Senator Kerry cheers the youth taking part in a sit-in

Senator Kerry shook the hands of youth taking part in a sit-in in the central hall of the Copenhagen climate talks. 

Fossil 5: Special guest — the Mayor of Toronto — collects Canada’s casket of shame

The Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, in Copenhagen made a special guest appearance tonight to collect first and second place “Fossil of the Day” awards, after NGOs from around the world voted to present Canada with a double dishonour for doing the most to obstruct progress in the global climate talks today.


THIRD PLACE: THE EUROPEAN UNION

European leaders had the chance to put their mark on the talks today: by agreeing a more ambitious 2020 target, by putting money on the table longer term, by ensuring short term finance is new money, and by closing EU loopholes like hot air and sinks. Five opportunities for leadership. Of the five, they took… zero.

We’re glad the EU is calling for a legally binding outcome as soon as possible, and we know some countries in Europe are fighting for an agreement worth having. But to seal a real deal at Copenhagen, Europe’s leaders need to lead together–to end their defensive approach, and make a bold move before the final hour of Copenhagen. In particular Germany must understand that other countries will not be inspired by an EU that is holding out on moving forward. Only courageous action will draw out responses. Timidity will draw out Fossils.

SECOND PLACE: CANADA

Canada’s chief negotiator insisted in a briefing this morning that his country’s target of -3% below 1990 are, in fact, based on science. The price quote–in answer to a question, was: “Yes, Canada’s targets are science-based. Absolutely, yes.”

Last we checked, the IPCC scientific community called for 25-40% emission reductions below 1990 levels. The Fossil Supreme Command Council can only conclude that he wasn’t referring to climate science at all, but rather the science of mathematics–because -3% is, indeed, a number. (Although a very small one.) Speaking of math, Canada already promised in the Kyoto Protocol to go to -6% from 1990 levels. Oops!

Further, when the chief negotiator was asked this morning if he believed Canada’s so called “science based-target” would protect melting summer sea-ice in the North West passage, he responded quite accurately that he is not a scientist and therefore cannot predict sea-ice. Canada, here’s a piece of science you can understand: you’ve won the second place Fossil Award.

FIRST PLACE: CANADA

It doesn’t get much clearer than this: Canada’s Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, said yesterday that, quote, “it’s in Canada’s interests to replace the Kyoto Protocol with a new agreement.” He didn’t explain whether that’s because he’s scared to face Kyoto’s compliance committee


It also appears that Canada’s environment minister is suffering a serious case of CAN envy. Yesterday, he invented his own prize, the Hot Air of the Day Award, and tried to give it to a Canadian environmental group. It’s a true honor to be recognized for hot air by this government, the world’s acknowledged masters in that area. But even though imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we’d be even more flattered if you actually signed on to a fair, ambitious, and binding deal instead of trying to wriggle free of the climate promises you’ve already made and broken.

Monckton called Young climate activists "Hitler Youth"

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Fifty young Americans took over a climate denier conference hosted by a prominent conservative organization this evening in Copenhagen, rushing the stage and telling the live TV audience that a clean energy future is the real road to prosperity in America. The young people, merely a fraction of the more than 350 US youth in Denmark for the UN climate negotiations, entered a session of the Americans for Prosperity "Hot Air Tour" speakers series and were able to drop two banners and gain access to the conference's stage. The live event was webcast to over forty climate denier rallies in cities across the United States. See a video at http://bit.ly/4FAljl and pictures at http://is.gd/5hbUR.

The students entered the event in small groups, joining a paltry audience of five conference attendees, who had come to hear climate denier Lord Christopher Monckton speak about the Copenhagen climate negotiations. After the first five minutes of the event, student representatives from SustainUS, the Sierra Student Coalition, the Cascade Climate Network, and other American youth NGOs displayed banners reading "Climate Disaster Ahead" and "Clean Energy Now." After security agents at the event took the banners, the young attendees began a chant of "Real Americans for Prosperity are Americans for Clean Energy." The chant lasted five minutes, as the youth took the stage and displayed their message for the live video feed being sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, despite evasive action by Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips and his camera crew. As they left the stage, Lord Monckton repeatedly called the activists "crazed Hitler Youth" and "nazis."

"Clean energy creates jobs," says Rachel Barge, a 24-year-old entrepreneur from San Francisco, CA who was the first young person to raise her voice at the event, "These climate action delayers and science deniers are  stealing bold, new economic opportunities from the American public." Laura Comer, 21, of Strongsville, OH, seconded Barge, saying, "We're representing the majority of Americans on this, particularly young Americans. The real America wants clean energy - not more fossil fuel-funded lies about the science."

"We are Americans for prosperity too," says Ethan Buckner of the Sierra Student Coalition, "Prosperity that's created through a new clean energy economy that will revitalize the American economy and provide millions of clean energy jobs for our generation and all generations to come." "We need a strong climate and clean energy bill from Congress and a science-based and just treaty in Copenhagen in order to jump start this new energy economy Americans are calling for so loudly," adds Ben Wessel of SustainUS, "The youth of America are ready to move forward into a sustainable future, and we need our elected officials to join us. We refuse to sit quietly today while our leaders decide the future of tomorrow."