Reflections from Copenhagen-COP 15
It was a cold and snowy night in the Detroit Shoreway. Still, thre were a lot of people who managed to make it out to the West Clinton Block Club meeting, that was also sponsored by Gang Green and the Detroit Shoreway Community development Organization. All those who attended are involved in their own neighborhood. This kind of community connectivity is what makes Ward 15 so special. Guest speaker Matt Zone had to first congratulate everyone on all the money that was raised through donations and a spaghetti dinner benefit for those who were displaced and affected by the 85th st explosion. They raised $11K at the dinner, and $6K private donor
The main topic of the evening was the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. National League fo Cities invited Matt Zone to attend the conference as the representative for Cleveland. Held Dec 7-18th in Denmark, the COP-15 was held to address issues surrrounding climate change. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change began back in 1992. The objective was, and continues to be to stablizie the worlds emission of greenhouse gasses. Did you know that the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012? Most people do not know that this important agreement (that we are no longer a part of) actually expires. If we want to be involved in the global discussion we need to be actively engaged in this type of conference. The focus of the Copr 15 was the need to agree on a new, fair, ambitious, global agreemennt among the attendees from 190 countries (including 119 Heads of State). This may be the last chance for the world’s leaders to meet before the Kyoto Protocol expires.
Attendance was expected at 12-15K but sources have it at 45K that were pre-regisitered and an estimated extra 30K that simply showed up…
I was moved by the dedication of those who were attending the event. Matt and his colleagues waited 4 hours to be processed, before the machines that issued credentials broke down from sheer exhaustion. There was another 3 1/2 hours the next day. This event involved important people from around the globe. Those who came had to be screened before entrance, and dedication that was required of attendees to just make it inside shows how important this issue is around the world. Then there were those who came from countries far and wide who simply wanted to show their support (or disgust) for what has gone on so far and what msut be done in the future.
One of the reasons this issue is so devicive both here at home and abroad, is that we have more money than so many other countries. We can impose all the rules that we want, but without taking care of our poorer neighbors, whose economies will be more grossly affected by restrictions, we cannot expect them to support us. As I have written before, we in America used to have the lifestyle that everyone envied. Now that they are close to getting some of the perks of industrialization and modernization (like mass consumption and gross consumerism), we are trying to tell them to slow down. It’s kind of like watching your big brother have a kick ass time in high school, but when you get there he tell you not to go to any of the parties.
Warming of the climate system is unequivocal. It is now clear to nearly every scientist on the planet that the temperature of the earth is rising and that action is needed to stop the effects of this rise. Effects of CO2 on the temperature of the planet have actually been discussed by scientists as far back as 1896 in a scientific journal published in the UK.
Concentrations of greenhouse gasses (GHG) are showing an increase of GHG of 70% between 1970 and 2004.
11 of the last 12 years are among the top records in recorded surface temperature.
Water supplies that are stored in glaciers are projected to decline in the course of the century. Basically, this means snow and ice around the world are diminishing. That means a dramatic decrease in water supplies for the entire world. It also means that the average global sea level has rsine 1.8 mm/yr since 1961 and 3.1 since 1993.
Arctic temperatures are increasing at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the world.
It took 200 billion dollars of taxpayers money to repair the damage from Katrina and we can expect to see more heatwaves, massive rainfall, storms, and the like while water resources decrease. This will lead to agriculture decrease due to water issues. Adapting to changes in the ecosystem is important, but poorer countries are more adversely affected due to an inability to adapt. We will see people displaced around the globe due to land loss from sea level rise or famine from water loss in some areas. 50K-1 million are estimated to be displaced in Mississippi alone this century if we do not act. Yeild reducrion 90% by 2100 in Africa.
Rising sea levels and loss of arctic glaciers means the circualation of the oceans will change and will detroy oceanic ecosystems. 20% of species could disappear.
What does this mean in NE Ohio:
By 2095 our climate could be more like that of Arkansas along with more flooding and storms.
Lake Erie could drop by as much as 3′ by 2090 due to less ice, this means higher concentrations of pollutions and stagnation leading to loss of species.
We will have a long growing season, but will have a loss of agriculture overall because we will not be able to grow sensitive crops. And with that new warm weather comes increased heat deaths and invasions of invasive insects.
What can we do?
Think long term and plan on the futrue-we need more than adaptation. We have the potential to reduce GHG to levels lower than they are today. We need efficient delivery and supply of clean energy; fuel efficient vehicles, cleaner vehicles and a switch to public transportation; buildings need to be more efficient, with improvements in insolation and solar heating and cooling with efficient appliances.
Support our efforts of local government. They have arrived early in the discussion and are working harder and faster than many countries. 300 trees were planted in NYC with a goal of 1 Million. Cities can have the biggest impact overall, lets face it there are more people in NYC than many countries.
So here are final thought from Matt himself:
As Copenhagen Climate Change conference (COP15) is now behind us, and the excitement and activities fade into our collective experiences, of course on one side we can reflect that the final agreement was hollow and lacked the needed ‘teeth’ to ensure concrete actions for an issue as grave and pertinent as climate change. Certainly there remain many things omitted from the final document, notably specific targets as well as the role of specific actors. However, despite frustrations, I prefer to remember COP15 as an event in which the entire world was present, reflecting the necessity of this issue and coming with diverse and creative strategies to address climate change – certainly if we are to address this issue, it will require many and varied solutions. More so, key nation states – while maybe not acting with the strength and gusto needed – were present and acknowledged climate change as a severe issue, pledging resources and promises to address it. Thus, in all of this, and in various discussions, I reflect positively on the Copenhagen summit, and prefer to keep the spirit of ‘Hopenhagen’ alive.
Importantly, the role of cities, regions and their representatives was highlighted time and again via specific side events at Bella Centre and related events, exhibition spaces, study tours, as well as acknowledged by various actors – within and outside of the urban field. Clearly, there is a role for cities, regions and related public and private actors, as well as growing support for urban climate actions.
I am thankful to learn what is happening in towns, cities, regions and organizations internationally, all whom share that same spirit of Hope. In Cleveland, we are addressing climate change as an opportunity: linking compact city planning, energy efficiency, renewable energy, bicycle planning, improved green-spaces and strong support for local foods. In roughly 20 years, our City switched from heavy industry to severe unemployment to a city proudly and boldly looking towards the future with sustainably as a key motto.
