Thursday: A Positive Note

As I think my previous posts have indicated, there is a pronounced lack of optimism around the ability of this conference to effectively deal with climate change. Still, I have had some encouraging experiences this week, and I'd like to describe one of those in a little detail:

I mentioned on Monday that I had met Mr. Franklin Cownie, Mayor of Des Moines, at a presentation by member mayors of Local Governments for Sustainability, an organization of over 1000 world mayors working to substantially reduce carbon emissions associated with cities. They argue that cities are responsible for about 75% of total carbon emissions, and that this being the case, cities should be intimately engaged in the issues of climate change. Additionally, the group has laid out a "Local Government Climate Roadmap" which calls for greater participation of local governments in climate negotiations and 40% reductions in CO2 emissions by 2020 in developed nations. Most importantly, they stand ready to take action on climate change so that developed nations can reach their reduction goals. Indeed, they have already begun to do so.

On Wednesday, I was able to attend another event hosted by this group, and again, I was impressed. One of the best things about the organization's argument is that it is supported by local governments' experience working with the already apparent effects of climate change. The mayor of Melbourne spoke about the growing headache of droughts and dust storms in his city. The mayor of Seattle worried about the effects dwindling water supplies could have there. And most shockingly, a regional governor from Mandera, Kenya told of lost livestock and hungry villagers brought on by growing water scarcity in his area. With their eyes opened to the possible devastation of climate change, these local governments recognize the consequences of unmitigated climate change. This recognition had led members of Local Governments for Sustainability to take substantial action and to demand the same from the international community.

My optimism, then, stems from the hope that, even if the Copenhagen negotiations fail, local action can succeed where our national leaders have failed. With growing local initiatives such as the Western Climate Initiative or the Chicago Climate Exchange, we're already seeing some of the local leadership we would need. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, though.