Thom Hartmann: But right now, Aimeé Christensen, the executive director of Global Observatory, Global-Observatory.org is with us on the line from Denmark and Aimeé, welcome to the show.
Aimeé Christensen: Thanks Thom, it’s great to be here.
Thom Hartmann: So tell us what’s going on there and what the sense of things is as we begin this first day.
Aimeé Christensen: My sense is definitely momentum. A lot of expectations are being put on the government negotiators, of course, but a lot of momentum as well. With so many of the key developing countries stepping forward with new commitments, whether it’s on emissions targets themselves or new investments, for instance, targets around solar energy that India has put forward recently. The new bilateral relations that the US and China have established as well as Barack Obama’s willingness to put a line in the sand and say that he’s wiling to make a commitment to a target and more recent discussions around new commitments to help with financing the clean technology deployment that needs to happen into the developing world. So there’s a lot of momentum, high expectations, and hope, I guess this first day.
Thom Hartmann: Yeah. What’s the street like? Are there, is it like at a WTO meeting where you’ve got protestors? Or is it like a celebration or is it just normal Copenhagen? What’s the street like.
Aimeé Christensen: Again I feel like it’s excitement. I actually was quite surprised by the lack of protestors that I saw in and around the Bella Center itself. It’s more, what I’m hearing from a lot of the activist community is, 'we’re here with you, we’re here to support you, we see that you all are starting to move in the right direction and keep going, we’re gonna be here with you, we know you want to do the right thing, how do we help you get it done?' You know, definitely people standing outside the Bella Center with signs. As I was walking out a lot of folks from vegetarian community, vegan community, talking about the need to eat less meat as the key thing to do to address global warming, which of course it is. But it was more again this desire for education and dialog rather than an anger. Very much a collaboration.
Thom Hartmann: Right. What can we expect in terms of a process and perhaps outcome over the next few days? How is this going to proceed?
Aimeé Christensen: What we’re trying to get to is really the government has been saying is a politically binding agreement. So an agreement that are political targets, commitments that are on the table by the end of the two weeks and then over the next six months or so to finalize the legal structure of the agreement itself. But to really agree on the most important political commitments that need to be agreed to. Whether it’s for the key industrialized countries, reaching the new targets for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, their carbon pollution as well as new commitments of action by the developing countries on their own part. Different commitments but still commitments, to reduce the rate of growth of greenhouse gas emissions. New commitments for financing for adaptations for the most vulnerable countries that need to be able to prepare and address the immediate impacts of global warming which we’re already seeing, we’re already being felt.
I attended a faith, a gathering of faith leaders from around the world about a month ago where they were discussing the impacts of climate change, a number of them from Africa, that they’re already seeing it. So again, those key pieces of the deal here. And then a lot of the communities from Indonesia and Brazil expecting out of here a commitment to values standing forth, how do we stop deforestation, that’s another key piece of the deal by the end of the two weeks. And then give the negotiators a little bit more time in next year to work on the legal details of the accord.
Thom Hartmann: Yeah. Yeah, Africa’s really getting it. When we were, we did our show from Sudan and Darfur, a year ago March. And the desert's marching south, it’s just, there’s no other way to describe it and it’s bringing refugees with it and it’s part of, you know, it’s certainly not the largest part frankly, but it’s part of what’s driving some of the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Sudan and between north and south Sudan and other parts of the world.
Aimeé Christensen: Absolutely.
Thom Hartmann: Aimeé Christensen, the executive director and of Global Observatory, Global-Observatory.org. Aimeé, thanks so much for the report today.
Aimeé Christensen: You’re welcome, Thom. It’s a pleasure.
Thom Hartmann: Thank you, great talking with you and look forward to staying in touch and getting more updates as the week goes on or as the weeks go on.
Aimeé Christensen: I’d love to.
Thom Hartmann: Great, thank you, thank you very much. Much appreciated.
Transcribed by Suzanne Roberts, Portland Psychology Clinic.
