Beyond the Negotiations

‎Doha unveiled the hypocrisy behind UNFCCC encouraging youth participation

Nathan Thanki December 14, 2012 1 Comment

by Lurette Paulime I have been involved in the international youth climate movement before, but I have never seen youth activists experience such an enormous frustration as at COP18 in Doha. At COP16 in Cancun, young people were removed by the police and others got arrested but they did not lose their accreditations to the UNFCCC. Now, this issue is become more serious at the COP18 in Doha. Some...

The Night Shift

Nathan Thanki December 7, 2012 1 Comment

by nathan thanki The minarets are blaring. A prayer might be all we have left. It's 5am on Saturday morning and a rag-tag bunch of rabble rousers are scattered across various benches in a temporary tent-come-food-court that we've named "westaurant." It's been a long night - one of frustration, confusion, and every negotiating tactic under the sun (or moon!) The details...

When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose

Nathan Thanki December 7, 2012 0 Comments

by nathan thanki It is the sometimes orthodoxy that any deal is better than no deal, that by degrees we can overcome the climate crisis. It is "common sense" that you take what you can get and live to fight another day. But all this piecemeal haggling simply moves us, degree Celsius by degree Celsius, toward an unlivable and somehow even more unjust world. Let's have a new...

Call to arms: Youth speech to COP high level plenary

Nathan Thanki December 7, 2012 0 Comments

This morning Munira Sibai, a Syrian-American student with SustainUs, delivered this speech on behalf of young people (YOUNGO). Although many governments could not be bothered to listen to their citizens, civil society was present in force: supporting Munira and each other in a way that governments can only dream of. Onwards. I stand before you given two minutes to make the same call for action...

No Deal: CJN! intervention to COP high level plenary

Nathan Thanki December 7, 2012 1 Comment

on 10 minutes notice, to a near empty hall, Anjali delivered an intervention on behalf of Climate Justice Now! environmental NGOs. The UNFCCC secretariat attempted to censor our message and her mic was cut off. Nevertheless, this is what we had to say: This message is not for the blockers of progress, the bullies in the playground, though they should take heed. This message is for the most...