NMIPL Blog

Warm greetings from a VERY cold and snowy and chaotic Copenhagen. Amidst all, the Danes have been so hospitable these challenging two weeks.

Today, I spent much time viewing the proceedings on enormous screens in a hall for NGO’s and also took in an exhibit on the Arctic thaw near the place of the Little Mermaid, whom I shall visit tomorrow morning before heading to the hall again. NGO’s from island nations, Africa and Latin American were walking about various places today (freezing I am sure). Since NGO’s were not allowed in the Bella Center everyone tried to find a spot to wait the time through, praying for a meaningful negotiation.

At COP 15 there have been a number of elephants in the room, that have hardly been mentioned. One came glaring to my eyes as I read COP 15 Post, Daily Climate Conference News. Prominently, page 11 is a full page star spangled Lady Liberty ad entitled; Message From America to the American Delegates in Copenhagen and the Rest of the World. Quoting the Constitution throughout it states: We Reject Taxation without Representation even if it is attempted by our President through an international `political`agreement like the Copenhagen 15.

Finding this ad in a publication supporting action on climate change was at first shocking and then disheartening. I immediately borrowed a friend’s computer to google to follow the money trail of the American Solutions for Winning the Future. I did not go to their website www.AmericanSolutions.com but googled an analysis of who the money holders are. Corporations and their part in climate change has hardly been touched upon at COP 15, yet, they are the ones controlling the governments, conversations and politics.

The American Solutions is funded by some of the wealthiest men in the United States (another elephant in the Bella Center, the gender issue). Those behind the ad and the threats include: Carl Linder of Chiquita, George Argyras who reportedly contributed millions to elect George Bush and was awarded Ambassadorship of Spain though he does not know Spanish, Stanley Hubbard of Hubbard Broadcasting in Minneapolis, Peter Thiel who is a young millionaire engaged in hedge funds, Dick Farmer known for union busting and Roger Milliken a textile industry billionaire.  My friend needed her computer so my research was short, you can do your own.

I am again reminded in being here that many of us in the US need to open our eyes wider to an analysis of where information stems  that does not support the science of climate change? Who are the voices saying we do not have enough money to help brothers and sisters with adaptation and mitigation when we bailed out banks and spend the most money in the world on the war industry? Who are the voices saying we cannot make goals of high emissions standards?

If we do not open our eyes, ears and hearts soon the rest of the world will leave us behind standing ever so alone in a world community that chooses to work together for a future for the children and all species.

I am off to bed. I plan to visit the little mermaid and a special artistic statue next to her that was created for the climate meeting….if I get a picture I will share it with you.

Thank you for your prayers, fasting, acts of kindness, phone calls and light to our world this day.

Peace and good,
Your sister,
Joan

Blessings this day and I hope you are praying and fasting that a meaningful agreement happens here in Copenhagen.

Winter has set in here. It snowed last night and the public transportation was slow and stalled this morning. The cold weather and stalled transportation describe the process in the COP meeting with the leaders from more than 120 world countries.

NGO’s are basically shut out of the meetings and the gracious Danish people have provided a large hall near the city center to watch the proceedings, which are many leaders giving speeches pleading for an agreement because survival of the planet is at stake.

Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd said the test of each leader returning home after the meeting is whether they as mothers and fathers can look their children in the eyes and say they did everything they could do. The children are watching.

Representative Ian Fry of Tuvalu said, “I have the feeling of dread that we are on the Titanic and we are sinking fast, but we can’t use the lifeboats because someone on the ship is saying we need to discuss whether we are actually sinking.”

Secretary of State Clinton just spoke and also made reference to a boat and said that in a common boat when crossing the river all must cross peacefully. While precious time has been lost she stated that we all must raise our oars together and the US is ready to do its part.

The US will only move forward if there is an operational agreement made by all the nations together. The US will only go forward with an agreement if other nations are on board. While the challenges are in the details including financing, she pledged that the US would meet 80 percent reduction, fast start financing and to work with 100 billion dollars for adaptation and mitigation by 2020 with other countries. She failed to offer information about how much money the US is committing and made no mention of long term financing abd insists upon transparency for every nation.

President Obama is still scheduled to set foot upon snowy ground in Copenhagen tomorrow…please pray…

More later.
Much peace and good,
Your sister,
Joan

Blessings this day and please keep praying for COP 15 and if you are able fast on Thursday for movement to an agreement in the last two days.

Tension filled the Bella Center today. Late morning I decided to pray in the meditation room for a time and upon coming out their was a large gathering of indigenous and African people moving through the Center calling for their voices to be heard and moving toward the outside of the Center to meet with people coming from downtown to cry out to leaders who do not seem to be listening.

Thousands gathered outside Bella Center, some trying to climb fences to get in. No one got too close, though there were some injuries by police and some arrests and of course travel in the city was once again disturbed. Actually the Danes have been very patient with their visitors these days.

Another Franciscan sister and myself walked in solidarity with or indigenous brothers and sisters to the outside of the Center. After a time we got in the que to go back in. The line for entrance had been stopped for well over an hour and they announced that no NGO’s who were on the outside would be allowed in. Some had been waiting in line for hours. Yesterday, some waited in line for 6 hours. The treatment of NGO’s at the meetings has left some of us  wondering if they really do want the presence and voice of civil society.

The time of polite listening and waiting is over. It is encouraging that within the Centre voices of the Indigenous, Island People’s and Africans have been heard. The test will come if the hearing moves to action.

I spent the rest of the afternoon learning about gender, women and climate change in Southern Africa and about the issues of Tibet, the Third Pole and grassland and nomad herding concerns under the Chinese rule at the Klime Forum.  I also spent time reflecting.  More on those reflections in another chapter.

Tonight the President of the COP 15 resigned from presiding over the meeting. She said this was planned to take place as the meeting moved into high level negotiations with all of the heads of states arriving. Yet, it seems that no one was aware of this plan.

It all feels rather chaotic. Maybe it is the chaos before a positive outcome. The Earth Community needs an agreement to address climate change. We cannot wait longer. Join me in continuing to pray and put forth intentions of light and success

Peace and good,
Your sister,
Joan

A quick update before heading to bed on a snowy winter night. The sun sets about 3:30 and rises about 8:45, so the nights are long.

Al Gore offered his perspective on the COP thus far and pleaded for parties to set aside differences to hold the common good and look to the future generations. We do not have the luxury of time, in fact, to settle the details of an agreement he suggested a meeting in July in Mexico City rather than December. He also said Congress must meet a deadline of April to have a bill passed in the Senate.

He said, ¨The fundamental question is who are we as human beings if at some future date the next generation lives in a world with declining prospects and no possibility of reclaiming the beauty of this planet. They will look back at Copenhagen and ask why did you let this fail? What were the arguments? Didn’t you realize that we were at stake?

Drawing upon the belief in the higher nature of people, Gore said he believed we can come to an agreement.

To end the day on a lighter note, CAN, Climate Action Network has a fossil of the day award each day. The US took honors today with by sharing second place with Colombia for creating more mire in the reforestation and forest preservation proposal and the US took first honors for disagreeing with other countries on a shipping proposal that could assist in raising money for adaptation.  One must find humor here and CAN does a marvelous job and educates at the same time.

The opening session of the high level negotiations have begun. More dignitaries will come and more NGO’s are being literally place out in the cold. Yet, we keep hearing how important the civil society is.  We will see how clearly our voices have been heard.

Let us continue to pray for light in this solstice time.

Peace and good,

Joan

I feel fortunate to not be one of the 1000’s who were registered to get into COP 15 today with 2 badges, but who stood in the queue (line) for hours. I arrived at 7:30 and was in before 8:00…a blessing.

Fewer and fewer NGO delegates are allowed in as dignitary numbers swell. Over 45,000 in total registered for throughout the meetings and fire capacity inside is for 15,000. Thousands of civil society people are outside at the Klime Forum and in the streets protesting the unfairness of the meetings.

I have tried to remain in a position of holding the slogging process while also feeling my heart wrench from the many injustices of inequities. I as a US person am part of the developed nations causing the greater part of emissions threatening life and yet my country and others in the north hold the strongest voices stopping the process. These are described as negotiations of all voices, yet, smaller countries and those less economically large do not hold equal voice. Our US population is small compared to many of the voices here. Our corporations are large and this voice is large. This struggle is literally about life and death for many nations. They are desperate to be heard and to have a binding and effective agreement with FINANCING.

Tomorrow at 12 noon there will be a massive joining of civil society with delegates from inside COP 15, the global north and south and alliances protesting outside Bella Center 15 years of failed climate negotiations with mass non-violent civil disobedience. It is a call to unite a “People’s Assembly”. According to Mithika Mwenda of Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, “Africans from inside the Bella Centre are proud to be reaching out and standing with our brothers and sisters outside. We stand with them against a deal that will kill Africa. President Obama cannot come here and sign the death warrant of literally millions of Africans. Instead, he should come and march with us, listen to us, and commit to a just, long-term deal that stops climate change and keeps our people alive.”

I do not know what you are hearing about the conference in the US. Here the negotiations are up and down and it is amazing that the president of the COP 15 is still pushing for something. Again and again I hear, there is no other time to make and agreement but now. People here depend upon prayers and actions for justice.

While I wish I could be doing more here and wonder what I am doing many moments, I believe my presence here collectively with brothers and sisters throughout the planet speaks a voice of justice and integrity for people and earth. We do not have the money of the lobbyists of large corporations, we only have each other. Today I had a little lunch of cheese and bread with a brother who is a government delegate for Nigeria who is part of the negotiating process inside. I thanked him for his courage and said that I worked with the faith community and was supporting him. He thanked me with eyes of gratitude and asked for prayers.

I attended an Oxfam session with Desmund Tutu and Mary Robinson and voices of four beautiful brothers and sisters from Tuvalu, Bangladesh, Peru, and Uganda who shared their moving stories. Afterwards, I took each of the witnesses’ pictures and told them I would tell their stories to people of faith in New Mexico so that they could work with them as brothers and sisters. They thanked me said, we need you and we need your prayers.

One conversation lacking here amidst the voices directed at the negotiating parties calling for respect of human rights and earth rights is the part that corporations play in climate change. Corporations have rights and finances and strong lobbying voices. Friends of the Earth just offered a press conference announcing the Angry Mermaid Award for the worst business lobbying on climate change which journalist, Naomi Klein presented. It was a people’s award using a process with various stages and nominations through the internet.

The Winner IS…..Monsanto for promoting genetically modified crops as a solution to climate change and pushing for its crops to be used as biofuels and for contributing to deforestation and devastation of small farmers.  www.angrymermaid.org.

This blog is becoming a novella, forgive the too many words. For now, I trust you are working or making some little action for climate justice and life this day.  More later tonight.

Peace and good,
Your sister,
Joan

Blessings this night! Another day at the Bella Center at COP 15.

The world community there is getting more tense and more congested here. Just when I was wondering if my presence makes any difference, the President of the COP 15 proceedings briefed Civil Society at 5 pm and spoke to how crucial it was and is to have all of us present and pushing our respective delegations and leaders.  She urged continued pressure. Here the US delegation is not very accessible.

So……I AM ASKING YOU TO CALL PRESIDENT OBAMA  and strongly urge him that the moral and ethical imperative of the US is to help pass an agreement with high emissions reductions standards and serious long term financing for those who are most vulnerable. President Obama must show strong and immediate leadership for the negotiations here.

The President of the proceedings is trying to move the entire delegation to a deal with substance believing that the form for the agreement will follow. In the end, she foresees 1 package with 2 tracks: one carrying the Kyoto Protocol forward and the other track of the Least Developed Countries.  Her plea is that we cannot leave Copenhagen without an agreement and again urged civil society to not ease up on the pressure of leaders because there will be no better chance to negotiate in the future.

High ranking officials, including Senators and Congress people from the US arrive throughout the President Gore and hope to attend a session where he speaks tomorrow.

Another confirmation of the vital work of Interfaith Power and Light came today as I listened to President Mohammad Masheed of the Maldives who facilitated a session with UN high officials on advancing work on adaptation. He said, leaders will only understand the seriousness of this issue when the people understand and press their leaders. When the people galvanize, the leaders will act in tandem. On the other hand, for leaders this is the time to show leadership and not to go with the pack.  There is no lack of work ahead for us.

In addressing climate change and migration a UN official pressed the fact that climate change is now and will only become an even stronger factor in peace and stability. Over 1 billion people are hungry today or 1 out of 6 are not sure they will find a cup of food. In the next 10 years it is predicted that the food yields around the planet will reduce by one-half. Hungry people have three options:

migrate, revolt or die.  Let us act so that our brothers and sisters will have other options.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING A PHONE CALL!!

Peace and good,
Your sister,
Joan

Blessings this night!  I have just had wonderful homemade fresh bread, soup and gløgg (a traditional  Danish hot drink) and wonderful conversation with my Danish hosts Michael and Mia. Now I will fill you in on the amazing events of Saturday and Sunday.

While it is difficult to talk with the actual US delegates, I am finding it much easier to talk with those of the less powerful countries. Yesterday I had a very informative lunch with a Bangladesh NGO delegate who is an official government delegate simply because Bangladesh could not afford to send many people to the COP 15. I learned about reforestation projects in Bangladesh where people are living in water because land is being drowned.

Later in the afternoon I joined the 100,000 person march and candle vigil with a dear sister from England. Because we came late we started at the back and walked through floats, banners, police lines, songs and voices of many nations until we came to the front block of thousands. I felt like I had traveled through the world in a sort time. The demonstration was basically peaceful and incredible to be part of the largest climate change march thus far on the planet and so international.

Today, Sunday, began by attending Count Down to Copenhagen event in the City Center where Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke and the 512,894 signatures gathered by Countdown to Copenhagen were given to the UN official to take to the COP 15. Before Archbishop Tutu spoke there was music and I was in front of glorious Danish youth who danced and sang the theme song of Hopenhagen:

• How can we dance when earth is turning
• How can we dance when our beds are burning
• The time has come.

I asked the young people about the song and dance and they said, we must sing and dance even with the critical issues because these are expressions of life and we are humans and not robots.

Their sentiment spilled over into Archbishop Tutu who danced about on the stage and was so joyful as he addressed the serious nature of the work ahead.  He noted that the wealthy countries say 150 billion dollars is too much for adaptation and helping the vulnerable, suffering from climate change, yet, how much was spent on the bank bail outs and on war.

He said, when God looks down and sees Darfur, Gaza, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan God is crying and asks, `Why did I create humans?`

Then God sees Copenhagen and God begins to smile and say, `Look what my children are doing. You are wonderful because you are telling politicians, and developed countries to reduce emissions…we do not want a political argument, we want a politically binding agreement. Join us, join the winning side.¨

Amidst the great live music and dancing after his speech, and presentation of the signatures, I walked to the Church of Our Lady Copenhagen Lutheran Cathedral for the Ecumenical Celebration for Creation. This most significant religious celebration of COP 15 was inspiring. I was blessed to have a very good ticket. I was in the front. A presentation of the symbols of climate change: Glacier stones from Greenland, dried up maize from Africa and bleached corals from the Pacific Ocean carried by children was very profound.

What a gift to hear and be a few feet from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams as his words touched hearts in the Cathedral. His was a message of turning from fear to Love. Love casts out all fear. What will move us to the right decisions is Love and not fear. We cannot show the right kind of love for humans without keeping and loving Earth as home. We are here as people of faith to speak and act strongly out of Love to address climate change. ( The text is inspiring and I am told it will be on his website.)

My few words for the day and now I am off to bed. Again, I invite you to one more small step toward sustainable living and loving today and tomorrow. The maize, choral, glaciers, friends from Bangladesh, children and the Rev. Tofiga Falani from the island nation of Tuvalu are depending upon our Loving bold actions to cast out fear.

Peace and good,

Your sister from COP 15

Joan

Blessings this day!

As I entered the Center today I was greeted by some of the many wonderful young people in green elf costumes and a polar bear singing the 12 days of Christmas. This is a summary of the meeting thus far from the Ecosystems Climate Alliance:

On the tenth day in Denmark the UN gave to me

• Emissions a-leaping
• No Indigenous rights
• Peat lands a draining
• Endangered species
• Forests converted
• Crap MRV
• Too much fossil fuels
• Trees chain sawed
• No strings attached
• And a big fat logging subsidy!

Let me offer several reflections of where it seems we stand at day 10 from taking in life here and at the Klime Forum or the People’s Forum which is near downtown that I attended yesterday. While the formal meeting seems to be slogging along, a long term human rights worker from Sri Lanka told me that she believes that this is the first time that the voices of the island nations and people of the South have perhaps been really heard at the table. There is a tension in the air as we move into the final week. Will any meaningful agreement really happen. The tension moves into anger on some levels and it was very evident among the island nations and people of the South at the Klime Forum yesterday. There are enormous issues of human rights, and reparations for climate debt and financing for adaptation, emissions reductions and simply respecting all people upon the planet with equality. I have heard no one here doubt climate change, as is the conversation by some in the US. Here the demands of reparations for climate debt rise as do the waters.

At this forum, I feel like a global citizen first, but everywhere I go I hear and see that the United States is the worst polluter, the richest nation and the one least to listen and act for the common good. Yesterday this weighed heavy on my heart. I did attend a Caritas Mass last night and was moved that they chose to sing Amazing Grace, not knowing the history that it is a song telling the story of conversion of a slave trader. Today we in the United States are engaged by our lifestyles and public policy in a different type of slavery of Earth and a number of her people. Perhaps this meeting will be or lead to a moment of Amazing Grace.

Today is the large demonstration of 50,000 in the city and the numbers here at the Center are swelling to the maximum of 15,000.

I invite you to actions of conversion of lifestyle and actions of hope this day. A short prayer from Caritas last night:

O God, open the hearts and minds of the rich nations that they may help all those suffering from the impact of climate change–as the earth hardens, rivers dry up, crops fail, children starve, the rain does not come. As floods and cyclones ravage your earth ever stronger; as glaciers melt, sea and reiver levels rise, animal and plant species die out, and island homes, ancestral lands of our brothers and sisters, sink below the oceans.

There are so many presentations, youthful and creative demonstrations and briefings happening alongside the climate change negotiations that one can be overwhelmed. I find I need to be open and give into the flow. Today I found myself swept into a tour of the transit system of Copenhagen hosted by the transportation mayor. There is so much that the US can learn about promoting public transportation, biking and livable cities. I will bring information to the Albuquerque Climate Change Coalition, of which NM Interfaith Power and Light is part.

Another unexpected amazing gift of the day was an orange and black butterfly fluttering and landing about in the room where youth were presenting at the Intergenerational Inquiry on Climate Change Solutions. What a symbol of rebirth, transformation and the future. The symbolism of this butterfly spoke a profound message as did the United Voce of the International Youth Climate Movement declaration entitled, “Survival is not Negotiable”.  Today was youth day and there are hundreds of inspiring, alive and concerned youth swarming the area like many fluttering orange butterflies.

The hidden messages in the day continued with an excellent presentation on recognizing and protecting human rights within the Copenhagen Statement which was presented today on International Human Rights Day. I was very moved by a representative from the Republic of Seychelles who spoke on the desperate need to have a treaty that seeks to keep climate temps below 1.5 degree rise. His people fight for survival and the plea for funds for adaptation from nations most responsible for their suffering and eventual displacement seem to fall on deaf ears. At this meeting, the failure of the US to take responsibility is glaring and comes up again and again.

Indigenous people are simply trying to make the point that they have a right to exist. Human rights issues and climate change is an enormous legal and ethical area yet to be addressed and time is clicking away. A powerful woman Inuit leader said, “Indigenous people do not want to be debated or invisibalized by politics, economics and science.”

If anyone doubts the Western science of climate change, they need to listen to the indigenous science and way of knowing through living in a place.  Sitting in the packed room as the speakers presented the word pictures of their lives and the desperate lack of time, I thought, how audacious we are in the US to debate numbers and words. Are we able to listen to brothers and sisters throughout the planet?

Finally, tonight it was worth passing through rainy streets to get to the National Museum of Denmark for the program of “Voices of Hope”, Responding to the Call of the Earth with speakers Maurice Strong and Wangari Maathai and other religious leaders. The event, sponsored by the Global Peace Initiative of Women, is part of an effort to bring to the fore the transformative and prophetic voice that spirituality and religion must offer to the challenges we face. Putting words aside, it was very powerful to be in the presence of so many religious leaders and at several points send healing for the planet.  Ultimately, what we do or do not do affects the future of Mother Earth.

What did you do for Mother Earth and Human Rights today? It is not too late to offer a prayer or breathe in and out love and healing for the planet and the meeting.

Peace and good,
Your sister,
Joan