It’s Getting Hot In Here

Paris, 25.05.09

The ‘Action Factory’ has officially completed its first action in Europe, outside the ‘Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate’, also known as the MEF. Supported by Avaaz.org, the ‘Action Factory’ in Europe is one of two in the world – the other starting up in Washington DC in a few weeks – where youth climate activists will spend the next three months in an intensive activist environment, churching out hard-hitting political actions, aimed at getting the best possible global agreement in Copenhagen this December.

The first six ‘Youth Action Fellows’ (Leon from New Zealand, Blaine and April from the US, Sara from Sweden, Anna from Australia and Benka the amazing multi-lingual Frenchman) organised and orchestrated the event in Paris today, joined by a crowd of 20 local Avaaz members who responded to an email call-out for attendance.

The group gathered outside the French foreign ministry where the MEF meeting – comprised of climate and energy leaders from 17 of the largest economies (also the largest emitters) in the world – was being held. Of these nations, Japan has not yet established carbon emission targets for 2020, but they will be decided in the next few weeks. This was a prime opportunity to put international pressure on the Japanese government to declare significant reduction goals and be a global leader in the fight against climate change, instead of giving in to the intensive industry lobbying from ‘Nippon Kaidanren’ – the polluting industry federation of Japan. Japan’s government has released six possible mitigation targets ranging from a 25% decrease to a 4% increase in emissions by 2020. (Because, you know, an increase makes perfect sense…??!!)

Just guess which end of the range industry is calling for…

Our action was organised in only the last week – and this included moving the whole team who have just met each other to Paris! It came down to the wire, but we all had our roles – Blaine on media liaison, April on technology, Benka liaising ‘en Francais’ with the Police, Sara ensuring our banners were pristine, Leon bottomlining and Anna running around like a mad chook meeting the volunteers and organising the crowd (and also masterfully parking the van to avoid parking tickets).

In the last hour, just in the knick of time, we finished coloring in the banners, we re-negotiated the location with the French police (who didn’t want us anywhere near the MEF building, although we had previously gained permission for it to be there), and we made a ‘jail’ out of cardboard and duct tape, which we put Taro Aso behind, symbolising how he could be a ‘climate criminal’ if he gives in to industry lobbyists. Then, for the first time, we set up the amazing Demotech Unit.

The Demotech unit is a crazy structure, but totally perfect for demonstrations. Every activist group should learn to make one – Bamboo poles fit together in squares and triangles with wire branching out from the middle and connecting each corner. It’s all held together by tension, it’s impressive, it’s light, and it’s very easy to assemble and disassemble.

Benka and Anna did their speeches for the press, in French and English respectively, before April brought Taro Aso through the crowd and put him into the jail. There was a moment for the photographers to get their pictures, and then Taro Aso was taken out of a jail and a green hardhat was placed on his head, symbolising the new green economy that Japan could create tomorrow if they set ambitious targets today. This was a photograph we definitely wanted passed on to Japanese media, plus green was totally his color.

The banners were then taken down, and we prepared to rally for the Japanese negotiators who had kindly agreed to come out and quickly meet with us. A woman who knew Japanese taught us how to say “Japan, 25% or more!” (“Nihon! Ni-Ju-Go pacento Ejo!”) and also very respectful word that is similar to the english “Please”. So, we chanted and marched to meet the two men. The native Japanese woman spoke with them and presented them with a copy of our speech (translated in Japanese characters), including our demands and criticisms . One of the negotiators is apparently very close with Taro Aso and said he would give it to him. Anna then gave them the cardboard cut-out green hardhat with “25%-40% Reduction” written on it in Japanese characters.

We then wrapped up and thanked our diverse group of local Parisian Avaaz members – who included among their numbers a nun, young students, businesspeople, artists and workers.

If you are also concerned about Japan’s targets, you might like to write a letter to the Japanese embassy in your country, letting them know that the world is watching their policies, and that they can’t let future generations down.

All told, it was a very successful first action for the factory team! More actions to come over northern summer.

More pictures here: http://blogsofbainbridge.typepad.com/mef/

and here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/europeactionfactory/show