A Tale of Grace

posted by Link on Dec 13

Today, Nobel Laureat Reverend Desmond Tutu presented more than half a million signatures on the “Countdown to Copenhagen” petition to Mr Yvo de Boer, in a function held at the City Square, in Copenhagen.

Despite temperatures hovering around zero, a huge croud of people clapped and cheered as Reverend Desmond Tutu entered the stage.  Reverend Tutu delivered a rousing speach.  Liking the climate campaigns to the protests against the Berlin Wall and the marches against apartheid, Reverend Tutu said that we must carry on “demonstrating, and the injustice of climate change will end.”

Leading the crowd in calling “NO to the injustice of climate change,” he stated the position of non-annex 1 countries simply and sweetly: “Ok, Ok, we [non-annex 1] want to develop.  But we don’t want to develop the way in which you [Annex 1] developed, causing the ozone layer to thin, causing droughts, causing floods… but it will cost a little money.”

With comedy and poignancy, Reverend Tutu touched on the amazing disparities in the pledges of support made by Annex 1 nations, and their expenditures in other arenas.  While Annex 1 nations have forwarded a draft text that pledges 2 billion dollars of money to the adaptation fund, “just think of the billions and billions that is being spent on arms… the billions they are paying to destroy their brothers and sisters.”

Reminding us that we are on the winning side, that we have Right on our side, that we have Justice on our side, and that God is on our side, Reverend Tutu expressed our campaign as a prayer to God, us saying “Come on God, Do something!  Well God says ‘Yea, I will do something, and I will have all of you be my partners, working with me, to make this a better world.’”

“You and I are going to make this world a better place for all of us… We are sisters and brothers, we belong to one family, the human family.”

Reverend Tutu expressed that God must be happy with us in Copenhagen: here are people finally doing something good!

The contents of the petition requires developed nations to reduce their emissions by 40% on 1990 levels by year 2050, limit temperature rise worldwide to a maximum of 2 degrees celsius, and all nations to c

reate a legally binding framework in Copenhagen, at the COP15.

Concluding his speech, Desmond Tutu called out to politions to join the winning side, and make this world a place of joy, laughter, without hunger and poverty.  After all, he pointed out, if we loose, there is no survival for any of us!

After his speech, Desmond Tutu was met by Yvo de Boer onstage, to deliver the 512894 signatures on the “Countdown to Copenhagen: Time for Climate Justice” petition to him.

“On behalf of all of the people of the world, on behalf of all of these wonderful people, we

say, this is the number of people who signed, and say they know you are a smart man.  You are, aren’t you?  Well you persuade them to be sensible like you.”

In his acknowledgement speech, Yvo de Boer said that 40% on 1990 levels was a little too modest, that he believed that 80% was achievable.  Pragmatically, he then adressed the crowd, telling us that if this is to happen, we need to make our polititions know that it is what we want, we need to make it ourselves.

The function was followed by a live concert by Outlandish.  I’ve never heard of them before, and though I’m not a fan yet, I would like to hear more of their music.

posted by Kamala on Dec 12

Dearest Friends and Family,

Here is an article with Link’s text embedded.  Its been an amazing day, but somehow, we just watch it all, its been like this since Anni left the form, everything is an experience here in the land of name and form…it can’t really touch us, when one third of us operates and works on subtler levels….

Today, on the 37th Day of the Climate Justice Fast by Anna Keenan of AU and Sara Svensson of Sweden, and on the 6th Day of negotiations at the COP-15, estimates of over 100,000 people marched in a peaceful protest from Copenhagen City to the Bella Center where the talks are being held here in Denmark. Once there, they held a candle-light vigil. Police arrested about 60 people, tying them together, then tying their hands behind their backs, making them sit in long rows, although there was no violence.

Youth leader Deepa Gupta, the initiator of IYCN the Indian Youth Climate Network that has for two years brought a delegation of Indian Youth to the COP negotiations, gave a passionate and stirring speech to the massive gathering, exhorting them to feel and respond to the terrible penance of the Climate Justice Fasters, now in its 37th day. The call was on the side of humanity, the unborn and the natural Creation, calling for commitment and determination to awaken awareness throughout the planet of the dangers facing mankind if we do not change our patterns of development, our relationship to the Earth. To not settle for less, here at the UNFCCC COP-15.

In the final session of SBSTA, (the Subsidary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice to the COP) the International Youth Climate Movement was allowed to speak at the end of the session for 90 seconds. Spokesman Linkesh Diwan, invoked Gandhi to the leaders in his address saying:

Thank you Madam Chair,

Respected negotiators, my name is Linkesh Diwan.

On behalf of the International Youth Climate Movement, I speak for 2.2 billion people, the children on this Earth.

We demand that forests be preserved in their natural purity, rightfully protected by

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Today, on the 37th Day of the Climate Justice Fast by Anna Keenan of AU and Sara Svensson of Sweden, and on the 6th Day of negotiations at the COP-15, estimates of over 100,000 people marched in a peaceful protest from Copenhagen City to the Bella Center where the talks are being held here in Denmark. Once there, they held a candle-light vigil. Police arrested about 60 people, tying them together, then tying their hands behind their backs, making them sit in long rows, although there was no violence.

Youth leader Deepa Gupta, the initiator of IYCN the Indian Youth Climate Network that has for two years brought a delegation of Indian Youth to the COP negotiations, gave a passionate and stirring speech to the massive gathering, exhorting them to feel and respond to the terrible penance of the Climate Justice Fasters, now in its 37th day. The call was on the side of humanity, the unborn and the natural Creation, calling for commitment and determination to awaken awareness throughout the planet of the dangers facing mankind if we do not change our patterns of development, our relationship to the Earth. To not settle for less, here at the UNFCCC COP-15.

In the final session of SBSTA, (the Subsidary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice to the COP) the International Youth Climate Movement was allowed to speak at the end of the session for 90 seconds. Spokesman Linkesh Diwan, invoked Gandhi to the leaders in his address saying:

Thank you Madam Chair,

Respected negotiators, my name is Linkesh Diwan.

On behalf of the International Youth Climate Movement, I speak for 2 . 2 billion people, the children on this Earth.

We demand that forests be preserved in their natural purity, rightfully protected by International Law, and kept out of the carbon market. Take the brackets off our future.

Forests are more than carbon sinks. Forests provide homes, food, soil, clean water, for diverse life forms. Forests are different from plantations.

Forested lands, all lands, must be held in trust by and for the local or indigenous peoples that depend upon them.

REDD, (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) as it stands, presents a huge danger to human rights, natural forests and the climate.

This we can not accept.

As youth we fear your plans for us. Seeking Climate Justice, some of us have been fasting and praying for 37 days on water only. We are desperate.

To avoid a disastrous outcome from COP15, we demand that any agreement must include:

• a clear definition, and distinction between plantations and natural forests;

• explicit language protecting intact natural forests, and ensuring conservation of

biological diversity;

• accounting for emissions from peat soils and other ecosystems;

• safeguards for the rights of local and indigenous peoples;

• and we need to address the causes for continued forest destruction.

Dear Leaders, before you make your decisions, please ask yourselves: what would Mahatma Gandhi do? Please do that.

Thank You

Everywhere, the Youth  of the Earth are clinging to the ideals of Gandhi  and invoking them for planetary and resource governance and management, to help them redefine their relationship to the Earth. They all recognise that development that licences greed can no longer be called development.

Will adults, elected and unelected leaders wake up to their call?

Loving You,

Aunty Kamala, Anni and Link

posted by Kamala on Dec 12

Dearest Friends and Family,

One of the most heart-wrenching things I have seen is the presence of some very young  children, particularly a young boy working with NGO’s deeply sincere and committed to climate change awareness among party delegates, pounding away at his computer.  The unconscious behavior of the last 4 generations has taken away the childhood, even the ability to play from our children.  We allowed an unbridled media to infect  and induct them into false values - of greed, of sexuality, of intoxicants, of short sighted ideals, and they rolled with the punches, but now, the playground is getting messed up, and they are standing up all over the world.  It is heart-breaking to see these babes, their mother’s milk still on their breath,  being forced to leave their childhoods to redirect misguided and besotted adults towards a path of dharma.    Its hard to believe that the people negotiating here have any concerns for the Children of the Earth.

We wanted to share with you the concerns of Youth over the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) Text in a statement put out by them this morning.  Forests were added on to the negotiations in Montreal, 2005,   but in a way that does nothing to protect them [SCA and SBSTA refer to two committees  appointed in Montreal to study the scientific data and suggest methodologies to the negotiations].  This is their statement:

“The Youth are in Copenhagen to secure a climate deal to protect our future.  We are here to make sure that developed countries commit to science-based reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions and get a commitment form all countries to work to protect the world’s forests.

REDD must protect intact natural forests, restore degraded natural forests and support  Indigenous peoples and local communities in developing countries who wish to reduce their emissions from deforestation and forest degradation through a fair and substantial funding mechanism.

We have everything to lose if we do not achieve this.  Please do not let us down.

We have grave fears over the current REDD deal.  We are worried because the SCA and SBSTA  REDD text does not:

Secure the rights and interests of indigenous peoples and forest dependent communities who lived in and have taken care of these forests in accordance with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People;

Specifically state that REDD will prioritize protecting intact natural forests and restoring degraded forests;

Rule out incentivizing the conversion of natural forests to plantations;

Rule out providing funds, incentives or rights ot carbon credits to logging companies who practice so called Sustainable Forest Management;

Exclude REDD forest credits from the carbon maket and include serious commitments from developed countries to provide funds of a similar scare to the recent financial recovery efforts during the global financial crisis;

And despite our numerous attempts  (and several t-shirts!) the REDD deal still does not have a forest definition that distinguishes between natural forests and plantations which are an agricultural tree crop,  not a forest.

The destruction of forests accounts for around 20 % of global greenhouse gas emissions.  We cannot secure a safe climate without reducing these emissions as well as fossil fuel emissions.  REDD should facilitate sustainable development,  reduce poverty and respond to climate change in developing country Parties rather than be a way  to help developed country Parties to fulfill their commitments to reduce emissions.

If you do not commit to fixing the fraft REDD deal we will lose confience in your ability to secure a safe furture for us and for future generations.

PLEASE DO NOT LET US DOWN.  WE NEED YOU TO ACT ON OUR BEHALF TODAY AND MAKE THESE CRITICAL CHANGES TO THE REDD TEXT.

For more information or to arrange a meeting with the Youth’s forest working group in Copenhagen contact youthforests@gmail.com

END of Youth statement to Party Delegates, Dec. 12, 2009

These Youth are the only ones here who are struggling on behalf of commonsense, on behalf of all humanity.  Please pray for the clear thinking of the UN party delegates.

Loving you,

Aunty Kamala