Copenhagen: a strange kind of disappointment

[rhyll]

Today, like yesterday, has mostly been full of people and cycling, but in the interstices I've been trying to stay up to date on the negotiations in Copenhagen. This is new for me. Until recently, I paid very little attention to high-level negotiations on...well...almost anything. I get so many students coming through my classes that are incredibly excited about the UN, and I've never felt the same way. Teaching the units I have has meant learning more about the UN and international treaties, but it's never increased my enthusiasm.

I'm not sure why Copenhagen's been different. Usually, I would hardly even follow something like this. I think the combination of the huge amounts of activism and hard work of people like PokMcFee and flyingblogspot sparked my interest, this time. I thought maybe my pessimism would be unfounded, this time.

I'm sad that it wasn't. I'm disappointed, despite my low expectations.

I'm reassuring myself by looking at the huge movement building around this, though. Like Seattle, Copenhagen is a turning point. I want to know more about the links being made, and the activism coming out of, the joining-up of global justice and climate change activism. I'm glad there's work like this out there. I'm not optimistic, but I also feel like there's still some glimmer of hope that we'll change enough, quickly enough.

Comments

[boxer-the-horse.livejournal.com]

I have this feeling of impotent anger and frustration about everything to do with Copenhagen. I think all of the negotiating parties were at their worst - the Rich nations brought weak action (particularly Australia and the US), the Industrialising nations were willfully intransigent and the poor nations seemed to be in permanent sulk mode (ok, yes they do have the most to lose but they seemed to lead with criticism, not dialogue). As usual the Media only reported protests where some level of violent conflict occurred and that is all the mainstream public probably saw of the activist movement. As a human i feel pretty much let down by everyone, despite the fact that I have exactly zero answers of my own. *shrug*