Yes, there are police sirens all over the city. Yes, there are activists being arrested everyday. And, yes, today the police fired tear gas at a group of activists who were trying to “Stop the Cop”.
It’s the conflict between police and protesters, and the poor Danish logistics (long lines at the door of the Bella Centre), that are getting the bulk of the headlines now. But that’s not what the media should be reporting. That’s the easy stuff.
What they should be focusing on is the message that is being conveyed by the protests, and how that supports the demands of some of the smallest and most vulnerable countries in the world. They should be talking about what’s going on inside.
In Copenhagen, we are seeing the immoral posturing of some of the richest nations in the world, in the face of the plight of real people and the earth’s life support system, and at a time when these rich nations must urgently shake off their complacency. Rich nations, including Australia, continue with the mantra that India and China are not negotiating. If the media report the actual negotiations at all, it seems to be reporting this line.
In 2008-09, governments and central banks across the world bailed out the global financial industry with US$7,223 billion of taxpayers’ money. Does anyone remember this? And yet, the same governments are sitting down in Copenhagen to solve the most important crisis facing humanity and seem to be cemented into useless positions. Apparently they cannot raise the US$140 billion per year it would take to break the deadlock. There’s an enormous inconsistency here.
Take the US – the worst offender. America has the biggest carbon debt on the planet, is the second biggest current C02 emitter, has never ratified the Kyoto protocol, and is the world’s biggest economy. The US has brought the worst target to the table of all the major developed countries (yes, even Australia’s and Canada’s are better). The US has put no money on the table and are stonewalling by saying they can do nothing until the Congress acts. How is this helpful in a “negotiation”?
The protesters represent the voices of billions of people around the world who are demanding clear and immediate action on climate change. The media needs to lift its game.
