one easier to read, I have split up the blog into three sections: one about a debate I attended, one about the press conference and call to action at the end of the day, and one about my reactions to the process thus far.

DEBATE
Since I had to wait most of the day to get in, I missed Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsak and former Vice President Al Gore, but because of that I was able to attend a debate titled, "Global Platform: Transition to a Green Growth Economy - What is the Role of Government, Business, and People?" The three participating in the debate were Lene Esperson, Danish Minister of Economic and Business Affairs; Nils Smedgaard Andersen, CEO of AP Moller-Maersk; and Thomas Friedman, New York Times Columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner. The three agreed on very little, but all were able to agree that the transition is happening and that China is leading the way. The nature of the questions and the audience were less than friendly to the United States and our policies, calling us to reform our current policy and agree to curb greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 40%. They also all agreed on the need for free trade and globalization to help the 'poor' countries succeed.

This part of the debate was very troubling for me. After studying about fair vs. free trade in Nicaragua, I have seen firsthand how free trade is a system that continues to oppress the smaller, less monetarily wealthy countries. Globalization is also problematic for several reasons, the least of which is that most of the countries of COP15 are unwilling to fund many of the changes being discussed.

PRESS CONFERENCE AND CALL TO ACTION
At the end of each day there is a press conference. (I waited in line to see this one, only to get to the front of it once and be told that I was in the wrong line and to go to another one. So I did. But when I got to the front of that one they told my my badge was the wrong color so I couldn't get in anyway. If nothing else, I am most certainly learning patience at this conference!) I was able to watch the conference from a live feed just 5 meters from the door to the hall. There was quite a list of speakers, in order: Prime Minister of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Present of Conference of the Parties Connie Hedegaard, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Yvo de Boer, His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Great Britain, and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Muta Maathai.

Key phrases throughout all the speeches included the need for a 'comprehensive, ambitious' treaty and the need for it to be done by the end of this week. Thus far over 120 nations are registered, and they are anticipating that by Friday over 150 will be registered.

Despite the suspension of the conference yesterday and the little progress made during negotiations today, all four leaders were calling for action by the end of the week. The Danish Prime Minister commented that "we are past the time for formalities. We may encounter animosity, complacency, and fear but we must overcome, understand, and bear with one another to do better and be better." The Secretary General said quite plainly, "Everybody may not get what they want, but together we can work so that everyone gets everything they need."

The importance of coming up with a treaty was stressed time and time again, even though only 3 days remain. While in the first speech it was stated that at this point there is no time for formalities, it was only in the last speech by Ms. Maathei that it was even stated that the 'developed' countries need to take responsibility for their contribution to global climate change and make the changes and sacrifices necessary to take the pressure off the smaller, poorer nations.

Progress and several projects surrounding climate change were praised by all, of particular note were the efforts to stop deforestation of rainforests in Guyana and the funding provided by Great Britain, Denmark, and Norway to help poor countries cope with the changes.

REACTIONS
I admit that I am skeptical that if the UN runs their negotiations the same way they run their lines anything will happen! On a serious note though, I wonder at the reality of coming up with anything put a political treaty for the nations to sign. At this point, and with so much on the table, I continue to hope with the rest of the world that some solid policies come out. However, I am fearful that if this does happen it won't be in the best interest of the nations. With so much pressure to sign a treaty, many are willing to compromise things that perhaps shouldn't be. My fear is that the African and other poorer nations will be forced to compromise greatly while the G8 nations won't have to give much up.

If this happens, I have serious doubts about the changes that will come about as a result - the goals for the US announced yesterday are still below what Kyoto would have been, had we ratified that treaty. Meanwhile the Island Nations continue to disappear and the African nations remain in the poverty that has determined their lives for generations.

When it comes to us as Christians standing up for justice for the sake of our neighbors, I believe the church is going to have to be a leader. We have sat back far too long waiting for the government to intercede, when in fact, it is the consumers who drive societal trends. I do believe that if, as a church and faith community, we make the committment to work together first as individuals and communities to make small changes, we can then work to help our businesses and government make decisions that are better for creation and the world.

We continue to live in hope that God will intercede on behalf of creation and those in poverty. We continue to pray that God can use this conference and us as individuals to make a difference in the lives of all living things on this earth. We continue to wait and watch as the conference enters its final days.

Until next time