Copenhagen, Denmark- Here is a glimpse of the opening action surrounding COP15, the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the most environmentally friendly countries. Copenhagen's Metro goes right to it, carrying world leaders, NGO representatives and journalists shoulder to shoulder.

Photo: Colin

This is the notorious and ongoing sequel to 1997's Kyoto Protocol. The lavish congregation of world leaders and organizations, lobbyists and journalists, that for some ensures that we are taking steps towards a brighter, more vascular-friendly future, but for others, represents the heavy-spending, all-show-no-go which has typified conferences like this in the past. As we get this giant, geometric, doodle-ball logo rolling, NGOs, corporations, journalists, special-interest groups and governments hold their breath waiting to see if the convention's plan forms into something as impressive as it's budget.

After the half-hour, shoulder-to-shoulder train ride, the metro doors burst open with a wave of laptops, badges and direct-feed television cameras. The relieved train pulls off into the distance leaving behind a long line of shiny equipment and credentials waiting to contribute and observe.

Streams of people from all over the world file through the airport-like security, pushing past those handing out flyers and newspapers, until they reach the flyer and newspaper mecca. Booth after booth of countries, NGO's, private organizations, interest groups, data collectors and so on obstruct their passage to the main event. People are picked off one by one by the booth operators until the swarm of badges thins and the pace quickens towards the main event.

COP 15 participants at the meeting hall. Photo: Colin

But the easy-going simplicity of the calm, white hallways and orderly direction signs is short-lived, and the hallway opens into what seems to be an airplane hanger, adorned with trees and banners forming a canopy of glass and green over the sprawl of demonstrators, security, and laptop jockeys. It's truly an experience and evokes hope for this climate crisis. If all these influential people from all over the world care about this issue, maybe we can pull together and resolve it.

However, after making it into the Tycho Brahe plenary, attendees face a bigger problem: finding a seat. The room is packed with cameras a-flashing and pencils and pens a-scribbling. Many bite the bullet and set their notepads and themselves on the floor in front of the chairs, where the giant hi-def displays rigged up over the podium make seeing the action no challenge.

Attendees listen to the proceedings through headphones attached to a remote-control type device that can change the discussion in one's ear from low, hesitant English to fast, determined Spanish and so on, giving one a comforting sense of control over the proceedings. Welcome to the COP15 ladies and gentlemen, set the language to the language of your choosing and press play on your remotes! It's time to start saving the planet!

-Colin King in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Note: Colin King is majoring in English with Media Studies/Journalism at Kalamazoo College, Michigan, USA and spending this semester in Copenhagen, Denmark. Because of his deep personal interest in energy policy and climate change, he will be reporting exclusively for USNepalOnline.com before and during the COP15 conference being held there.

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