Day 2 - Finding my feet and KlimaForum

Wednesday 9th Dec. I spent between the Bella Centre and central Kopenhavn (Copenhagen). Found myself a replacement camera (evidence below!) and Klimaforum09, the People's Climate Forum which is running an inspiring alternative program of debates, exhibitions, lectures, creative workshops, movies and music (check out www.klimaforum09.org and choose English).

Bella Centre - Fascinating Indigenous panel on '..Solutions and Implications of the Present State of Negotiations' run by Tebtebba, the indigenous people's international centre for policy research and education. Kenyan Joseph Ole Simel explaining mobility as a pillar of survival for African pastoralists in the face of prolonged drought and conflict over resources; Patricia Cochran, Alaskan Native Science Commission hailed Obama's recent meeting with US tribal leaders a step in the right direction and described how ice retreat exposes 85% Alaskan villages to coastal erosion with many facing relocation. Tarcila Rivera Zea from Peru spoke of the effects of climate change on indigenous women - loss of natural resources, sovereignity and food security and recent deaths of 125 children living over 4000 metres.
Moved by Sarimin Boengkih, from 400x60km New Caledonia: "Sea leves are rising and destroying the land - people belong to the land, so when they lose the land they lose their identity and the species they live on every day. So, what to do when the sea rises, when cyclones hit stronger and more often? We need to transfer knowledge, hope for life on quieter land, save species and find new ways of cultivation to save water. My people have lived for hundreds of thousands of years without hurting the earth. Now we need to relocate our people and rescue our culture."

Klimaform - Good discussions with Judit Szoleczky from INFORSE, the International Network for Sustainable Energy (photo below on the left).
The fine gentleman in the middle is Benki Ashaninka from the Redepovosda Floresta in Brazilian rainforest.