DEC. 7, 3009 -- A group of determined climate activists plan to set themselves on fire today outside the UN building in Copenhagen in hopes of issuing a cri de coeur
to help combat global warming, while at the same time urging
governments to agree a tough U.N. climate pact at talks in Copenhagen.
The unidentified activists staged their protest in complete obeisance
of the law and nobody was injured, according to sources. Th event was
a stunt. It looked real. No one was injured or hurt.
"Time is running out," said Protester A, chair of the Global Campaign
for Self-Immolation Climate Action of the YELL FIRE campaign, meant to refer to the sound of "yelling fire" as the U.N. meeting draws closer.
Dec. 7 is the start of the two-week meeting in Denmark due to agree a
successor to the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol to rein in changes such as more
droughts, floods, rising sea levels, a spread of disease and
heatwaves.
"We are deeply anxious that the negotiations are not where they need
to be," said A. He said participants in the world wide self-immolation protests would be in some cases condemned and in other cases applauded by environmental groups Greenpeace and WWF, Christian Aid, Oxfam, the World Conference of Religions for Peace, the Union of Concerned Scientists, an international umbrella group for trade unions, the U.N. Children's Fund UNICEF and a group run by ex-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
"The outlook is looking bleak -- but it doesn't have to be," he said.
"These self-immolation protests aim to issue a global cri de coeur
before it is too late."
LINK:
http://northwardho.blogspot.com/2008/10/us-election-on-nov-4-might-be-cancelled.html
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Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments
This December – just 100 days from now – the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen will begin. There's a lot of expectation around this meeting because world leaders have committed to agreeing a historic treaty to tackle the biggest crisis facing humanity.
The meeting is expected to draft and ratify a new treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which will expire in 2012. Simply put, the outcome of these talks will determine the future of our planet.
We are already experiencing climate change. Floods, droughts, hurricanes, sea-level rise, and seasonal unpredictability – hallmarks of climate change – are affecting people's rights to life, security, food, water, health, shelter and culture in all corners of the world today. Already – with an average temperature rise of less than 1C – climate change kills more than 300,000 people each year.
With this in mind, the clear reason for the expectation around Copenhagen is that if the right deal is struck, we can halt the worst of climate change before everybody is affected. Plus, we can fight the downturn by creating green jobs and building access to renewable energy for all. We can improve the world we live in, instead of consigning millions to homelessness and poverty – or worse.
Because of the potential of this deal, an unprecedented alliance of organisations – including faith and youth groups, unions, environmental and development NGOs, such as WWF, Oxfam International, Consumers International and Kofi Annan's Global Humanitarian Forum, plus a number of high-profile supporters– have come together under the TckTckTck campaign. We believe that only by working together in a broad alliance will we have the size, power and influence to ensure a good deal in Copenhagen.
Now is the time for world leaders to give this crisis their attention. They must commit now to attending the talks in Copenhagen where they must sign a deal that is fair, ambitious and binding and that reflects the latest science. Governments must get behind a treaty that reduces developed country emissions by at least 40% by 2020.
Tackling climate change is an issue of justice. Rich countries have been responsible for the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore must take responsibility for dealing with crisis in a fair and equitable way. The deal must therefore enable and support poor countries to adapt to the worst consequences of the climate crisis, as well as reducing their emissions. The deal must protect marginalised communities in rich and poor countries.
The Copenhagen deal should be ambitious and ensure that global greenhouse emissions peak no later than 2017. It must create a pathway to clean jobs and clean energy for all and establish necessary conditions for a sustainable and prosperous future for people, flora and fauna. It must be binding and must be able to be verified and enforced.
With just 100 days to go until the meeting begins, and with climate scientists painting a bleaker future at even 2C of warming, time is running out.
But it is not yet too late. There is still time to build a greener safer world, but the clock is ticking.
• Kumi Naidoo chairs TckTckTck and is honorary president of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.
this planned climate activiststs' self-immmolation climate protest before Copenhagen talks begin on Dec. 7, perhaps in front of UN bldg in Manhattan.....
NOTE: with Copenhagen meetings starting in less then 100 days, some climate activists are now planning a dramatic self-immolation protest in front of the UN bulding in NYC before the summit opens, with 5 people appearing to set themselves on fire to protest the world's inaction on all this. However, they will be using Hollywood stuntmen suits to protect them from the flames and no one, repeat, no one, will get hurt or die. It's all part of a concerted PR effort to get the world to wake up and pay attention. If anyone wants details and rehearsed photos of the event, email me at bikolang AT gmail dot com
Marc Morano, who runs Climate Depot, a major climate change website, which doesn't always agree with me, or me with it, but Marc is a good man and very civil, and he emails me after I sent him this item: "Thanks . I will post. Very interesting."
http://www.climatedepot.com/
http://northwardho.blogspot.com/2008/10/us-election-on-nov-4-might-be-cancelled.html
AND ....
a few coments from people around the world who seem to hope these climate activists wil.....l DIE:
1. "If I lived in the area, I would see about getting a few large bags of marshmallows, and sticks to hand out to the crowd.. "
"As for the climate protesters… while I love to see Darwin in action, I’ll note they’re being very public about this. As a result, the police will come and stop them from setting themselves alight. As a result, the protesters get to look bad-assed while not actually, you know, dying. At the same time they get to shout about how the police ruined their protest, impeding their free speech, etc. I’m willing to bet nobody’s even going to be singed. "
2. So they want to make a protest about all the CO2 being relased into the atmosphere, so in order to do this, they probably travel several hundered miles to get there and then when thy arrive, they want to pollute the atmosphere even more with their burning bodies. Could they not just stay at home and hang themselves? It’s much more eco-friendly.
3. They’re trying to paint themselves as the next Thích Quing Đuc (the Vietnamese monk who lit himself on fire in protest against the government’s treatment of Buddhists, circa 1968), which is frankly kind of insulting.
Given that those flame suits are used by professionals with years of training, and under specific conditions, even if they get to set themselves on fire, they are likely to screw it up… Then we have to deal with the stench of burning hippy.
4. Flame suits are for sissies!
5. I’m sure someone will have a video of that if they are stupid enough to actually do it. I’ll be checking Youtube in the days after the event.
6. The idea of immolation is to show how much against whatever it is you are......You’re supposed to sacrifice your life in a very painful way ...
If you wear a special suit so you aren’t hurt .......then you’re missing the plot.
We could douse the flames afterwards with vats of sulphuric acid. . .
8. I hope the stunt goes horrible wrong…cuz THAT would be entertainment.
1. "If I lived in the area, I would see about getting a few large bags of marshmallows, and sticks to hand out to the crowd.. "
"As for the climate protesters… while I love to see Darwin in action, I’ll note they’re being very public about this. As a result, the police will come and stop them from setting themselves alight. As a result, the protesters get to look bad-assed while not actually, you know, dying. At the same time they get to shout about how the police ruined their protest, impeding their free speech, etc. I’m willing to bet nobody’s even going to be singed. "
2. So they want to make a protest about all the CO2 being relased into the atmosphere, so in order to do this, they probably travel several hundered miles to get there and then when thy arrive, they want to pollute the atmosphere even more with their burning bodies. Could they not just stay at home and hang themselves? It’s much more eco-friendly.
3. They’re trying to paint themselves as the next Thích Quing Đuc (the Vietnamese monk who lit himself on fire in protest against the government’s treatment of Buddhists, circa 1968), which is frankly kind of insulting.
Given that those flame suits are used by professionals with years of training, and under specific conditions, even if they get to set themselves on fire, they are likely to screw it up… Then we have to deal with the stench of burning hippy.
4. Flame suits are for sissies!
5. I’m sure someone will have a video of that if they are stupid enough to actually do it. I’ll be checking Youtube in the days after the event.
6. The idea of immolation is to show how much against whatever it is you are......You’re supposed to sacrifice your life in a very painful way ...
If you wear a special suit so you aren’t hurt .......then you’re missing the plot.
We could douse the flames afterwards with vats of sulphuric acid. . .
8. I hope the stunt goes horrible wrong…cuz THAT would be entertainment.