COP-15 Report (12/16/09): ACCO takes the stage as the Bella Center shuts down and negotiations stall
The weather took a nasty turn this day, as temperatures dropped 10 degrees and several inches of snow came down. Interestingly enough, snow in December in Copenhagen is a rarity, so the city was unequipped to treat the roads and sidewalks. This may have been an interesting parallel for how the large attendance at the COP had been handled by the UN and the Danes.
The day started on a fairly ominous tone with 3,000 protesters marching toward the Bella Center (250 of whom were arrested). The Bella Center was locked down for security reasons ... not even negotiating parties could enter. To put it into perspective, members of the U.S. negotiating team were stuck in a nearby hotel while negotiations were supposed to be taking place. The sad irony is that protesters who were trying to convey a message oriented toward protecting the environment had managed to shut down not only the talks that were aimed at doing just that, but also the business conference at which thousands of subnational leaders, non-profit organizations and businesses had hoped to collaborate with one another to develop solutions and opportunities.
Meanwhile, ACCO prepared for its first international event. In conjunction with Climate Spark (a business forum featuring interviews with more than 50 CEOs over the course of the conference), ACCO had scheduled a panel discussion on organizational structures and the role of the climate change officer. The evening seemed to take on the tone of the day, as the host site miscalendered their opening time, turning away visitors who'd been told to come at 6:30 pm. Flexibility was the theme of the week, however, and we pushed the event back to accommodate a later start time [thanks in large part to the flexibility of guest speakers Alice Madden (Chief Climate Advisor to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter) and Steve Westly (former Controller of California and SVP at eBay), who had commitments later in the evening]. Interviews were conducted with Alice and Steve, as well as Bruce Klafter. Clips of the interviews are available below ... unfortunately, the sound was not working properly for the first minute.
Shortly after concluding the ACCO portion of the program, Climate Spark host Michael Mathres asked me to join their program to interview alongside Carbon Disclosure Project CEO Paul Dickinson, Voluntary Carbon Standards Association CEO David Antonioli and Professor Ray Wills, Chief executive of the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association. Unfortunately, that footage is not yet available, but it will be posted shortly.
The day started on a fairly ominous tone with 3,000 protesters marching toward the Bella Center (250 of whom were arrested). The Bella Center was locked down for security reasons ... not even negotiating parties could enter. To put it into perspective, members of the U.S. negotiating team were stuck in a nearby hotel while negotiations were supposed to be taking place. The sad irony is that protesters who were trying to convey a message oriented toward protecting the environment had managed to shut down not only the talks that were aimed at doing just that, but also the business conference at which thousands of subnational leaders, non-profit organizations and businesses had hoped to collaborate with one another to develop solutions and opportunities.
Meanwhile, ACCO prepared for its first international event. In conjunction with Climate Spark (a business forum featuring interviews with more than 50 CEOs over the course of the conference), ACCO had scheduled a panel discussion on organizational structures and the role of the climate change officer. The evening seemed to take on the tone of the day, as the host site miscalendered their opening time, turning away visitors who'd been told to come at 6:30 pm. Flexibility was the theme of the week, however, and we pushed the event back to accommodate a later start time [thanks in large part to the flexibility of guest speakers Alice Madden (Chief Climate Advisor to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter) and Steve Westly (former Controller of California and SVP at eBay), who had commitments later in the evening]. Interviews were conducted with Alice and Steve, as well as Bruce Klafter. Clips of the interviews are available below ... unfortunately, the sound was not working properly for the first minute.
Shortly after concluding the ACCO portion of the program, Climate Spark host Michael Mathres asked me to join their program to interview alongside Carbon Disclosure Project CEO Paul Dickinson, Voluntary Carbon Standards Association CEO David Antonioli and Professor Ray Wills, Chief executive of the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association. Unfortunately, that footage is not yet available, but it will be posted shortly.
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