Post-Copenhagen, coping and Christmas
Tom Bragg at the Copenhagen demonstration, Sat 12th Dec 2009
The outcome from Copenhagen has left many of us reeling. It’s hard to find words to express the mixed emotions of shock, rage, depression and despair.
How to cope? What next? What to say over the Christmas pud and sprouts to relatives who are still chatting about their weekends in Barcelona or try to cheer you up with reassurances that ‘at least it’s a start’. It can be hard to convey to uncomprehending friends and relations what the result means for people from the Small Island States and Central Africa; hard also to explain what this means to those of us who have worked so hard over the last few years to raise public awareness and swing support behind the need for action.
We shouldn’t be surprised by our emotions: people have described an enormous range of feeling to me over the last week: numbness, cynicism, anger, avoidance, fear and hopelessness probably top the list. We need to find space to share our reactions, talk through our feelings, find solidarity with each other and think through strategy and tactics for the coming months, in regard to both campaigning and personal carbon reduction.
Alex Randall, UNFairPlay volunteer, representing Kiribati, an island state already at risk from rea level rise but too poor to send a full delegation.
Watch this space for news of meetings in the New Year where we will be discussing how to move forward. And in the meantime, enjoy your Christmas celebrations, hold on to our principles of good communication (listen, explore, challenge, reward) and see how many of your unconvinced relatives you can warmly welcome into the worlds of low-carbon living and action on climate change.
