Copenhagen to Observe a Special Earth Hour in December
Now that I've managed to absorb the the simplified information about the Copenhagen Climate Conference, aka COP15, I'm getting a grasp on the many ancillary programs and activities that are planned concurrently with the conference.
Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Ritt Bjerregaard, (best title, best name, possibly ever, and she's a groovy older lady who wears awesome glasses!) is hosting a gathering of the mayors from large cities around the world as a gesture of support. Well, support and pressure -- they're gathering as a show of strength, to tell state leaders that the citizens of the world expect a decisive action to come out of COP15. You tell 'em, Ritt!
I think one of the coolest events related to the conference is the special Earth Hour the citizens of Copenhagen plan to observe at 7pm on December 16, the day before COP15 concludes. This is their way of demonstrating support for the conference, and also to encourage the world leaders to come to a consensus.
Earth Hour was first observed in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. In 2008, 400 cities participated, and in 2009 4,000 cities took part in the one hour, lights out event. The video above shows cities all over the world shutting off the lights, with music that might get you a little emotional, if you're like that. Not that I'm saying I am, but, sniff, where
The World Wildlife Fund, which sponsors Earth Hour, is asking people to "vote" for the Earth by registering your location on a Google map. They hope to have 1 billion votes by December, to show the attendees of COP15 that people all over the world are unified in our support for a solution to climate change.
We are unified, across a staggering range of socio-economic and cultural divides. I'm excited to see what else comes up before the December 7th start of the conference! Especially from Ritt Bjerregaard, my new favorite mayor -- sorry Gavin!
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