Groggy delegates and observers arriving today in Barcelona for the final round of negotiations prior to Copenhagen [2] were welcomed by TckTckTck’s cacophony of 1,000 ringing alarm clocks piercing the morning air in front of the Fira Gran Via conference hall.
The chattering alarm clocks served as a literal “wake up call” to the climate negotiators, many of whom veered off the path to the front door to snap pictures and watch the action as TckTckTck and 350.org [3] activists posed for the media cameras. Barcelona is the last chance for negotiators to find consensus on critical elements necessary to forge a legally binding international agreement in Copenhagen.
“We stand here today united to tell our leaders that time is running out to agree on a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal,” TckTckTck Campaign Director Ben Margolis told the assembled crowd.
“Real money must be put on the table now by rich nations to ensure that the people in the poorest countries who are suffering the most from climate change and who are the least responsible [for the problem] are able to adapt to this growing crisis,” said Margolis.
“Delay is not an option, delay kills,” he said.
At the top of this post, watch our campaigns manager Ben Margolis and the TckTckTck activists today in Barcelona (with the ringing alarm clocks audible in the background).
Perhaps in a nod to the TckTckTck campaign, U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer said in his opening remarks at the conference that “the clock has almost ticked down to zero.” The few moments left to reach agreement on major areas of contention prior to Copenhagen “need to be used wisely,” he said.
Stay tuned for more news from Barcelona as the week progresses.
Links:
[1] http://tcktcktck.org/files/stories/4068166802_6ebb7b0be5_3.jpg
[2] http://tcktcktck.org/events/major-moments/barcelona-climate-talks-5-days-cop
[3] http://www.350.org