Youth Group Frustration

 

Having met a few Danes in Copenhagen, there is an overall decline in optimism amongst youth groups about what the pending COP15 results will be. The Danish youth group about 30 students between the ages of 17 and 30 went into this conference excited their country’s capital would be hosting the COP that would finally cause countries to make serious commitments to climate change. Today, as the Summit has progressed, countries remain inconclusive over reductions and caps for scattered time frames. This inaction I believe is both frustrating for the youth as well as the politicians.
Heads of State (such as Obama) are arriving from many countries for the concluding days of the COP. In reaction to these arrivals, the Danish government today replaced Connie Hedegaard, Climate Minister of Denmark, with their own head of state Lars Loekke. This political formality has discouraged the youth as they believe a better and more conclusive COP lies with Hedegaard. An additional blow to the disheartened Danish youth group has been as they put it, “our own country’s weak ambitions lack progression” especially as host of the COP. Other grumbles from the youth include concerns that conferences delay and once they are confronted, there is no agreed conclusion. Lastly, they are not pleased the heads of state will be leaving the Bella Center (location of the conference) tomorrow, to travel and have dinner at the Danish Queens castle, instead of staying to resolve issues in the dwindling time.
To see the declining energy and rising frustration from the youth group here in Copenhagen has made a couple of things clear: discussions are easy; policies are difficult; implementation and action are almost impossible. It has made an impact on me as an observer to see disappointment even in the students who live in a country at the forefront of sustainability. Keep this in mind fellow Americans.

Benjamin Ross ’10

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