December 12th

Hi everyone,

Saturday was perhaps most of the most historic days I have ever lived through.

It began with attending the Bright Green Forum that is being hosted December 12th -13th. When I got to the Forum, I went to the speaker section where I entered just as Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke took stage. He expressed the need both the challenges and opportunities that climate change presents to the private sector. He also regurgitated that US stance on carbon reductions. The current plan to reduce CO2 emissions 17% below 2005 levels by 2025, which is 3% below 1990 levels, and 80% reduction by 2050. I hate say that is not very encouraging from any perspective who realizes that this is the United States, the country the world is keeping their eyes on as a leader for taking a strong stance against climate change. This sends a message of a lack of urgency, and the only hope is that Barack Obama on the December 18th raises the reduction levels high and make them much more ambitious. Because the EPA has officially declared the six GHG as threat to public heath,that gives Obama's administration much more leverage in respect to not have to depend on legislation to be passed through the senate. We will have to wait and see.

The Bright Green Forum has over 170 of the world's leading companies showing their cutting-edge climate solutions. For 3 hours after Locke's presentation, I was talking to business leaders from big brand companies to new and emerging one about internships and job opportunities in China as well as trying to promote Yunnan EcoNetwork (the Chinese NGO) and the Biogas Carbon Offset (BCO). It was absolutely amazing. The keyword the separated myself from the crown when when I introduced myself. It is the last word of the sentence where I said "I am studying Environmental Studies and Chinese." The aspect of Caucasian studying Chinese with a passion and interested in sustainability was a key advantage and a huge ice breaker. I met with companies and non-profits such as the Bureau for International Recycling, Dell, General Electric, U.S Green Building Council and World Building Council, U.S Department of Commerce, China Power International New Energy Holding Ltd.,Masdar, Vaisala, and Argonne. I wish I had time to go and explain about these companies and non-profits, so I please send me an email or lets arrange a time to meet back in Seattle.

The major event of the day was the public demonstration. There was an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 participants who joined a long march from Christiansborg Slotsplads (Castle Square) southward to the Bella Center. From news reports there were delegates and observers from nearly 200 nations who gathered to seek a consensus There were a broad coalition of hundreds of environmental groups, human rights campaigners, climate activists, anti capitalists from dozens of countries. The climate demonstration began at 1:00 PM with speakers and the march started at 2:00 PM. I arrived about 2:45 and the march was massive. I wanted out of the subway station and was in encircled in the march. There was signs saying 'There is no Planet B, ' 'Change the Politics, Not the Climate,' and 'Nature Doesn't Compromise'. There was police standing in front of large corporation buildings and fast food chains such as McDonalds and KFC to stop an anti-sentiment of throwing rocks and stones at the windows. However, there was little radical protestors. I never came across any. Since I didn't represent an organization officially, I just walked into the march and walked ahead to see the different organizations present and find anyone I knew. During this time, I was realizing that I was part of history. I had been told that 100,000 were participating in this march. In the US, 15,000 to 30,000 participants is a huge deal. This was unlike any other in sense of the amount of people from all over the world marching on a common cause. It was universal. My hope as I saw the helicopter over all filming us crowds of people, that the politicians including Barack Obama see that they world wants 'A REAL DEAL' with a Strong, Ambitious Climate Change Agreement. I saw multiple groups such as GreenPeace, 350, a Tibetan Group, Oxfam International, the Socialdemonkraterne.dk, and SFUNGDOM to name off a few. The streets were crammed pack and people were waving from their windows in support. Media and photographers climbed up a light poles designed as ladders to try to capture the moment. It was absolutely freezing the afternoon but everyone's spirits were high. It was amazing to be part of something that the whole world was watching and to make a stance for something I firmly believed in with a hundred thousand other people. I can't say enough about. It sent chills down my back just realizing what I was engaged in at very second. I was fortune enough to find friends from the 350 organization who I met during the China-US youth workshop. I got to join in their chants to engage the public and received a 350 sticker (in French, there were out of English copies).

The night was absolutely freezing. When we made it to the Bella Center, we waited for for another half hour until the speakers come forth. A stage was set up for more speeches. One speaker railed against nuclear power, and another against genetically modified food. The message that they said they would take away from this march was that the world wants 'A REAL DEAL' and they will push for a reduction of 25% to 40% by 2025.

I was disappointed at the end because he had started off in exuberance seemed to fizzle out. It was like an anticlimax. There was no one in charge or closure. It was just a round of English and Danish speakers. They they started speaking Danish, I decided to leave because it was too cold to listen to something I couldn't understand. However, the whole experience overall was very positive.