We are excited to say that, former Bella Energy Project Manager, Alison Brown will be attending and reporting from the Copenhagen Climate Talks. Bella Energy will be periodically posting articles from Alison and her fellow attendees to help keep people updated. Below is their first official press release.

In a few days, policymakers and activists from around the world will be congregating in at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen (COP15) to lay the groundwork for a global treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. Though many countries have not met their targets for green house gas (GHG) emissions reductions, most notable was the failure of the United States to ratify the treaty back in 1997. This time around, with a new, more progressive administration, there is hope that the United States will indeed take on a leadership position in the global struggle against climate change.

However, with a climate bill stalled in the Senate and the world waiting for the US to commit to aggressive GHG emission goals, a binding international treaty is unlikely.  Perhaps, President Obama can use his uncanny ability to forge alliances and create coalitions while speaking at COP15, in order to breach some of the divides between developing and industrialized nations, or between the highest emitters and those most vulnerable to climate impacts.  Nevertheless, if such a deal is not forged this year, COP15 will catalyze a worldwide interest in climate and energy issues before the next UNFCCC a year from now.  Hopefully, people will engage in local and national politics during this time and voice their concerns relating to the environmental, economic, and political consequences associated with climate change.

In light of this momentous conference, hundreds of youth groups from around the world have mobilized to lobby their leaders for action. Because we are likely to experience some of its early impacts within our lifetime, we feel the threat of climate change most acutely and are most committed to finding a solution.  As members of this generation we have formed our own small delegation. Allow us to present ourselves. We are recipients of either a Transatlantic Renewable Energy Fellowship (TREF) or a Robert Bosch Fellowship, and are accredited through the Agents of Change program organized by SustainUS, a non-profit organization advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States.

One of our principal goals at the conference will be to attend many events in which innovative strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation will be presented, and to make lasting connections with activists from around the world.  This will include learning about schemes to combat deforestation, water scarcity, transportation emissions, and the spread of diseases.  Another goal is to provide digestible and up-to-date information on COP15 as it happens for the general public.  Three of our members (Alison Brown, Emily McGlynn and Michael Machala) have already begun compiling a blog at http://renewableadvocates.wordpress.com, which chronicles events leading up to COP15 and their thoughts and plans for the summit.

Kenyon College graduate and TREF fellow Michael Machala researches low-cost solar cells and is looking forward to connecting with delegations from developing countries where this technology could have a significant impact. “I plan to meet up with people involved in the Asian Youth Climate Movement to discuss the unique challenges we face in our respective countries in combating climate change and promoting energy security, and to share how we can work together to achieve our goals. I believe it is necessary for developed, wealthy nations such as the US to be leaders in curbing GHG emissions and to financially support emerging economies, like those of Asia, in integrating renewable energy.  Doing so could help prevent them from continuing to build up their energy infrastructures on cheap, dirty and limited fossil fuels, avoiding the same mistakes we have made.”

Many of us are currently involved in projects that have direct relevance to COP15. One of the TREF fellows, Emily McGlynn, is working under IPCC co-chair Dr. Ottmar Edenhofer on a report that will be presented at the conference. It analyzes the most economically efficient ways to include the transport sector in any emissions trading scheme, such as the EU scheme and the proposed US program currently being debated on the floor of the Senate. Given that as much as 33% of emissions in the United States are generated by the transport sector, and that mobility rates in the rest of the world are rising, it is crucial to include it in an effective strategy.

All of us have witnessed the effects of bold measures taken by German and other European authorities with regards to energy efficiency, renewable energy development, and sustainable transportation, particularly rail. We are deeply disappointed in the United State’s past level of participation in these international agreements. Brooke Heaton, a Bosch Fellow currently working for the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, appropriately sums up our high hopes for our role in the conference: “I hope to help encourage international consensus on an ambitious global commitment to reduce emissions, and to pave the road for a clean energy economy for my generation and future generations.”

Note: the members of this group include Frederique Siegel, Peden Harris, Michael Machala, Bridget Wandelt, Emily McGlynn, and Alison Brown on the TREF fellowship, as well as Bosch past and present fellows Brooke Heaton and Brian Marrs.

The writer of this article, Frederique Siegel, is a graduate of Columbia University, and is currently working for the regional planning agency of Greater Stuttgart, where she is involved in a Climate Change vulnerability study for the region.

Tags: Bella News, Cop15