It\’s Getting Hot In Here

Aliens at UN. Credit: Robert vanWaarden - vanwaardenphoto.com

On the final day of the UNFCCC negotiations in Barcelona, the last meetings before the world turns it’s eyes to Copenhagen, the Avaaz Action Factory formed a coalition with the aliens from Planet B (you read that right). The aliens were on a dire mission to find climate leaders who are willing to do what it takes to achieve a fair, ambitious and legally binding climate treaty in Copenhagen. Unfortunately it looked like there were very few climate leaders at the Barcelona negotiations. The 10 aliens searched high and low outside the conference center, greeting negotiators as they arrived. To the aliens dismay most negotiators identified themselves as NOT being climate leaders. In fact, ONLY negotiators from Bangladesh told the aliens they were here in fact  because they were climate leaders.

As the talks in Copenhagen wrap up, nations like the US, Australia, most of the EU refuse to take the steps science deems necessary to avert a climate crisis. The main strategy coming from negotiators seems to now be to dramatically downplay any possibility of achieving a just treaty in Copenhagen. Now that’s ambitious leadership. Golf clap.

Confused as ever by the lack of evidence of any ambitious leadership the two aliens decided to sneak up to the delegation offices and ask the inert negotiators why no ambition, why no binding treaty, why just no no no. It was time for an intergalactic intervention! The aliens swung by the EU offices, they weren’t interested in ambition. Next they swung by the UK negotiation offices (video), no ambition there either. However, the UK sound like big fans of they new idea of “politically binding” (oxymoron, um hmm) instead of legally binding, a concept the aliens, or I, care to entertain. Finally the aliens spotted the US offices , surely the ambitious nation that brought us the Mars rover and shooting a missile at the moon would be willing to lead the world in achieving a treaty to curb climate change. Oh, funny naive aliens. They were dealt a strong dose of US reality when the delegate didn’t even want to talk to the extraterrestrials .

It was hard to watch the aliens realize what is so obvious to many of us watching these negotiations for the past few years, we need more bold leadership. Yet, it’s not too late to have that bold leadership, time is short, and negotiations are long, but we realize what’s necessary. What’s necessary is to hold our electeds accountable to the bold leadership they’ve committed themselves to when they enlisted our votes, and hold them accountable to the responsibility they’ve accepted to achieve a fair, ambitious, and (legally) binding treaty.

———–

UPDATE !!
The Aliens have intercepted Jonathan Pershing, lead negotiator for the US, and had an intergalactic intervention.

Aliens – We are here from the Planet B. We had a climate treaty. It failed. We thought it was ambitious. It was not. We thought it was fair. It was not. We thought it was binding. It was not. So we had to evacuate to planet earth. We heard you would have a climate treaty in 2009 that would work. We are not sure. We are looking for climate leaders who will make that happen.

Aliens – Will we have a strong treaty in 2009?

JP – I don’t know. We are seeing some progress here.

Aliens – When will the US have targets?

JP – You know as well as I do. You’re working on that as well as me. (He compared potential targets in Congress to targets of the EU. Indicated that they were comparable.)

Aliens – We have spoken to about 15 countries today asking for leadership. We talked to the EU. They sounded leaderish to us. They told us their targets. They said some targets were legally binding, and some politically binding. We need strong not strongish leadership.

JP – You are right about the “ish” point. That is what we are seeing here.

Aliens – Will Obama act himself if Congress will not?

JP – (dodged the question sort of) There was encouraging news coming from EPW yesterday.

Aliens – Will your leader, Obama, come to Copenhagen?

JP – I don’t know yet. I am glad you are asking. Will you ask the lead delegate from India and from China? The lead delegate from India is right over there (points to where he’s sitting.)?”

The Aliens then had another intergalactic intervention with an Indian Delegation  (I think they are getting popular around here)

(he was reading newspaper and didn’t seem to want to talk. But did engage and opened up eventually after we told him that JP asked us to ask him if the Prime Minister would come to COPENHAGEN)

Aliens – We are here from the Planet B. We had a climate treaty. It failed. We thought it was ambitious. It was not. We thought it was fair. It was not. We thought it was binding. It was not. So we had to evacuate to planet earth. We heard you would have a climate treaty in 2009 that would work. We are not sure. We are looking for climate leaders who will make that happen.

Aliens – Will your Prime Minister come to CPH?

India – Non-committal. We are doing our best. It is not hanging on us.

Aliens – Jonathan Pershing asked us to ask you if the Prime Minister will come. Will he come to Copenhagen?

India – (did not answer, but smiled when we said JP asked us).