9th December
The day started off with youth in action, as the Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy (CLRA), Oxfam, CANSA and IYCN organized a door-to-door visit to 115 parliamentarians by students. These young environmentalists from Springdales School, Delhi Public School Vasant Kunj, Modern School Barakhamba, St. Colomba’s School, Sanskriti School and the Indian School quizzed the legislators on their views regarding climate control measures and calculated the lawmaker’s carbon footprints. The interaction culminated into a discussion at the Constitution Club with healthy participation from veteran parliamentarians like Najma Heptulla, Prakash Jhawaekar and Anurag Thakur.
The crux of the discussion was to tackle climate change by looking at issues of population explosion and implementation of the awareness messages. A video conference followed the discussion where the IYCN delegates from Copenhagen questioned the MPs about the world’s voluntary declarations on carbon cuts and India’s position. The MPs stressed on steps to be taken at home to curb emissions adding that the developed world was using emission reduction as a pressure tactic to force developing countries to reduce emissions while the west could carry on with their wasteful lifestyle.
IYCN and certain other NGOs, religious leaders and climate affected communities gathered at the Lotus Temple in New Delhi, to release 2000 sky lanterns, to express their hope for a Fair, Ambitious and Binding deal in Copenhagen. Representatives from climate impacted and ecologically sensitive zones in India spoke about how the Copenhagen deal will affect their survival. They also released a Community Charter on Climate Crisis, an assertion of hope and power of community knowledge against the adverse consequences of climate change.
10th December
In the morning, a coalition of NGOs - Oxfam, IYCN (Indian Youth Climate Network) and Greenpeace presented Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh with a basket of sweets expressing the hopes of a billion people, on the eve of his departure to Copenhagen for the Climate talks. The NGOs congratulated him on structuring India's official stance on Copenhagen negotiations as mentioned in his Lok Sabha speech. They lent support to Mr.Jairam Ramesh to ensure a FAB (fair, ambitious and binding) deal and urged him to continue showing climate leadership at Copenhagen.
During the day, crowds were entertained and educated by street plays conducted by Pukar and IYCN, which were performed at several locations all over Delhi including District Centre, Janakpuri and the Lifestyle Mall in Rajouri Garden. The theme of the play was climate change. The play started with the problems that are being currently faced by the environment such as air pollution, water pollution, deforestation, weather change, etc. The first point put forth by the group was the change in the patterns of seasons and the high fluctuation in temperature recently. The River Yamuna gradually becoming a naala was a significant example used. The sea level rise at a dramatic rate due to global warming and melting of the glaciers and the concept of acid rain was also explained. Such problems are the reason for the spread of diseases like diarrhea, cancer, asthma etc among the people. The groups made use of famous Bollywood songs as placards like 'Aaj mausam bada baimaan hai' and slogans like 'Act now'.
In the evening, Mr. Saurabh Singh from the Inner Voice Foundation and Ms. Supriya Singh, from the Environmental Defence Fund, were in the Hot Seat and emphasized the danger that development posed to the availability of potable water in Delhi. Their points drove home the fact that unchecked and unregulated development threatens to dry up and poison the nation and that without proper management this problem will turn into a catastrophe. Problems of water pollution, ecology and economy were discussed and debated upon. This talk was followed by a briefing by Mr. Bullu Imam on the destruction caused by coal mining in the Raniganj-Asansol coal belt. In addition to the dangers the mines pose to the water supply, Mr. Imam also pointed out that the mines have been the cause of human displacement and contributed to global warming.
11th December
On a particularly contentious day, even by the vibrant and exothermic standards of the Hot Seat, was the discussion around the science of climate with Mr. Rakesh Bhatt, a corporate scientist, Mr. Dunu Roy from the Hazard Centre Sanchal Foundation and Dr. Arundeep Ahluwalia, the Head of the Department of Geology at Punjab University, Chandigarh.The myths, facts and data of climate science were explored as also the ways in which these myths are used to promote consumerism. Dr. Ahluwalia rubbished the claim that climate change was due to human actions. Mr. Bhatt outlined the politics of climate change wherein fewer scientists and more politicians and businessmen now decide on the negotiations around climate change. Climate science has become a multimillion dollar industry. Mr. Roy defined the poor as “miracles of efficiency” and their ways something to be emulated by the rich in the face of climate change. Population explosion is a big problem and needs to be tackled as well. Mr. Roy also suggested that climate change was an opportunity to get the industrialized nations and the rich to change their habits
12th December
IYCN in collaboration with PUKAR theater group (speak for yourself) organized a street play at India Gate "UNHEARD VOICES" on 12th December 2009. The play emphasized the lack of awareness among people in matter of the environmental problems and the very little action that is being taken.
In coordination with thousands of concerned organizations across the globe, all of the partners behind COP-15 Satyagraha came together to hold a rally as part of the Global Day of Action at Rajghat. Swelling in size as the march headed toward Zakir Hussain College of the University of Delhi, the gathering grew to several thousand participants. Complete with banners, costumed characters, musical instruments and infinite good vibrations, the parade crossed Janpath and continued until it reached Jantar Mantar. There, a “Fabric of Hope” was unfurled and the participants left knowing they had contributed to a global movement to save the planet.
13th December
In the midst of international discussions, realpolitik, economics, science and public policy, it is easy to lose track of the fact that environmental decisions have a very real and very damaging impact on people. To bring some of these people’s voices to Copenhagen and to educate those in attendance, IYCN brought people from vulnerable communities affected by climate change to New Delhi. Joining in to talk about the people in vulnerable communities and how they were struggling, surviving and adapting to climate emergencies and environmental degradation, were Mr. Bulu Imam from the Karanpura Campaign, Mr. Vimal Bhai from the Matu People’s Organization, Ms. Manshi Asher from Himalaya Niti Abhiyan and Dr. Harshyanti Bisht from Save Gangotari.
The discussions centered on the problems farmers face in the harsh environments today. Focusing on food security and future strategies in a degraded future economy, farmers from Himachal shared their ideas, views and woes.
14th December
‘Unheard Voices’ was an interactive performance by costumed characters representing animals. The actors reminded people that flora and fauna do not have any negotiators to represent them, but will live and die based upon the outcome of our climate negotiations. The characters held a mock parliament to illustrate their message.
15th December
The Indian farmers have been hard hit by pollution and climate change. The agricultural sector, with fewer and fewer natural resources has to feed more and more people and farmers have had difficulty feeding themselves and their family. To talk about these difficulties were Mr. Pushpendra Bhai from Bundelkhand, Mr. Ranjan K. Buruah, an IYCN representative in the North East and Dr. S. P. Katyal, an agricultural scientist.
16th December
In the Hot Seat today were Mr. Gopal Krishna from the Water Watch Alliance and Mr. Guman Singh, from Himalaya Niti Abhiyan. They were here to talk about the effectiveness of deals and international treaties. The discussion that followed was both contentious and illuminating. Panel members blamed the present consumerist model, so-called democracy of developed for the present crisis.
In the evening, a film called “Why New Coal” was screened on the Constitution Club lawns. “Why New Coal” was also screened in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) followed by a discussion titled ‘development for whom’ with the panelists Mr. Pushpendra Bhai & Mr. Vimal Bhai.
17th December
Throughout the morning, representatives of IYCN visited various embassies to deliver a note of protest against the governments’ respective climate change policies and negotiating tracks at COP-15. The following embassies were visited- France, Germany, USA and Japan.
Meanwhile, at the Constitution Club, Rapid Response session was organized in which Mr. Vimal Bhai & Mr. Gopal Krishna declared that the failure of COP-15 has shown the hypocrisy of world powers. This was followed by a hot seat session in which the panelists debated the place of industry and the industrialized world in solving climate change. Vijay Menon, a representative from Moserbaer and Mr. Jay Kumar Gaurav, a consultant for clean development industries.
While attacking the West was an accepted paradigm for speakers throughout the camp, during the dynamic and occasionally raucous debate, Mr. Gaurav tried to inject the notion that there was little that activists in India could do about Western international policy. Instead, he suggested that change had to begin at home and that green industry was the key.
After the hot seat, “family voices” session was organized at the same venue with families coming together for the Climate Leadership Workshops and to calculate their carbon footprint and planned to reduce it. As an ice-breaker, the session started with a joint performance of the ‘Climate Cheer’ by IYCN members and the families present at the event. In order to give family members some understanding of the cultural and spiritual attachment to the environment traditionally found in India, the movie ‘Eco Dharma’ was screened.
18th December
On the last day of the camp in response to the failed negotiations at Copenhagen the IYCN team decided to screen “Age of Stupid,” Franny Armstrong’s critically acclaimed drama-documentary-animation hybrid starring Pete Postlethwaite with the support of British Commission. The film asked the question “why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?”