climate change

“We understand the value of water as an essential liquid for life. This is why we’re working hard to care for it, to care for our mountains and to protect it as part of our culture. We need a united voice telling this to governments so that when we fight climate change, we also protect water”.

As the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen begin to hot up, Jo Barrett, Progressio Press Officer extraordinaire and myself are beginning our long train journey to Copenhagen to join our colleagues already there.

I am looking forward to working with a wonderful woman called Fabiola Quishpe , a community leader and grassroots activist from Ecuador, for whom I will be translating as Progressio seeks to bring ‘southern voices’ to the Copenhagen debates. She is among millions of people in poor communities being hit hard by climate change.

If there was a hospital set up to deal with the world’s problems, I’d make an appointment to see a doctor and tell them that earth was suffering from behavioral problems that weren’t typical but unexpected, out of season, unprecedented and catastrophic. “I think” he’ll say, with an eyebrow arched, arms folded and nodding contemplatively “that you are describing the classic symptoms of climate change”. “You should try to do something about it and let be know that your future is worth saving.’

Today I arrived at work to see John Vidal’s excellent expose on the complex punctuation, backroom power games, bureaucracy and language of the UN’s climate change negotiations in the Guardian Weekend left open on my desk.  Back in London, the craziness of Barcelona faded away all too quickly as I tried to get in a bit of Christmas shopping, attack my overflowing inbox and actually do a bit of laundry but John’s words brought that strange world of negotiations rushing back: the endl

“Are you a climate leader?” asked the green alien as I approached the Gran Via conference centre on our last day of climate change negotiations.   “We are from planet B.  Our planet was destroyed when we failed to take action on climate change.  Is Copenhagen in this galaxy?”

“Yes”, I reply as I show them my badge.

“Ah, you are not a climate leader!” they say, as they NON-GOVERNMENTAL in huge letters next to my face.  No, I think, I’m not.  And I’m not sure what I’d do if I were.

This morning I reluctantly left the Barcelona sunshine and entered the convention centre where the UNFCCC is meeting for the last round of negotiations before Copenhagen.  Like many delegates, I hesitate before entering, wanting a few more moments in the sun before entering the chaos inside.  Although everyone is here because we think climate change is important, as usual, things aren’t going to plan – which I imagine has left many of us wishing we could simply wa

So what can we really do about climate change?

We need to recognise our shared responsibility, says Ángel Maria Ibarra Turcios, director of an environmental organisation in El Salvador (Progressio partner organisation UNES), and change the way we think about life.

Campaigns – like Progressio’s Just Add Water campaign – are important “because we are all jointly responsible for the fate of the planet,” says Angel: