A short story about Claire Arthur, an activist who decided to deliver a giant 'good luck' to Gordon Brown this week after hearing that he intended to go to December's UN climate talks in Copenhagen.
When Oxford resident and activist Claire Arthur heard the news last week that Gordon Brown intends to go to Copenhagen in December for the hugely important UN climate change negotiations, the 25-year-old felt inspired.
With a little help from some friends Claire used her artistic flair to create a giant ‘good luck’ card for Gordon Brown, urging him to do all he could to secure a new, binding world deal to combat climate change.
The card features dozens of messages from Oxford residents who feel equally moved to ask that the Prime Minister set an example by traveling to Copenhagen on train – rather than plane – before leading the negotiations on a successor to the Kyoto Treaty.
Claire said: “The fact that climate change is having such a huge impact on people’s lives around the world already has made me think twice about how we talk and think about the issue.
“This year is vitally important for securing a global climate deal that puts people at its heart.
“There is a lot of stalling and a lot of slow progress, but the good news is that Gordon Brown is saying he intends to go to Copenhagen and is calling on other world leaders to go as well.
“I was talking about this with my housemates the other night and we really wanted to do something. We decided to make a ‘Good luck in Copenhagen’ card and I have had it signed by friends and colleagues with lovely messages – like asking for a 40 per cent [carbon] cut by 2020 that scientists are saying is such a big part of making a deal safe.”
Claire delivered the card to 10 Downing Street on Monday afternoon (28th September) and hopes that it will inspire Gordon Brown to not only go to Copenhagen, but to make sure that the talks there do not become another missed opportunity.
With a little help from some friends Claire used her artistic flair to create a giant ‘good luck’ card for Gordon Brown, urging him to do all he could to secure a new, binding world deal to combat climate change.
The card features dozens of messages from Oxford residents who feel equally moved to ask that the Prime Minister set an example by traveling to Copenhagen on train – rather than plane – before leading the negotiations on a successor to the Kyoto Treaty.
Claire said: “The fact that climate change is having such a huge impact on people’s lives around the world already has made me think twice about how we talk and think about the issue.
“This year is vitally important for securing a global climate deal that puts people at its heart.
“There is a lot of stalling and a lot of slow progress, but the good news is that Gordon Brown is saying he intends to go to Copenhagen and is calling on other world leaders to go as well.
“I was talking about this with my housemates the other night and we really wanted to do something. We decided to make a ‘Good luck in Copenhagen’ card and I have had it signed by friends and colleagues with lovely messages – like asking for a 40 per cent [carbon] cut by 2020 that scientists are saying is such a big part of making a deal safe.”
Claire delivered the card to 10 Downing Street on Monday afternoon (28th September) and hopes that it will inspire Gordon Brown to not only go to Copenhagen, but to make sure that the talks there do not become another missed opportunity.
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Hide the following 7 comments
Fundamentally flawed
01.10.2009 15:39
The assumption that Gordon Brown a.) gives a shit about saving people and the planet and b.) has any power to contribute to ending climate change in a global corpocracy is pure magical thinking.
The system of capitalism is primarily for the elite. It is an effective means to redistribute wealth and power from us to them. This is why in 2009 10% of people now own 90% of all wealth. It is no coincidence that this divide has rapidly increased in the past 25 years of unbridled free market capitalism.
In order to get people to accept this economic order, we are peddled the ideology of unlimited economic growth, despite living in a world of increasing resource scarcity. This propaganda is needed to hoodwink people into accepting eternal wealth distribution from poor to rich, under the proviso that one day the poor will also be rich.
The threat of global warming and economic collapse both of which are side effects of capitalism, are undermining it's veneer of legitimacy.
COP15 is about heading off a crisis of legitimacy; a new economic framework for capitalism which will instantiate carbon markets and carbon offsetting. Those who can afford to pollute can, whilst offsetting is a sleight of hand to absolve corporations of environmental responsibility under the false proviso that they are helping the economically dispossessed.
Welcome to new world trade agreements, welcome to the new world order.
Anonymous
alternatives
01.10.2009 17:23
Keith
Long Live the Government
01.10.2009 17:31
David Cameron
I think we all agree
01.10.2009 18:11
Annie Citizen
great publicity stunt!
01.10.2009 20:44
There is a place for violent direct action against those in power and a place for things like this.
Nice one to the people involved in this, you got off your arses and did something positive instead of being armchair whingers.
@non
corrections
02.10.2009 08:21
There is no such thing as "joe public"
No one was suggesting "violent action against those in power"
Stopping for a moment, reading some books, thinking about stuff, discussing it with those around you,
engaging in debate etc is not "armchair whingeing". You have no idea about others activity.
Anon
reply to Anon
02.10.2009 16:45
I think we all know what I mean by that
> No one was suggesting "violent action against those in power"
No, that was something I was suggesting can be a good idea at times. The point being that violent action and fluffy PR stunts aren't mutually exclusive.
> Stopping for a moment, reading some books, thinking about stuff, discussing it with those around you,
engaging in debate etc is not "armchair whingeing". You have no idea about others activity.
I think you doth protest too much! I wasn't saying the commenters here were armchair whingers, far from it. I was just applauding the people who did this action for not being armchair whingers.
@non