Day of Climate Action - my last day.

Saturday 6th December

I could only stay for the first week at the UN Climate Conference, so Saturday 6th December was my last day - and the Day of Climate Action. We dressed in clown costumes in the town square, to demonstrate how politicians need to "stop clowning around". It was a fun day with a serious message - if we do not take climate change seriously, millions will suffer.

Although it was sad that I couldn't stay longer at the Conference, I was so glad to have been able to go, to speak to delegates and come away with so much information. In particular, the experience of talking to delegates will be useful in the run-up to Copenhagen. Interesting points included meeting the Russian delegate who denied the existence of anthropogenic climate change. I was inspired by the enthusiasm of the international youth at the conference, but it was unfortunate the meetings couldn't be more inclusive. I was also shocked that even within the UN Climate Conference, which is supposed to represent the world, the EU and US had a huge 'designated area' for delegates, whereas the whole of Africa did not! Money, it seems, still buys a place at the table. How do some national delegations cope with only one delegate when there are so many meetings going on at the same time? Unfortunately some of the countries most affected by climate change are those less represented at the COP. Could funding be used to promote more representation? The issue of climate justice extends to the inequality at the conferences that are supposed to deal with the problem itself. I was also disappointed that when I got home, the UK media did not cover the conference in much depth. It was difficult to work out what was going on, but they should at least have made an effort. The experience did not fill me with optimism, but there is still hope for next year.