Blogging from Copenhagen - Thoughts and more impressions
Things that I like about the city: there are bikes everywhere, no matter the weather. Most of the bikes are left on the sides of buildings and at posts without locks. The buildings are low. The Danish overall are tall and slim and attractive. After a few beers in the evening, they’re talkative and engaging. They all speak English and are very patient about teaching basic Danish words that I find essential for getting around–hello, thank you, excuse me, cheers! The bread is delicious. The cheese is delicious. I’ve just discovered the seasonal Glögg, the mulled wine with spices, almonds and raisins, and found it really does hit the spot on a cold day. In the midst of winter, there are candles lit in many windows, on tables, in storefronts, that give the city a fairytale air in the evening. Copenhagen is compact and manageable, easy to get around as you walk and admire the sights.
I’ve been enjoying these and other details about the city in the midst of the activities surrounding the COP-15 and my participation in them. This morning, I walked in a rally organized by Friends of the Earth, called The Flood, the idea of which was to flood the city with people all dressed in blue ponchos, like a rush of water, evoking the image of the flooding that can occur with climate change and which will cause the movement of peoples from devastated regions (called climate refugees). The atmosphere all along, as more and more people joined the demonstration, was one of calm, good humor and dedication. Occasional slogans were called out: “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now”, with a sense of purpose. I came to realize that, although many age groups were represented, from toddlers to older generations, this was really the walk of the millennials, the generation of youth born after 1980 and who are now responsible for carrying the torch of our life on this planet. They are also the ones who are questioning the “business as usual” approach to so many things–how corporations function throughout the world, how we in the Western societies cleave to our so-called lifestyles, how to dance, listen to music, interact socially or technologically. The Flood rally was followed by the more multitudinous outright demonstration calling for action during the meetings of this week, a walk that extended six kilometers, through the center of the city and ending at the Bella Center, the location where the COP-15 is taking place. This larger demonstration, which was also peaceful and energetic, was accompanied by many others taking place around the world, and organized within the context of the Global Climate Campaign.
Many of us were not able to get our credentials in time or at all to enter the Bella Center and participate in the activities there. This includes activists, journalists and speakers from around the world. Every day more and more people are pouring into the city from all across the globe. Many go to the Bella Center, and many others participate in the Klimaforum, the People’s Climate Center, located at the DGI Byen, a complex that is eclectic in its construction and offering: hotel, gym, swimming pool, food hall, theaters, on several levels. There, people from everywhere and of all ages are camping out for the day and late into the night. There are press conferences, talks, films being shown, bands playing and a continual milling of people, a buzz of languages. I hear snatches of German, Spanish, French, Dutch, Danish, English… In it’s own ironic way, this coming together in the Klimaforum gives a sense of what it might be like to live in a climate refugee center. By Friday afternoon, on December 11, there were so many people milling about that there were no more chairs or sofas to sit on. The floors and hallways were filled with people sitting on the floors, eating, talking, writing on their computers, in intimate discussions. Baby carriages were lined up against the walls. The garbage containers were filled to the brim, even though there were separate containers for organic and non-organic waste, for plastics and paper. Despite our words, our ideals, our efforts, it is clear that this is the world we live in–so much waste, so many people, so many different agendas to address, so many words that may or may not unfold into actions. I suppose this what we will see in the upcoming days.
