Climate change protesters make waves

As the Climate Change Conference nears its end, News Editor Alena Eis looks at what the protesters have been up to in the second of two reports from Copenhagen.

Photo: People and Planet

Climate change protesters across the world joined forces to make their demands heard during the two-week United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen that ends this week.

Over 40,000 people attended the Wave in London on the weekend of December 5, in a series of events that included a march through London towards Parliament, with protesters clad in blue demanding immediate and radical changes on climate policies from the government. Attracting a wide demographic ranging from young families to students and professionals, the demonstration continued with a core group of protesters camping out in Trafalgar Square, where they remained when Student Direct: Mancunion went to press.

“The Wave has shown today that mainstream groups at the heart of our society are watching our politicians closely and will hold them to account for the safety of humankind and Earth’s ecosystems,” said Ashok Sinha the Director of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.

“I have been really impressed by the number of parents who came and marched today with their kids, those people who left home several days ago to come by bike, and the many people who got up at the crack of dawn to be here and won’t be home till the early hours.”

Among the protesters were groups from Oxfam, Greenpeace, the Women’s Institute and People and Planet. High-profile attendees included Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg. “I think it’s very important as the leaders go to Copenhagen for what is a crucial, once in a generation summit in order to try and avert further climate change chaos, that people who care about this are demonstrating, a march to make their voices heard,” said Clegg.

“There are lots of people increasingly, who are seeking to cast out on the science pretending this isn’t a problem we need to grapple with. I think it’s the biggest problem of our age, so it’s very important that the leaders know that people on this march and in other cities around the world expect them to come back with a deal that will finally put the world on a sustainable footing.

“The fact that there are so many people from different parties, different organisations from every corner of the country shows that concern about climate change, climate chaos, is something that many, many people in this country feel very strongly about because they rightly realise if we don’t act now then the consequences for future generations really will be very devastating indeed.”

Photo: Joe Sheffer

Many protesters went on to Copenhagen itself for the Global Day of Action last Saturday, including a group from the University of Manchester’s Oxfam Society, who were hitchhiking from Albert Square to the Danish capital after a send-off from the Lord Mayor Alison Firth. The 25-strong group, which included UMSU Campaigns Officer Laura Williams, were battling a second Oxfam group from Liverpool in a ‘Climate Charge’ race to get to Copenhagen first.

Coaches to Copenhagen were also available for climate change protesters from Manchester. Third year Physics student Toby Brett said: “Although the United Nations has an air of legitimacy, it is also a form for the harsh power imbalances of the world to be played out. For example, the UK will have approximately 35 delegates who will work round-the-clock during the negotiations.

“Developing nations like Tuvalu, Ghana and Bangladesh, who will be the most severely affected by climate change will have far less participants, sometimes as low as two delegates. Issues like this create a very uneven playing field at the negotiating table.”

He added: “We need a deal that recognises the climate debt owed to the Global South. We need to repay the damage done and that will be done by our economic system that encourages individualist, energy-intensive binge-consumerism in the North at the expense of the safety and livelihoods of the Majority World. Instead, what we’re seeing from Copenhagen is a continuation of business as usual.”

Photo: Joe Sheffer

Following the Wave protest, Prime Minister Gordon Brown invited 24 protesters to 10 Downing Street to discuss their demands. Following the meeting, he said: “I strongly support the wave demonstration today. We will only get an ambitious climate change deal at Copenhagen and make climate change history if governments all around the world feel the pressure of the public calling on them to make ambitious commitments and thereby to put the world on a path towards a safe future for our children.

“On the eve of the Copenhagen conference, it is vitally important that people lend their support for an ambitious deal. Four years ago, public commitment and huge demonstrations changed the world through the Make Poverty History campaign and it can be done again. Copenhagen needs to be something we have never achieved before, a climate change deal, which involves all countries and sets the world on a path to the deduction of global emissions.

“It can be done, together we can make climate change history.”

After initially planning to attend the conference for one day last week, US President Barack Obama has announced he would attend the end of the Copenhagen conference on Friday this week. Brown, along with other world leaders is also expected to be present during the final, crucial stages of the green house gas reduction talks.

Meanwhile, protest actions will continue throughout the week, including the Reclaim Power Day on Wednesday, December 16. Robert Tyler from Manchester Climate Action said: “The intention of the Reclaim Power Day on December 16 is to enter the conference and put our agenda on the table. This is an agenda that recognises indigenous land rights, that recognises the damage done by our economic system to countries around the world. We’ll hold a people’s conference without big business perverting the process with false solutions like carbon trading.

“Some people intend to handcuff themselves to oil company lobbyists to stop them from further corrupting the negotiations. They are there to protect their own profits, not to ensure a fair deal on climate change.”

He added: “We’re going to Copenhagen to meet up with other networks from around the world to develop our own solutions. The world’s media will be there and it’s important that the current business-as-usual narratives don’t dominate the picture.”