BLUEPEACE blog

Outside the venue of Klimaforum09, the Peoples’ Climate Summit which is being held in parallel to the COP15, a young man named Koen from Brussels stood with his bicycle. Koen told Bluepeace about he and his friends’ journey in a go-cart from Belgium to Copenhagen.

From the coast of Belgium the group reached Lubeck in Germany. From there they made a boat journey to Malmö in Sweden, and travelled on land again to Copenhagen. Koen told us they were promoting zero carbon transport. They have a facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=176272729479

Koen said when they were going from town to town in the go-cart it drew the attention of the people who stopped by to strike a conversation. Koen and his friends are hoping for a new global treaty to be crafted in Copenhagen to reduce carbon emissions.

We could not talk for long because Koen was already uncomfortable from the cold winter of Copenhagen. It was a bit windy as well, and indeed coming from the equator, it was not a favourable weather for us either. It was wiser to go back inside, where the Klimaforum09 was attracting hundreds of people who were attending various events occurring simultaneously including debates, lectures and exhibitions. Vulnerable, the exhibition on climate change, organized by Bluepeace, is receiving a very warm welcome.

Klimaforum09 opened on 7 December. Guest speakers will include Bill McKibben of 350.org. Naomi Klein gave a speech during the opening ceremony and was a panelist on 10 December in a session on ecological debt and climate justice.

The photo exhibition Vulnerable, organized by Bluepeace, and showcasing photographs of talented Maldivian photographers, is being hosted by Klimaforum09, the Peoples’ Climate Summit. The exhibition shows the face of climate change in the Maldives and documents the vulnerability of the fragile coral islands of the Maldives to climate change and sea level rise. The exhibition depicts a nation under threat, as it tries to safeguard an age-old culture and lifestyle that could be erased with rising seas and climate change.

Klimaforum09, is an alternate climate summit being held at DGI-Byen, Copenhagen, and is dubbed as the People’s Climate Summit. Thousands of activists, NGO members and environmental justice movements are participating in the Klimaforum09, while in the Bella Center, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (Cop15) is being held.

Bluepeace is excited by the prospect of attracting thousands of visitors to the exhibition Vulnerable. We believe that by having this exhibition featured at Klimaforum09, in the beautiful city of Copenhagen, in this significant moment in history, we are able to alert important stakeholders of the plight of vulnerable countries such as the Maldives to the impacts of climate change.

photo: Aminath Zuhudha

VULNERABLE is a photo exhibition organised by Bluepeace, the first environmental organisation formed in the Maldives. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bluepeace, and to join the global environmental movement bringing attention to the dangers of climate change in the run up to United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP15), Bluepeace presents VULNERABLE, which showcases the face of climate change in the Maldives. The exhibition documents the vulnerability of the fragile coral islands of the Maldives to climate change, through pictures from talented Maldivian photographers. It depicts a nation under threat, as it tries to safeguard an age-old culture and lifestyle that could be erased with rising seas and climate change.

VULNERABLE was launched online on October 24, the International Day of Climate Action organised by 350.org, which calls for a reduction of global carbon emissions below 350 parts per million. The exhibition was planned to be launched in Republican Square in Male’, Maldives, on October 24. However, we were forced to cancel the physical exhibition scheduled for October 24, when Male’ Municipality backtracked on its offer of the Republican Square for the event. The exhibition is hosted online at http://www.bluepeacemaldives.org/vulnerable

In the coming weeks and months the exhibition will move to different locations in the Maldives and other countries, including the beautiful city of Copenhagen in December where it will be hosted by Klimaforum09, an alternate climate summit with participation from global environmental movements and civil society organisations.

VULNERABLE is the result of dedicated input from Bluepeace volunteers and well-wishers as the organisation celebrates 20 years of protecting the environment. Bluepeace is particularly grateful to Ms Aylie Baker, a graduate student from the United States, travelling around the world to island nations, researching and documenting sustainability issues facing the islands. We appreciate her assistance in conceptualising this exhibition and her valuable input throughout all stages of planning the exhibition.

Bluepeace highly appreciates the efforts of the photographers who contributed to this exhibition. Without their dedication to this cause it would not have been possible to showcase the vulnerability of the Maldives to climate change through this exhibition.