Another update from our "Post-Copenhagen" climate campaigner - Paul Horsman:

It is 21 years since the first scientific assessment of climate change was published; 18 years since the Rio Earth Summit at which the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was agreed. Twelve years have passed since the Kyoto Protocol was agreed and two years since the Bali Action plan. Each of these passing milestones has been variously described as ‘first steps’ and ‘ways forward’, demonstrating commitments to protect the climate. And with each passing milestone we have moved further up the curve of growing greenhouse gas emissions heading inexorably towards catastrophic climate change.

Six weeks have gone since the December climate summit where the Copenhagen Accord proposed a deadline of January 31 by which governments were to pledge how much they were going to take action to protect the climate. And as this latest milestone passed on Sunday, we see again the size of the gap between the action needed to protect the climate and the willingness of politicians to take this action. Politicians clearly are still listening more to the false honeyed whispers of industrial lobbyists and bankers than they are to the clamour of the millions of people calling for leadership and action.

Some would have us believe that because countries are making pledges it means that the governments are taking action. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that all they have done is to dust-off previously stated commitments, dress them up in letters to the UN and make believe they are doing something to protect the climate.

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Posted by Lisa at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Paul Horsman, one of our climate campaigners, comments on the current situation with the global climate deal - or lack thereof:

Much has already been written and said about the failure of the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit, and no doubt there will be plenty more commentary over the coming months and years. But one thing is certain and that is the Summit marks a point in history where millions of people made clear their demands to protect the climate and the World’s political leadership ignored them. But be sure – those voices will not be silent. They will gather in number and strength over the coming months.

Another key issue that has emerged is that the old power blocs are changing as fractures begin to appear and new alliances are form. Elsewhere on the political stage the G8 is being over-shadowed by the G20 and we have Major Emitters Forum – a legacy of the Bush era – or should that be error?

Developing countries have largely been represented by the G77+China bloc. This bloc has been a formidable and, hitherto, an almost unbreakable alliance, believing, as they do, that they must present unity in the face of the powerful industrialised countries. In the lead up to and during the Copenhagen summit, a powerful group of emerging country economies has surfaced. Brazil, China, India and South Africa - the BASIC group have shown themselves as key players in the political games at Copenhagen.

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Posted by Lisa at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In early December, ads showed up in Copenhagen airport warning world leaders about what would happen if they failed in Copenhagen. Back then, we hoped these ads would prove to be completely false and that a great deal would be agreed on in Copenhagen.
We all know how that turned out, unfortunately.
Now, action is urgent, more than ever. Here's why:

Posted by Juliette at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

© Greenpeace/ Nick Cobbing
Pancake ice in the Arctic Ocean
It cannot be said too often that climate and weather are not the same thing. The first regulates the temperature and weather patterns on a long term basis, the other one is guilty for blocking the traffic with snow this morning, or making the heat today unbearable. NASA puts it better than I could:

Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time.

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Posted by Juliette at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

In 24 hours, 15,000 of you sent messages to the Minister of Justice in Copenhagen and world leaders - calling for action on climate change - in support of the Red Carpet Four and civil disobedience for climate justice. It's thanks to you that our four climate heroes were released.

Over the new year - demonstrations were held in solidarity with the Red Carpet Four in 25 countries from Mexico to Switzerland.

Greenpeace activists at the Danish embassy in Mexico City, alongside members of another 5 NGOs, demanding freedom for the Red Carpet Four

Joris, Christian, Jauntxo and Nora appeared before a hoard of international media on the Rainbow Warrior yesterday in Copenhagen.

Ben Stewart, one of our climate campaigners writes about the press conference held on our flagship:

The hold of the Rainbow Warrior was an extraordinary sight as it filled with more TV cameras than any of us have ever seen before at a Greenpeace event. The Red Carpet Four performed brilliantly - especially when you consider what they have been through - answering the questions with great dignity and clarity.

Our four brave colleagues are now going their separate ways, but continue to attract a great deal of attention. Joris is rushing home to appear on Holland's main evening chatshow, Nora is besieged by journalists, Christian is looking forward to seeing the mountains of Switzerland once again and Juan is preparing to be met at the airport in Spain by a bank of TV cameras, as if he was Real Madrid's new signing. Though of course he's not, he's under contract to Greenpeace and they can't have him!

And here's a lovely message sent out from Mike Finken, Captain of the Rainbow Warrior:

It has been a tremendous honour for the crew of Rainbow Warrior and our lady herself to standby - prisoners of Copenhagen. We have held vigil here in the snow and ice following a most inspiring action that reminds us who we are and makes us all proud to be Warriors of the Rainbow. Nora, Juantxo, Christian and Joris - you have given us reason, thank you.

Rainbow Warrior departs Copenhagen at 14:00 hours today, see you around.

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Posted by Lisa at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did Danish authorities really hold our activists in prison for 20 days because they were diligently investigating how they got onto a red carpet at a state dinner during the Copenhagen climate conference? New evidence suggests not.

To non-violently paraphrase Michael Corleone, "If history teaches us anything, it's that you can get past security anywhere." But here's a fact: it really, really, pisses them off.

And that, it would appear, is the real reason that our Red Carpet Four activists were held without a trial in Denmark. Let's be clear: they had a message to deliver. It wasn't their intent to make monkeys of a security force that was set up to protect the 120 most powerful people on the planet, along with the Queen of Denmark. But yes, they did that when, with a few smart-looking cars in a "motorcade" marked with the Greenpeace logo, a Tuxedo, an off-the-rack evening dress and a flashing blue light bought on the internet, they managed to get into the Parliament and deploy, in full view of the world's leaders and the gathered press, banners demanding action on climate change.

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Posted by Brian at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Copenhagen ended a while ago already, and with the holidays that happened since, it feels like a lifetime already. However, I have no trouble remember the outrage I felt as I watched the acting President of the COP15 read out the final text: "The COP takes note of The Copenhagen Accord."

That was it - all this work, all these hopes, all these delegates, heads of states, for a one-line long agreement. Empty spreadsheets with no emission targets. I wanted to yell at the delegates through my computer screen to get back to work immediately, to not let down the world like they just had.

The video below reminds me today that I was not alone in feeling that way - angry, outraged, disappointed - and that I'm not alone now either. If world leaders think they have seen it all after COP 15, after 15 million people got together asking for a fair, ambitious and legally binding treaty, they are gravely mistaken. They have created a movement of citizens around the world who will not stand by while their planet is being destroyed. Maybe that's the one good thing that came out of this summit after all.

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Posted by Juliette at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)