Do climate protests make a difference?

Chris Littlecott, 12 December 2007
Subjects:

Here's a future essay topic in the making. ‘Compare and contrast the impact of internet activism and mass demonstrations on the 2007 Bali climate talks'.

We'll soon have a chance to do just that, as the innovative global campaigning organisation Avaaz has launched an ‘emergency global petition' which aims to collect 100,000 signatures before Friday.

They state:

Quote:
Climate negotiations in Bali are in crisis.
Things were looking good till now: near-consensus on a delicate deal, including 2020 targets for rich countries, in return for which China and the developing world would do their part over time. IPCC scientists have said such targets are needed to prevent catastrophe. But Japan, the US and Canada are banding together to wreck the deal, and the rest of the world is starting to waver...

We can't let three stubborn governments throw away the planet's future. We have until the end of Friday to do everything we can. Please sign our emergency global petition below -- we'll deliver it through stunts at the summit, a full-page ad in the Financial Times in Asia, and directly to country delegates to stiffen their nerve against any bad compromise. Add your name to the campaign below now!

"We call urgently for the US, Canada and Japan to stop blocking serious 2020 targets for emissions reductions, and for the rest of the world to refuse to accept anything less."

This new petition follows the protests around the world last Saturday under the banner of the ‘Global Day of Action'. Avaaz were again heavily involved, providing an interactive map of demonstrations, presenting a 545,000 person petition to the UN conference, and helping organise an artistic action on a Bali beach.

The Global Climate Coalition information hub provides a brief report on the success of protests around the world:

Quote:
Actions were held on every continent except for Antarctica, showing a global will for action on climate change. Some nations emerged for the first time as centres of climate activism. In Nepal, 3,000 demonstrated. In Africa, 2,000 Ugandans took to the streets of Kampala and 500 Senegalese marched in Dakar. Over 1,000 mobilized in Delhi and 400 in Bhopal while hundreds participated in smaller events across India.

Established nations mobilized in force once again, with over 7,000 in London, 10,000 in Germany, 10,000 in Taiwan and 4,000 in Belgium. 3,000 attended a demonstration in Toronto and 600 in Vancouver while there were 30 actions throughout Canada. 6,000 people marched in Athens in response to this year's catastrophic forest fires.

Now, when it comes to an impact on government negotiating positions, will these marches have made a difference? In terms of the numbers of participants, these efforts come nowhere close to the turnout for the ‘Stop the War' demonstrations of 2003. London alone saw over 1 million people on its streets back then, but even that couldn't provoke a change in heart from the UK's political leaders.

What hope now for the global climate demonstrators?

This article is published by Chris Littlecott, and openDemocracy.net under a Creative Commons licence. You may republish it with attribution for non-commercial purposes following the CC guidelines. For other queries about reuse, click here. Some articles on this site are published under different terms. No images on the site or in articles may be re-used without permission unless specifically licensed under Creative Commons.