Making our voices heard

Yesterday (Sat Jan 10 /10) we had the opportunity to speak with Halton MP Lisa Raitt at one of three town halls she held across the riding. There seemed to be a general feeling of gratitude that Lisa had taken time out of her busy schedule to talk to us – a feeling not really shared by us. As the people who pay her salary and send her to Ottawa with our votes we think Ms. Raitt not only has an obligation to do this but to do it more often. However, it was still gutsy to see Lisa follow through on these town halls after the embarrassment of prorogation – she must have known she was heading into the lion’s den.

We had two issues we wanted to ensure were addressed – the first being prorogation. For the second year in a row, Stephen Harper abused his power in order to avoid accountability. In the time since he has tried to brush this off as a routine parliamentary procedure, citing that Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien did it as well four times while in office. The fact of the matter (as Mr. Harper likes to say) is that the circumstances in which Mr.Harper has used this tool are unprecedented. He left over 30 pieces of apparently crucial legislation to die and in doing so wasted an enormous amount of time and taxpayer money. He did so for no reason other than in an attempt to kill the negative attention building around his government for their role in the Afghan torture scandal, their failure in Copenhagen, and so forth.

Surprisingly, Ms. Raitt seemed rather unprepared to deal with these questions. I’ll give credit where credit is due – she was well versed on what to say about Copenhagen when I addressed it. But with prorogation she seemed defeated – she sat and she listened as individual after individual slammed the government’s lack of accountability, blatant self interest, and so forth and she just nodded and responded “Thank you for your comments, i’ll take them back to Ottawa”. It was her third town hall of the day so perhaps she had learned that people weren’t buying the whole “Liberals did it too” speech so she just took the verbal beating. It didn’t look good on her or the government, I will say that.

There were actually two questions on Copenhagen  before we had a chance to ask ours, which we were pleasantly surprised to see. We shared our experiences in Copenhagen, and Ms. Raitt took the opportunity to get a bit nasty. In sharing the story, we noted “For the first time in my life I was unable to travel as a proud Canadian – we were embarrassed of the government’s performance in Copenhagen”. As always with this government, they jump at any opportunity to suggest that someone is not patriotic. So Ms. Raitt played to the crowd’s patriotism – noting that she resented my comment and that we should be PROUD to be Canadian and of our government’s crappy performance. She then proceeded to read from a piece of paper every single piece of funding her government has ever spent on energy efficiency and green technology. Listed side by side they give the illusion of being impressive, but one only has to look at emissions trends for our country to know they aren’t working. We now sit only a decade away from 2020, where we will supposedly have reduced our emissions 20% from 2006 levels. We haven’t even begun to move towards this target (not to mention this target isn’t strong enough to begin with). The government does not have a plan, and if one listened to Ms. Raitt it was very clear that there is no plan. She was quite adequate in listing the challenges that face us as a nation – our large and sparsely populated nation require enormous amounts of transportation, our economy leans heavily on revenues from the tar sands, etc. But where she came up with nothing was in potential solutions – much like Mr. Prentice says -we are waiting for the United States it seems. More and more it seems the government just plans to ride the coattails of the provinces that are taking actual initiative and then take credit for whatever reductions they achieve.

Other issues included Ms. Raitt’s performance on the AECL file. There were many disappointed employees from AECL in the room urging her not to rush into privatization of AECL and to re-examine the MAPLE reactors. She was also confronted many times on the Oakville power plant, which really is not part of her jurisdiction. She seemed happy to talk about it however as it was something negative that her government actually wasn’t responsible for. People did raise some valid concerns about this natural gas plant in terms of the environment and safety concerns. Ultimately we have mixcd feelings on this one – a coal plant has been replaced with a natural gas plant which is positive in terms of emissions – but certainly a great deal of emissions were created in the process and natural gas still presents problems.

All in all, the town hall was what we expected. One cannot read too much into it as those who feel negatively about the government are more likely to show up than those who feel positively. Still, issues like prorogation and Copenhagen have clearly struck a nerve and at the very least should have the government worried. Recent poll results show them back outside majority territory. Let’s hope they take a look at the reaction to their recent decisions and alter their course, particularly on the environment and on issues of accountability.

Every story needs an ending…

It has been over a week since we’ve last written. We’ve been stuck in airports in Amsterdam and London and arrived home in time for the holidays to finally wind down. We wanted to write a final entry in this blog to summarize our experience in Copenhagen with our thoughts and a look forward to the future.

The first questions everyone has asked us since we have arrived back home is: ‘Aren’t you disappointed with the outcome?’ and the answer is yes, we absolutely are. Others ask if we think it was a waste of time, and our answer to that is absolutely not. Despite holding out some hint of optimism throughout the conference, we knew pretty much before it even began that we would likely not get the deal we were hoping for. In the days leading up to Mr. Obama’s arrival it began to look like we would get absolutely nothing (and some will argue that is exactly what we got).

Here is why COP-15 was not a waste of time:

1. China and India brought their involvement to the next level. Sure they did not sign anything legally binding and thus have no legal obligation to do anything, but in talking with Mr. Obama and eventually getting something signed (even if symbolic) they showed they are ready to come to the table. We now have one year to turn this symbol into something substantial.

2. A further consensus was reached on the role of developing nations in combatting climate change. While it may not appear so to those watching from the outside, the world moved much closer to a consensus of its international obligations to the global south. The developed world caused the climate change crisis and thus must bear the heaviest burden in reversing it. The developing world was also seen for what it is – an opportunity to combat climate change through strategic programs such as REDD and involvement in carbon markets.

3. The international attention for the climate change issue was unprecedented, and actually surprisingly positive. There are still deniers out there in full force, but leading up to the conference with ‘Climate Gate’ being twisted and distorted to the extent it was it seemed that misinformation was winning the battle on climate change. But the world paused and watched and listened as world leaders gathered in Copenhagen. The issue is gaining international attention like never before.

4. Education – The truth be told, a conference like this could almost never be a total waste of time. The best and most brilliant scientific and political minds were in one place and ideas were being shared and discussions being held. Almost everyone at the conference likely left with a great deal more information than they had when they arrived – and knowledge and education will be extremely powerful tools in what is going to be one of the biggest battles humanity has faced.

On a personal level we achieved all our personal goals – we let everyone we met know that a large majority of Canadians feel differently than their government on the issue of climate change. We learned a ton that we will be bringing back to our politicians and environmental organizations in the area. We met and networked with people from around the globe who will be pushing for similar initiatives in their own countries.

We have many thanks due for this wonderful experience. To the International Federation of Liberal Youth – we of course could not have attended this conference with out you. Thank you for your hard work in gaining observer status at the conference and for your guidance leading up to the conference. To the Young Liberals of Canada who brought together such a strong network of Canadian youth at this conference and to those in our delegation who worked around the clock to sort through the UN chaos and make this event as big a success as possible.

To our sponsors and supporters at Praxis Public Relations, the Mississauga-Brampton South Federal Liberal Association, MP Navdeep Bains, the Oakville Beaver, and the Milton Canadian Champion. Many thanks!
To all those who care about this issue, don’t lose hope. It seems like we are always saying ‘Maybe next year’ – but we are getting closer. Eyes must turn not just to COP-16 in Mexico but to the build up to it. US climate legislation will be a first big step, as well as watching what China and India do over the next year. We can only hope that the Government of Canada will step it up and not leave all the work to the likes of Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. who have already made commitments. Keep pushing your government to act – there is clearly a limited amount of time to act on this issue and the clock is ticking.

Opposition unite to say ‘Wake up Mr. Harper’

With news of a 5 country deal that does not include Canada, we wait to hear if Canada will be included in any deal at all – either in addition to the current one or in a secondary deal of some kind. Neither of us are particularly surprised at seeing the government come up empty handed. We’ve run into a number of interesting Canadians at this conference, the vast majority of whom are unhappy with Canada’s position. Among them are prominent members of Canada’s two main opposition parties – the Liberals and the New Democrats. These parties have extremely different views on a number of issues, but on the government’s record on this climate file they both believe it has been an enormous failure.

The Liberal Party critic for Environment and Energy, Mr. David McGuinty sat down with us and discussed how little Canada was bringing to the table. We arrived in Copenhagen with very little of substance. We have vague targets that we aren’t even really committed to meeting and we have absolutely no plan for making it. We plan to follow the United States but don’t have even an outline of how pricing carbon might work to present and negotiate with the United States. Our presence at this conference really was little more than a photo opp, and this is extremely disappointing. Mr. McGuinty gave us a brief message of optimism about the talks that was recorded before he left home on Thursday morning. His optimism seems to have been correct for some of the world, but we still await any news on an agreement from Canada. Mr. Harper, the world is watching and waiting.

We ran into Jack Layton and Olivia Chow at a meeting of mayors from around the world run by ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability). Mr. Layton was kind enough to talk with us and echoed Mr.McGuinty’s concerns – that our government seems to be involved in intentional foot-dragging. He notes that our government ‘really has its foot on the brake when it comes to the issue of climate change’. Note from Matt that he apologizes about the stumbling and bumbling at the beginning of this video – we bumped into Mr.Layton mere moments before a presentation was to begin and had little to no time to prepare for the interview.

A common theme seems to be that we need to be leaders and not followers on this file and that the government has failed significantly at this. The fact remains that climate change is a scientific issue and not a political one and it is a shame that the government has made it an issue of partisanship.

Many voices, many positions from COP-15

As the talks begin to wind down here at COP-15 and we hear news breaking of a 5 country deal to at least bring some substance out of this event, we are beginning to reflect on our two weeks here. We will blog extensively with our thoughts on the agreement and more to come once we have time to digest it. In the meantime, one of the things that helped push towards a climate deal on the inside were the demonstrations going on in the Bella Center.

No doubt many of you have heard about the ugly protests that went on outside the Bella Center, but there was an enormous amount of smaller scale demonstrations taking place inside as hundreds of NGOs with various interests strategized about how best to get their point across and their voices heard.

Two of particular interest to us were a sit in that took place on the final day that NGOs were allowed inside the building. While the UNFCCC never told any NGOs in advance that they would be removed from the Bella Centre as the world leaders congregated, many NGOs decided to make the most of their final moments in the Bella Center. They took seats with signs stating that they would not leave until a meaningful, legally binding agreement was reached. These types of protests leave us with mixed feelings – awareness of issues often requires extreme measures, and peaceful protest has its place in any function. However, much of these types of demonstrations just seemed to slow down progress of the conference. The mass protest on Wednesday essentially temporarily shut down the conference – with transit being halted, pepper spray in the air, and mass amounts of chaos and confusion. It is difficult to imagine a less effective way to push for progress in a conference than to halt the conference altogether.  Still, this sit in is an excellent example of the ways in which voices of dissent were heard on a daily basis in the Bella Center.

The other side of the demonstration coin came from approved demonstrations where particular groups got permission from the UNFCCC to participate in organized and creative acts to get their message across. We would come across these many times daily at the conference and they often drew us in with their peaceful but hard hitting messages. For example, one group used the slogan “Africa: One Voice, One Position” to illustrate the unity in Africa in calling for a fair deal for the developing world. A large crowd gathered around and called out names of African nations followed by a chorus response of “One Voice, One Position”. It hit home the point of  how unified the continent is and how determined they are not to be taken advantage of. In the videos that follow you can see a clip of the protest, followed by a short interview with one of the organizers who details some of what Africa is looking to achieve through climate negotiations.

Kerry to deniers: Prove us wrong or stand down

Yesterday we had the privilege of attending a meeting with Senator John Kerry who you will remember as the Democratic Presidental candidate in 2004 that just barely lost to George W. Bush the second time. While that campaign certainly had its ups and downs, Senator Kerry is often an excellent speaker and this was no different. He came to give us an update of the U.S. climate change legislation that is sitting in the senate and what he expects to happen with it. His words were extremely encouraging – he strongly believes that strong climate change legislation will make it through the senate by the midpoint of 2010. He is also optimistic that the framework for a global deal can be set here.

Kerry stresses that ‘no country individually, and none of us collectively are doing enough’. In terms of insights for why the remaining days of the conference are so important, Kerry stresses that it is ‘crucial that we get started’. There has been enough talk – from Rio to Kyoto to Copenhagen and everything in between. The evidence is there, the talk is there, but it is time for action. Copenhagen will likely not result in a legally binding agreement, but it is important that the groundwork is put down and countries get to work. Outside of just legally binding targets,  ‘Climate finance must be resolved in the negotiations this week’, insisted Kerry. He pushed for help with technology to the developing world so that their development will not follow the same model as that of the West (one based on burning of fossil fuels).

Perhaps one of the most hard hitting points of the speech was when Senator Kerry addressed the climate change deniers with a simple ultimatum: ‘Prove us wrong, or step down’. Not enough politicians are addressing the skeptics in this way and thus the messages continue to get muddled. The general public is not aware that there is not one single peer-reviewed study in the entire world that disproves the science of anthropogenic climate change, and it is time that these messages are spoken loud and clear from our politicians.

After the speech was complete, Senator Kerry took a couple questions on Senator Inhofe’s pessimism about the bill. Ashley was up there scrumming with the international media like a pro journalist and got some great coverage as a result. We are perhaps a bit pessimistic about the point that nobody has to change their lifestyle – we certainly think that there will have to be some belt-tightening. However we do agree that a climate change deal will actually allow less belt-tightening than if we continue to rely on increasingly expensive fossil fuels.

We have the entire speech on video and highly encourage you to watch it below. It totals about a half an hour in length but is rich with content and information. The United States government is perhaps the most important in the world to reaching a climate change solution. In addition, Canada is sitting back and waiting for U.S. legislation. Thus, this speech is of added importance to us.

The system that governs our world is sick

Yesterday we spoke to a couple of representatives of the developing world who echoed what we have been hearing all around the Bella Centre – that the global south is not going to be bullied into an unfair deal. Consideration of the developing world continues to be crucial for a global deal to happen and is something that is going to have to be addressed as world leaders begin to fly in for the final day(s) of the conference.

In this first video Wahu Kaara from Kenya  (a rep for the Peoples Movement for Climate Change) has some strong words for Canada, not unlike what we are hearing all around the conference. Too many Canadians think we are flying under the radar on this issue, but people all around the world are aware of our foot-dragging.

In this second video Philo Morris from the Medical Mission Sisterhood International discusses why she has come all the way out here from India and what her organization hopes to achieve. She notes that ‘the system that governs our world is also sick’ – which struck a cord with us. An organization dedicated to health has expanded their goals for human health to the planet and even our systems of government.

COP-15 Confusion Left Us Gone With the Wind

Yesterday while we waited for the situation to be sorted out at the Bella Center we decided to take advantage of our presence in Denmark to learn about the energy source that Denmark is famous for: Wind power. We got out to Middelgruden wind farm, completed in 2000. What is particularly interesting about this wind farm is that it is offshore – the turbines exist several kilometres offshore. For those who feel that wind is not a viable energy alternative – it already makes up more than 20% of Denmark`s energy currently and extremely ambitious goals (50% wind energy by 2025) are expected to be met.

The offshore aspect is an additional positive, as there is much concern over noise pollution in wind energy and its effect on the psychological wellbeing of those who live near wind farms (NIMBY Effect). While the actual effects of this noise is still up for debate, this eliminates the problem altogether. The turbines made very little noise even when we stood right below them and certainly could not be heard from the shore.

There are certain specifications that hinder this from being done just anywhere – the biodiversity in the water must be considered, the depth of the water must remain at a certain level for a distance out into the water, etc. We would be interested to see what kind of studies cities like Toronto have commissioned to see if this is viable. Denmark has an enormous amount of these under construction, so we fail to believe that it is impossible to happen in Lake Ontario. We are clearly falling behind in these initiatives and it is hurting our goals. Ontario`s Green Energy Act should aid in addressing the problem, but there is still much work to be done.

In these videos you will first see a brief introduction as we arrived at one of Denmark`s major energy hubs. You will see a coal burning plant on the right that now has a significant amount of biomass energy (Here waste is a valuable resource!)  and then you will see the wind farm in the distance. In the second video you will get an up close and personal view of the farm. Enjoy!

For more information, check out www.dongenergy.com . Here you can find all the details from one of Denmark`s major energy companies and their goals for the future.

Hey, Mr. President, Save Our Future – Take Action Right Now

It is sometimes the things you least expect to have impact that hit you the hardest. We were making our way across the Bella Center for a meeting this evening and met a pair of delegates from Mozambique, Africa. We struck up a conversation with them and heard many of the same hopes, concerns, and fears that have been the talk of the beginning of the conference regarding developing nations.

They were attending the conference as part of Academia de Sonhos – a group that aims to help individuals from Mozambique (particularly children) to participate in activities that many children are not able to and to use these to connect with other youth from around the world. The example we were given was through singing. The message is clear: the children of Mozambique and similar nations see their future at risk. Climate chnage is not a distant concept for them – it is a current reality. The country has already been crippled by natural disasters such as cyclones and floods – while other parts are ravaged by drought and disease.

Here is an interview with the representative from the organization in which he outlines the goals of the organization and how climate factors in to their presence at the conference:

Following our interview, we had the privledge of a private performance from one of the young delegates from the organization. She hopes to sing this song to President Obama upon his arrival in an effort to convince him to aid developing countries. It was a very emotional moment for both of us as it really sunk in that this conference will shape the future for this little girl and millions more like her.

Hey Mr. President (& Mr. Prime Minister), we urge you to listen to this voice and the millions more like it in Copenhagen, calling for change.

Simply Beautiful.

Earth to Harper (from the Bella Center)

A pair of interesting happenings from the Bella Center today:

This encounter (of the third kind?) has a special message to Canada: don`t let what happened to `Planet B`happen on earth:

On a more serious note, we walked past an excellent reminder of the divide between developing and developed nations on the issue of climate change

The Green Laundromat

Last night (Monday, Dec 14) we were invited by our delegation to a Liberal networking event hosted by the current governing Liberal party and the `Radical Liberals`(socialists). The event was not primarily a political speaking event, but we got a chance to hear from the opposition party leader Margaret Vesthager who gave some interesting insight into how she views Europe`s role in COP-15. She pointed out how much of a shame it is that not even Europe is united in its goals. The world is trying to reach an international agreement yet the continent perhaps the most united is not on the same page – what a start it would be if Europe could speak with one united voice. A full day has passed since this speech but note her feelings on the negotiations at the Bella Center – things seemed stalled. People seem to be losing some hope here, but Obama`s imminent arrival seems to still stand as this beacon of hope for many here. How realistic that is we are not sure.

She concludes with some strong words here – emphasizing that all the talk from the past year has all come down to 2-3 days. It is now or never for action and it is time to put our money where our mouth is:

We would also like to thank our Danish hosts for having this event – it was a pleasure to talk with other Liberals from around the world about what their countries are doing and how they are feeling as representatives during this conference.