'What's the Big Deal?' performed at UN & Parliament to expose Kyoto, 10.12.03
Sid the Sink | 11.12.2003 19:01 | Ecology | Globalisation | London
London Rising Tide (LRT) took a deep breath and tumbled into its first bout of street theatre on Wednesday December 10th, to show solidarity with grassroots protests at the COP9 climate stitch-up in Milan, and to introduce a surprisingly controversial note of scepticism into many people's rose-tinted take on the Kyoto Protocol.
Here's one participant's report...
LRT dreamt up a short sharp show called 'What's the Big Deal?' (in part an allusion to the current infestation of carbon emissions traders to be found in the Kyoto process), and took it to the UN and the House of Commons. In it, the UN was personified as a huge blue 'Cloak of Resistance', a beautiful creation with the UN logo and the word 'UNethical' painted on it, worn by one of the actors who was standing on a step-ladder to magnify the effect. Nestling inside the Cloak were the various inhabitants of the climate negotiations: a politician (anxious to be painted as Planet Saviour in the Sunday papers), an oil exec-cum-carbon trader, juggling CO2 with the politician, and a compliant green NGO rep carrying a placard reading 'What do we want?' 'Compromise!' 'When do we want it?' 'In due course!', secretly despairing but not wanting to rock the boat.
The action begins with the cataclysmic sounds of climate chaos (courtesy of the excellent cycle sound system), and the entrance of a destitute refugee who has lost her family in flash floods and is looking for shelter. Approaching the Keeper of ther Cloak, she manages to gain entrance only when she agrees to take a job at the McDonald's also inside the climate negotiations which are taking place within. (McDonald's is one of the corporations that have signed up to the UN's Global Compact, which is a way for very dodgy companies to look good by queuing up to have their picture taken with 'Nes'Kofi Annan.)
The refugee then encounters the NGO-er, politician and trader, asking them what they're doing to save the climate. She interrupts the politician and trader, who are busy buying and selling carbon (here in the form of blue balloons with 'CO2' painted on them!). 'Why is it that commodities like carbon can cross borders when you buy and sell them, but people like me get stuck in detention centres at borders?' she asks. 'You lot are the ones who made my house disappear underwater, and now you're dreaming up ways to make money out of pretending to do something about it!'
At this point the exasperated traders appeal to the UN to have this troublemaker expelled from the Cloak, as she is interfering with their work. Cast out, she collapses for a short while, only to recover enough to ask the audience (what there is of it!) what their suggested solutions to the problem might be. She has a bright, angry idea: to pull off the Cloak of Respectability and see what's really behind it. Hearing this, the UN becomes very anxious (in fact so much so that he appeals to the very real policemen watching the show at the UN and Parliament to have her arrested, which of couse they refuse to do). The refugee then proceeds to strip away the cloak to reveal the seedy truth: the UN stands revealed in a pin stripe suit for all to see. The tricky problem of portraying a solution to the problem, (ie. radical social change and community-controlled energy production) is solved by all present (except the Cloak-inhabitants) having a bit of a knees up to some jolly tunes(!)
So, we performed this show twice at the UN, although its employees declined to pop down to watch it - they only appear to have procedures to come downstairs with police protection and accept petitions, so that ruled us out! The boss on the phone (her upstairs, me in reception) had no conception that anyone politically active might reject the existing structures and institutions as ways to effect change, or that anyone could have a problem with the UN 'engaging' with business.
We then did the show once more outside Parliament, to another select gathering of amused coppers and bemused but interested general publics, and that was it. On the upside, we had a laugh and put down a radical marker on the climate justice issue, on the down, it was time-consuming to pull together and hard to engage passers-by more than to take a leaflet. Actually, for me the best parts of it were someone stopping on their bike, asking for more info and showing some interest in getting involved in the future, a very cool security guard who was right on top of the arguments and as supportive as he as able to be, and three teenagers who wished us well once we'd explained that we weren't from some weird cult(!) and had a valid point to make underneath the jokes and fancy dress.
LRT dreamt up a short sharp show called 'What's the Big Deal?' (in part an allusion to the current infestation of carbon emissions traders to be found in the Kyoto process), and took it to the UN and the House of Commons. In it, the UN was personified as a huge blue 'Cloak of Resistance', a beautiful creation with the UN logo and the word 'UNethical' painted on it, worn by one of the actors who was standing on a step-ladder to magnify the effect. Nestling inside the Cloak were the various inhabitants of the climate negotiations: a politician (anxious to be painted as Planet Saviour in the Sunday papers), an oil exec-cum-carbon trader, juggling CO2 with the politician, and a compliant green NGO rep carrying a placard reading 'What do we want?' 'Compromise!' 'When do we want it?' 'In due course!', secretly despairing but not wanting to rock the boat.
The action begins with the cataclysmic sounds of climate chaos (courtesy of the excellent cycle sound system), and the entrance of a destitute refugee who has lost her family in flash floods and is looking for shelter. Approaching the Keeper of ther Cloak, she manages to gain entrance only when she agrees to take a job at the McDonald's also inside the climate negotiations which are taking place within. (McDonald's is one of the corporations that have signed up to the UN's Global Compact, which is a way for very dodgy companies to look good by queuing up to have their picture taken with 'Nes'Kofi Annan.)
The refugee then encounters the NGO-er, politician and trader, asking them what they're doing to save the climate. She interrupts the politician and trader, who are busy buying and selling carbon (here in the form of blue balloons with 'CO2' painted on them!). 'Why is it that commodities like carbon can cross borders when you buy and sell them, but people like me get stuck in detention centres at borders?' she asks. 'You lot are the ones who made my house disappear underwater, and now you're dreaming up ways to make money out of pretending to do something about it!'
At this point the exasperated traders appeal to the UN to have this troublemaker expelled from the Cloak, as she is interfering with their work. Cast out, she collapses for a short while, only to recover enough to ask the audience (what there is of it!) what their suggested solutions to the problem might be. She has a bright, angry idea: to pull off the Cloak of Respectability and see what's really behind it. Hearing this, the UN becomes very anxious (in fact so much so that he appeals to the very real policemen watching the show at the UN and Parliament to have her arrested, which of couse they refuse to do). The refugee then proceeds to strip away the cloak to reveal the seedy truth: the UN stands revealed in a pin stripe suit for all to see. The tricky problem of portraying a solution to the problem, (ie. radical social change and community-controlled energy production) is solved by all present (except the Cloak-inhabitants) having a bit of a knees up to some jolly tunes(!)
So, we performed this show twice at the UN, although its employees declined to pop down to watch it - they only appear to have procedures to come downstairs with police protection and accept petitions, so that ruled us out! The boss on the phone (her upstairs, me in reception) had no conception that anyone politically active might reject the existing structures and institutions as ways to effect change, or that anyone could have a problem with the UN 'engaging' with business.
We then did the show once more outside Parliament, to another select gathering of amused coppers and bemused but interested general publics, and that was it. On the upside, we had a laugh and put down a radical marker on the climate justice issue, on the down, it was time-consuming to pull together and hard to engage passers-by more than to take a leaflet. Actually, for me the best parts of it were someone stopping on their bike, asking for more info and showing some interest in getting involved in the future, a very cool security guard who was right on top of the arguments and as supportive as he as able to be, and three teenagers who wished us well once we'd explained that we weren't from some weird cult(!) and had a valid point to make underneath the jokes and fancy dress.
Sid the Sink
e-mail:
london@risingtide.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.burningplanet.net
Comments
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Text of leaflet handed out/typo correction
12.12.2003 09:50
Second, here's the text of the leaflet given out on the day:
Climate change is the greatest weapon of mass destruction that we face. It is being triggered by us, in the most part, when we burn fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal in our cars, planes, homes and power stations. This burning gives off carbon dioxide (CO2), which has a drastic effect on our upper atmosphere, resulting in the sort of extreme weather we saw earlier this year in Europe and across the world. (In fact, 2003 was the hottest British year since 1659.)
We hear a lot about the importance of the Kyoto Protocol in combating this problem, but unfortunately it’s so full of loopholes that it would scarcely make a dent in it. Kyoto would allow those who are already profiting from the insane, unjust system that we live under to pretend to take positive action by creating a lucrative new market in the buying and selling of these emissions. As the Milan COP9 climate talks draw to a close, here are some arguments why Kyoto is still important, but why mostly it's a disaster.
THE KYOTO PROTOCOL IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE: There has to be some kind of international agreement. Climate chaos is a global problem which needs some kind of global solution. We need a deal that’s supported by all countries, and responds to existing inequalities. Otherwise the rich world will bulldoze everyone else as usual.
The Kyoto Protocol was agreed in 1997 - agreed, but not ratified. Ratification is the crucial step where countries say they'll actually do it. Many people say "yes it's rubbish, but it is a start and we can't afford to waste any more time." But if it gave people the false hope that their leaders and their friends in big business had it all under control using technology and the free market, might it be a step backwards?
...OK - NOW WHY IT’S A TRAVESTY: The targets are crap. The average reduction on 1990 levels is 5.2%, with 3 countries actually negotiating increases. The scientists say we need to reduce emissions by at least 60% on 1990 levels simply to stabilise things. Seeing that the rich world is responsible, we're going to have to cut emissions by up to 90%. 5.2% is a pretty pathetic start even without the loopholes…
Carbon Trading. The greatest weakness of the Protocol may be that it proposed an international commodity market in carbon. This allowed the talks to become dominated by the vested interests of financiers pushing for a new market opportunity on the back of vast creative accounting loopholes:
1. Joint Implementation allows countries to trade their emissions reductions -an accounting fiddle.
2. The Clean Development Mechanism allows rich countries to offset domestic emissions by funding dodgy projects in the third world which claim some vague climate change objective. It's a gift to the logging, nuclear and hydropower corporations.
3. Banking credits. Rich countries can "bank" carbon credits and use them to offset future emissions after 2010. This is a recipe for corruption, future evasions, and rampant carbon speculation.
4. Land use changes and forestry. Countries can offset land use changes and tree planting against their reductions.
5. Air transport and shipping are excluded from the targets. On top of tax-free fuel, it’s another huge incentive for international air transport. Planes are extremely polluting and the fastest growing source of emissions.
6. The Third World is not in it. Any long-term solution must be just and must involve everyone. At the moment it’s a kind of carbon-based colonialism.
7. Who controls it and who polices it?
Implementation is still unresolved, but it's pretty certain that it will remain as it is now: controlled by a small group of powerful rich nations and administered to serve their economic interests.
If implemented, (a big "if"), the actual reduction in emissions achieved over 20 years will be less than the increase in US emissions in just 1999 & 2000.
Aaagh! This is all too depressing! Is there any hope?
So if this is the seedy truth behind the UN/Kyoto cloak of respectability, where does the hope lie? Well, like it or not, it lies with us. While it’s crucial that you cut your own emissions as much as possible, it's also up to communities the world over to both challenge the power structures that are playing havoc with our climate, and to create new structures built on local, diverse, ecological and socially just foundations. People all over the world are doing this already – you may have to dig around a bit to find them, but it’s worth the effort! (For more on grassroots resistance and alternatives to capitalism, see Peoples’ Global Action: www.agp.org See also www.indymedia.org.uk)
This leaflet was brought to you by London Rising Tide:
62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES
Rising Tide UK: www.risingtide.org.uk
Claire Fox's favourite aunt
The sound system was the best bit!
12.12.2003 12:15
yes