TOWARDS COPENHAGEN

SUBJECT

This letter is addressed to the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Summit that will be held in December 2009 to reach an agreement on climate change and stop the global warming. The Climate Conference, taking place just after several other international meetings among the main world leaders, will play a fundamental role and it will probably be the last occasion to take action on climate: all the convenient agreements will therefore need to be avoided.

“Because of what’s happening in Greenland, the world maps will need to be rewritten” “An inconvenient truth”. Documentary. Al Gore quoting a declaration by UK former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s scientific adviser.

“Water is likely to be a potent fuel for future wars”. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

Walking to the North Pole

A great Indian Chief, when giving his people’s territory to the American government, warned the “white man” that the human being will soon have the same destiny as the animals. The polar bear is nowadays a well-known symbol used by environment activists to spread information about global warming and climate change. Scientists proved that many polar bears end up drowning or starving because of the melting of icebergs. If it’s true that 2/3 of the polar bear population risk extinction in the next 40 years, what will happen to the people of Darfur or of other African states?

Documentaries like “An inconvenient truth” and “Earth” send us a clear message, encouraging people to take action in order to protect our beautiful planet. We need to be active in order to encourage the public to always fight for the weakest, whoever they are. This is fundamental for our own life: it must be seen as a great privilege rather than a duty or nuisance.

With great responsibility, I will do an authorised 8 day hiking tour, with night waits to spot wild animals, in the two northernmost capes of the Planet, in the Svalbard archipelago. I will be joined by an armed guide. This itinerary has been intentionally chosen because this archipelago represents a great laboratory to study the fragile artic ecosystem, the consequences of the greenhouse gases and is home of the polar bear. On my way back, on an ice-breaker, I will visit the International Research Centre on Climate Change at Ny-Alesund, led by Italian scientists, also visited in May 2009 by the Italian Foreign Minister Hon. Franco Frattini.

The strength of the individual

I firmly believe in the “strength of the individual”, in the Anglo-Saxon fight for human rights and the environment against the big pollution lobbies, corrupt or “complaisant” institutions; I also believe in the coherent activism of native Americans and Indians when defending their territories ( the Council of Energy Resorce Tribes, Chico Mendes) and in the courage shown by young Iranian people peacefully challenging the anti-democratic regime.

“My people are not concerned about a phony economy, like the Caucasians. We have our land and it has been good to us. The sea has been good to us. Now they want to come up here and rape our land!”.
Joe Upicksoun, President of the Artic Slope Native Association, opposed in 1971 the creation of an oil pipeline in Alaska.

“I never kill a bird or any other animal without feeling deeply sad. All the genuine hunters must have this feeling inside, preventing them to kill life and the Great Spirit hunts your heart when you destroy his creatures”
Joe Venerdi’, Cree Native American of Canada, in 1940, after killing geese for the winter stock, expressed an Indian feeling towards the life of animals.
(“I Have told”. Edit by Virginia Irving Armstrong).

PS: For practical reasons, this is a reduced version of the original version, which I hope I’ll be able to send in the near future.

I authorize the use of my personal data for communication and internal purposes according to Legislative Decree 196/2003 of 30/06/2003.

28/07/2009- 10/08/2009 STEFANO BALDONI

ITALY