I was wondering where they were. I had been in Copenhagen for a week and there was no sign of them. And then, after an early morning walk down to the water, I turned the corner and there they were. The protesters. The skeptics. The folks who think that the current changes in worldwide temperatures, melting icecaps, rising sea levels and extreme weather are just part of the natural cycle. The people who think the drastic rise in CO2 emissions (since the industrial revolution) and the corresponding rise in temperatures over the same period are just a crazy coincidence.
There were only a handful of them, up on a small platform near city hall, and not a single onlooker – except me as I hurried past and took a photo. Their banners read “Evidence?” and “CO2 = Life” and they chanted “No cuts to CO2”. It was a bit of a disheartening way to start the day.
Little did I know that this small protest was just the beginning of a day full of protests. The Bella Center had multiple TV screens set up to cover the events in town. I stopped at one screen to watch. It took me a minute to realize that the massive parade of people marching down the streets were not climate skeptics. The majority of people in the streets were believers in climate change and they were voicing their demand for an international agreement. It was a powerful showing of support that received major media coverage. And what happened to the small band of protesters I witnessed that morning? I have a feeling the photo of them in my blog is the only coverage they are going to get.