COP 15 pt 2

Amidst the insanity that is my personality, this big deal climate conference is happening in my backyard. This is what I'm thinking....

Monday night after our verbal Danish exam, I wandered around the city with friends from my class. This city has turned into a walking exhibit on climate change. In Radhusplasden, this campaign set up by the city called Hopenhagen has set up a giant globe, and is sponsoring concerts every night (heard a cool Danish band Nephew with Vesela). In one of the plazas in the city center WWF set up an exhibit on climate change in the Arctic, complete with a tent for speakers, and a polar bear made of ice that once it melts is just a skeleton. Kongens Nytorv has the photo exhibit of 100 places to remember (places that are effected by climate change), and a display on Climate Change from Space, where someone (forget who) is going to release a satellite that will measure climate change effects. Near the Central Train Station in a conference center is KlimaForum, which is a conference for the people, by the people, complete with lectures, discussions, concerts, films so that everyone who came for COP15 has something to distract ourselves with while we wait for a verdict next Friday.

Saturday there was a big demonstration, starting at Christiansbourg slot, where my friends and I hung out for a couple hours listening to speakers and seeing everyone who showed up to pressure their leaders to make stringent policy for climate change. We bailed because we were cold, but everyone else marched all the way to Bella Center on the island of Amagar where COP15 is actually taking place.

Once again, it is very weird to have lived in Copenhagen for the past few months, consider it my home, having a life and wandering around the city or chilling in bars with my friends like normal, and then seeing all these travelers and officials here just for the conference. I haven't seen the city this crowded since Christmas Beer Day. This is one of the most bizarrest moments of my living in Europe.