Countdown to Copenhagen: Online Strategy on the Global Climate Negotiations
The International climate negotiations that began in Bali, in 2007, are scheduled to culminate in a global warming agreement in Copenhagen this December. Key goals are for such an agreement to rapidly and dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and for it to require wealthy, polluting countries that did the most to cause the climate crisis to bear the most responsibility for implementing solutions. Progressive and environmental bloggers and activists have traveled to and proven effective during initial rounds of these negotiations. Their engagement will be even more crucial leading up to and during the negotiations in Copenhagen.
The session’s participants will review netroots involvement in past negotiations and strategize about ways to increase their impact. In particular, we’ll discuss how blogging can lead to global action and influence negotiators, how those of us on the ground can coordinate effectively with folks at home, and how allied NGOs can support these efforts.
Kevin Grandia is the Director of Online Marketing for EnergyBoom.com and has been researching and writing on climate change and renewable energy issues for over four years.
He is also the Manager of the award-winning site, DeSmogBlog.com. Kevin is a regular contributor on Huffington Post and has written for many other outlets over the years, like the UK's Guardian.
Kevin is also the co-founder of VoteForEnvironment.com, which was nominated for a Global Summit Award an international recognition of the world's best e-Content and innovative ICT applications.
Kevin works as Director of Social Media at the Vancouver Public Relations firm, Hoggan & Associates.
You can find Kevin on Twitter here and Facebook here.
Phil has been a campus clean energy activist and helped
organize Step It Up 2007, the largest national open source
grassroots campaign to stop global warming. He is currently
working on building an international movement, focusing
specifically on mobilizing and educating people in Africa and the Middle East. He co-founded 350.org, a campaign to stitch together a creative, powerful and unstoppable global movement pushing for bold and comprehensive action on climate change on the international level.
Elizabeth Bast is the International Program Director at Friends of the Earth. Her work exposes the effects of climate change in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and small island states and calls for a just and equitable international response. She has both written and spoken about the problems of oil and gas production and climate change in the global South. Elizabeth has a Masters in Urban Studies and Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University. She currently serves as the U.S. representative on the Executive Committee of Friends of the Earth International.
Richard Graves serves as the Blogger for the Global Campaign for Climate Action. He also is the founder of Fired Up Media, Associate Producer for LinkTV's EarthFocus, and editor for ItsGettingHotinHere.org - dispatches from the youth climate movement. Richard helps leaders from around the world tell their stories in the fight against global warming and for a more just and sustainable world. He is an International Youth Foundation 2008 Global Fellow and Project Slingshot winner. He graduated from Macalester College in 2006 with a B.A. in Asian and Environmental History.
