Can you hear us now?
By most accounts it seems that the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, has drawn to close, not with a bang but a whimper. Negotiators managed to agree to agree later, in 2015 in fact, on a new climate treaty which won’t be rolled out until 2020. Some decisions were made in development of the framework for a Green Climate Fund to help ‘developing’ countries act on climate change, but the coffers remained empty as the big players at the Climate conference pulled their purse strings tight and kept talking about doing something later. Underwhelming.A ten year plan does little to help poor and marginalised communities already in the firing line of climate change with rising sea levels and an environment increasingly hostile to agriculture. In stark contrast to the muted ‘decision’ making of COP 17 the streets of Durban have been left ringing from the songs and demands of young people and representatives of communitites struggling under the burden of poverty, demanding that their governments act in the interest of their people first and industry second.
James Hutt, a representative of the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition at the summit, when reflecting on COP-17 (and undoubtedly Canada’s shockingly bad behaviour at the summit) wrote in his blog “No matter the outcome of these high level negotiations, the real solutions will be created by the self empowering movements of youth that are able to take on the fossil fuel industries and the governments that support polluters and profits over the rights of people…What we did see in Durban were youth standing up from the ‘kids table’ created for us by our governments and the United Nations. Young people from around the world rejected the adage that young people here are meant to be seen, seldom heard and never listened to.”
Our team of Oxfam climate campaginers worked with young people and representatives from all over the world, amplifying their anger at inaction and their fear for what the next generation will face. With fantastic attention grabbing stunts like the giant lion consisting of thousands of young people roaring on a South African beach, and dining in the ocean to highlight the effects of climate change, it is clear that the public were seen and heard this last two weeks, but we will have to keep pushing to make sure that we are listened to.
Check out Clancy Moore’s blog here. Clancy is a campaigner for Oxfam Australia and has spent his time in Durban amplifying the voices of those that stand to be most affected.
