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Klimaforum09 – the people’s alternative to the Copenhagen conference
Naomi Klein and a 12-string guitar, photo from klimaforum09.org
Right now in Copenhagen there are two climate summits taking place: the one run by the UN and packed with political luminaries and prominent NGOs; and the other, ‘to represent ordinary concerned citizens from all around the world’. The second, lesser known of the two is called Klimaforum09 – the ‘Peoples Climate Summit’. It is a summit based on civil society – an alternative to the larger COP15 conference, which is grabbing most of the headlines.
Author and activist Naomi Klein spoke at the opening ceremony for Klimatforum09 in Copenhagen, likening what is happening at COP15 to her concept of Disaster Capitalism – the post-war, post-natural disaster grab for resources and land by wealthy corporations and governments. What Naomi Klein supports is a system which addresses the ecological debt that rich countries owe to poor ones. She is quoted in a recent article in the Guardian:
“Down the road at the Bella Centre [where delegates are meeting] there is the worst case of disaster capitalism that we have ever witnessed. We know that what is being proposed in the Bella Centre doesn’t even come close to the deal that is needed. We know the paltry emissions cuts that Obama has proposed; they’re insulting. We’re the ones who created this crisis… on the basic historical principle of polluters pays, we should pay.”
Klimaforum has a web TV channel called YourClimate.TV, which features many videos from the forum including the opening speech by Naomi Klein among others, as well as interviews and segments on a number of climate-related themes such as ‘Sustainable Cities’, ‘Renewable Energy’ and ‘The Developing World’. YourClimate.TV also features ‘collaborative TV’, meaning that anyone can make videos at home or wherever and upload them to the site, as well as join Klimaforum in the studio in Copenhagen.
Below is a very cool interactive Debategraph from Klimaforum09, where topics and arguments are mapped out in an animated diagram.
Klimaforum Debategraph
Check out the Klimaforum09 homepage for lots of articles, information and other fun, inspiring stuff.
By Graham Land
Additional resources:
Klimaforum09′s YouTube channel
War and the Environment – From the Left
Tags: climate, conference, cop15, copenhagen, Klein, Klimaforum, Klimaforum09, Naomi Klein, summit
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