TckTckT
07 DECEMBER 09
POSTED BY:RICHARD GRAVES
TckTckTck campaign delivers 10,000,000 strong petition for a fair, ambitious, and binding climate deal in Copenhagen.
The hopes of ten million people for a fair, ambitious, and binding climate deal in Copenhagen were delivered today by the TckTckTck campaign. Young people from around the world handed over the petition to the UN’s top climate official Yvo de Boer and Danish Climate Minister and President of COP15 Connie Hedegaard, following the leader’s opening press conference on the first day.
The young people held boxes representing the building blocks of a real climate deal and handed over a collection of blocks from the iconic Danish company, Lego, to symbolize the missing element needed for a global deal, public pressure. The petition is the largest climate petition ever delivered and is one of the biggest petitions in history, demonstrating the broad support that a climate deal has from citizens of countries from all over the world.
Although the number of people that had signed the petition is a staggering figure, what really captivated the crowd was the short speech by Leah Wickham, 24, of Fiji, who spoke on the “hopes and dreams” of the ten million people that had signed the petition. Her heartfelt talk silenced the room and brought many close to tears. She said how small island nations like her own are on the frontline of climate change and she pled to the top officials to secure an agreement that would protect her country, her people’s culture and livelihoods, and their very dreams for their children.
Leah said the Copenhagen climate treaty, “represents our hopes and dreams for all the generations that will be…Fifty years from now, my children will be raising their own families and it is my biggest hope that they will still be able to call our islands home.” Tearfully, she told of the struggle her people are facing every day but she said that, “In the end, climate change will not discriminate.” As President Nasheed of the Maldives has said, “If the world can’t save the Maldives today, it might be too late to save London, New York or Hong Kong tomorrow.
That is why the more than 220 leading civil society organizations from the environmental, development, labor, and health field have come together as part of the TckTckTck campaign to mobilize people around the world to call for a fair, ambitious, and binding treaty. A treaty that not only will protect vulnerable countries like Leah’s today but also provide a secure tomorrow for all countries and peoples around the world.
The call didn’t go unheard, as Yvo de Boer and Minister Hedegaard responded to the call for civil society and Leah’s powerful speech. Minister Hedegaard said that this petition and support of the 10 million people that the petition represents will be the key to holding politicians to their promises to negotiate a deal in Copenhagen saying “I think you have made the political price for heading home empty-handed so high that no one will be willing to pay this.”
Yvo de Boer responded, “This is not just about UN decisions and treaties, this is about people, culture, and countries’ survival. The talking needs to stop and the action needs to begin.“ He closed with what 10 million people had been hoping to hear, saying “I promise we will deliver on the action.”
Now that the pledge has been delivered, what next? We can promise to deliver the action back home in our communities, by showing the world is ready for a real deal.
TAGS: CAMPAIGN STORIES
ck has experienced unprecedented growth in the number and variety of partners coming together in our global call to action. Recent additions to the partnership include the following organizations that span faith, labour, environmental and humanitarian groups from around the world. Their work is inspiring and will inspire you, learn more by exploring their sites.
- 1Sky
- 350.org
- ACT Responsible
- ActionAid International
- Africa2Green
- Age of Stupid
- Alliance for Climate Education (ACE)
- Alpe Adria Green
- Amnesty International
- AMYCOS-ONGD
- Apollo Alliance
- AQVIVA
- Ashoka’s Youth Venture
- Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale (AQOCI)
- Atmosforests
- AVAAZ.org
- BeThatChange
- BirdLife International
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International
- Campus Progress
- CAN International
- Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
- Canadian Youth Climate Coalition
- Canadian Youth Climate Coalition – Powershift
- Canadians for Action on Climate Change
- Carbon Danger
- Carbonfund.org
- CARE
- Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)
- Centre for Social Markets
- China Dialogue
- Christian Aid
- Christian World Service
- CIDSE
- CIEDM: California Institute of Environmental Design & Management
- CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
- Climate Coalition (Belgium)
- Climate Counts
- Climate Justice Fast!
- Conservation International
- Consider Us
- Consumers International
- Copenhagen Climate Council
- Costa Rica Neutral
- CPAWS (Make Forests Count)
- Dana Mitra Lingkungan (Resource Foundation for Environment)
- David Suzuki Foundation
- Denmark.net
- Dogwood Initiative
- E3G
- Eco y Voz A.C. (Radio Mente Abierta)
- Eco-union
- EISI
- Environmental Media Association
- Equilibrium
- Equiterre
- Ethical Consumer Magazine
- European Journalism Centre
- Faiths United for Sustainable Energy (FUSE)
- FAQDD (Fonds d’action québécois_pour le développement durable)
- Federation of Environmental and Ecological Diversity for Agricultural Revampment and Human Rights (FEEDAR & HR)
- Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade International (FAST)
- Footprint Friends
- Footprint Network
- For My Sake! (Earth Reformers Foundation)
- France Nature Environment
- Friendship Ambassador Foundation
- Ghana National Youth Coalition on Climate Change (GNYCCC)
- Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
- Global Green
- Global Humanitarian Forum
- Global Movement for Children
- Global voluntary Development Association (GVDA)
- Global Warming and Climate Change Initiatives for the International Youth Council
- GlobalGiving
- Goodness500
- GREEN Alpe Adria
- Green Thing
- Greenheart Project
- Greening the Beige
- Greenpeace International
- Grønn Hverdag (Green living)
- Healthcare Without Harm
- Helpage International
- Iceland Nature Conservation Association
- IndyACT – The League of Independent Activists
- INEX – International Network for Educational Exchange
- Interfaith Power and Light: Regeneration Project
- International Center for Sustainable Development & Environmental Studies (ICSDS)
- International Council for Adult Education
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
- International Federation of the Red Cross
- International Institute for Environment and Development
- International Tibet Support Network
- International Youth Council
- Jaringan Hijau Mandiri
- Julie’s Bicycle
- Kiko – Make the Rule
- Kiko Network
- Klima Klub
- Kyoto2 Support Group
- L’Ultimatum Climatique
- Make Poverty History
- MERCY Malaysia
- METIS Global Awareness Network
- Millennium ART
- Movement for Children and Youth Welfare
- Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC)
- NEKTARINA NPO
- New World Hope Organization
- Norwegian Church Aid
- Noticias Positivas
- "Ocean eXchange"> the GEO Project"
- OceanHealth.Org
- Oxfam GB
- Oxfam International
- Pacific Conference of Churches
- PASUMAI THAAYAGAM (Green Motherland)
- Peace and Collaborative Development Network
- Pensons Climat/ Think Climate
- People’s Climate Action
- People’s Initiative for Learning and Community Development (PILCD)
- Peopletech
- PGA Green
- Plan International
- Plant-for-the-Planet
- Practical Action
- Presencia Ciudadana
- Project Survival Pacific
- Rainforest Action Network
- Raising Awareness on Environment and Climate Change Program
- Raising Awareness on Environment and Climate Change Program (RAECP)
- Realizing Rights
- RESET – For A Better World
- Rock The Earth
- Sandbag Climate Campaign
- Save the Children
- Solar Generation
- Sri Lanka-United Nations Friendship Organisation (SUNFO)
- Stichting Dolphinmotion
- StopGlobalWarming.org
- Survival International
- Sustainable Environment & Ecological Development Society (SEEDS India)
- Sustainable Sanctuary Coalition of Greater Kansas City
- www.climatecountdown.org"">SustainUS
- TakingITGlobal
- Team Earth
- Tearfund
- Tebtebba
- The Climate Institute
- The Converging World
- The Corporate Leaders’ Group on Climate Change
- The Green Initiative
- The Pachamama Alliance
- The Pew Trust
- The Rainforest Initiative
- The Women for a Change International Foundation
- This Place 09
- Trade Union Advisory Committee
- Transparency International
- Treehugger
- UN Seal the Deal
- Unión de Grupos Ambientalistas (Network of environmental groups)
- Union of Concerned Scientist
- Unite for Climate/UNICEF
- United Nations (Regional Information Centre for Western Europe)
- United Nations Volunteers
- universe-projects international w.l.l
- US Climate Action Network (USCAN)
- Vitae Civilis
- Wechselwelle
- WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organzing)
- Wildlife Conservation Society
- Women’s Environment and Development Organization
- World Climate Community
- World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP)
- World Council of Churches
- World Mayors Council on Climate Change (WMCCC)
- World Resources Institute
- World Student Community for Sustainable Development
- World Vision
- World Vision Australia
- WWF International
- www.labor4sustainability.org/
- Xanvil – Cultura y Ecología
- Youth and United Nations Global Alliance (YUNGA)
- Youth Engagement in Sustainibility (YES) Nepal
- Youth Partnership for Peace and Development