The Climate Conversation

Today the ‘high level segment’ kicked off at COP15. Due to security reasons, the metro station next to the Bella Center was closed which meant delegates had to disembark at the next station ‘Ørestaden’ and walk from there.

A welcoming ceremony, attended by the Prime Minister of Denmark, the Secretary General of the United Nations and other dignitaries, will mark the opening of this segment of COP15, the beginning of high profile climate negotiations that will take place this week.

Outside the Bella Center there is a significant police presence, and inside the centre this translates to security personnel and body guards. On the floor the “green team” walk around in green polo t-shirts. Hired by the Danish Foreign Ministry, they are ready to answer questions about green initiatives in Denmark and sustainability in general.

I spoke to Kristine Madsen, geo-physicist, oceanographers. Part of her job is to measure sea levels in Denmark. I asked about her opinion on the reported risk around rising sea levels. She said: “We gather information about changes in the global sea level, and there is reason to be concerned. In accordance to IPCC (intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) the best guess is that the global sea level will rise 3.5 mm each year causing land to disappear every day. But this doesn’t take the melting icecaps in Greenland into account which means the situation is even more dire.”

One of the more popular side events today was arranged by The Secretariat of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, with Governor of Sao Paulo, Jose Serra, and Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger´s main point was that each individual can help to contribute and make the world more climate friendly. “Don´t leave all the decisions to the politicians, do something yourself!!” he proclaimed.