Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement
Condemning the failed Rio process as “the future corporations bought,” a group of young people and civil society groups are about to walk out of the conference center, handing in their badges on the way out. Earlier this afternoon, hundreds of people flooded the negotiating halls to hold a “people’s assembly.”
“This is the real United Nations,” declared Sierra Student Club director Quentin James to a cheering crowd.
The walkout is about to begin, but we’ll post more updates soon!
Jamie is the co-coordinator of 350.org, an international global warming campaign. A recent college graduate, he lives in San Francisco, CA. In 2007, he co-organized Step It Up, a campaign that pulled together over 2,000 climate rallies across the United States to push for strong climate action at the federal level. He's also an early member of the youth climate movement, leading one of Energy Action's first campaigns in 2005: Road to Detroit, a nationwide veggie-oil bus tour to promote sustainable transportation. He's traveled to Montreal and Bali to lobby the UN with youth, but he's a strong believer that change happens in the streets not in meetings. Jamie received the Morris K. Udall award in 2007 and has been recognized by the mighty state of Vermont for his work on climate change. You can also find him blogging at Campus Progress' "Pushback," Changents.com, and 350.org.
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