News Posts

Copenhagen + The Media: Aubrey to be on San Fran NPR Affiliate

Friday, December 18th, 2009

Your Call NPR Affilliate

Listen in!!!! I’m going to be on a call-in radio show today (De. 18th, 2009) 2-3pm (EST) discussing Copenhagen and the media!

91.7 KALW Public Radio Station in San Francisco!!!! http://www.yourcallradio.org/

Copenhagen’s Offshore Wind Industry Shows Global Potential

Friday, December 18th, 2009

Originally Published by the Detroit Free Press

Wind Turbine CopenhagenCOPENHAGEN – When it comes to wind power, Americans have all kinds of excuses not to use it. “It’s too expensive” or “Not in my backyard” (NIMBY: referencing that they don’t want a tall, skinny, white turbine obstructing their beautiful view of the ocean or the mountains.) Let me begin by saying this is all a sham, in my opinion. (more…)

UN Bans NGOs from Climate Conference: Part #1

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Originally Published by The Detroit Free Press

Marina Ahmad of the Pakistan Youth Climate Network and Aniruddha Sharma of International Youth Climate Movement wait outside the UN climate summit, despite Danish police statements that NGOs will not be admitted for the remainder of the day.

Marina Ahmad of the Pakistan Youth Climate Network and Aniruddha Sharma of International Youth Climate Movement wait outside the UN climate summit, despite Danish police statements that NGOs will not be admitted for the remainder of the day.

(more…)

McKibben Urges Obama to Ramp up U.S. Climate Promises

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Originally Published by the Detroit Free Press

Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, marches against climate change with tens of thousands in Copenhagen last Saturday. (J.Carl Ganter/Circle of Blue)COPENHAGEN — While hundreds of thousands of people were out marching against climate change this past weekend, world leaders inside the Bella Center slyly removed the most important number in the world from climate negotiating texts — one that more than 100 nations had already agreed to. (more…)

Bomb Threat Closes Down Copenhagen Train Station

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

“There is no 1A bus running from here,” the Danish metro transit security man told me on the corner of Kongens Nytorv (King’s Center Square), where I generally get off the subway and hop onto a bus. “You have to get back on the subway, go one stop, get off at the Norreport station.  Then go outside, get on a 15 bus.”
(more…)

U.S. media tarnishes message of Copenhagen climate protest

Monday, December 14th, 2009
Protest

Climate Change Demonstrators, including Greenpeace International, in Copenhagen.

Originally published by the Detroit Free Press and Circle of Blue

COPENHAGEN — The Global Day of Action began Saturday in the South Pacific where the sun rises. The day of international protest started as an uplifting global demonstration calling for a “Real Deal” to come out of the climate negotiations in Copenhagen. More than 3,000 marches and candlelight vigils in 139 countries occurred — some yielding as many as 50,000 demonstrators— all with the intent of spreading this one common, unified message to policymakers. (more…)

Copenhagen is center of Day of Climate Action

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

Originally published by the Detroit Free Press

Climate Change Demonstrations in CopenhagenCOPENHAGEN – “Today is going to be the most exciting day of the whole conference,” Brian told me this morning, after I got off the phone with my mom, the birthday girl. Dubbed “Real Deal Day,” an estimated 5,000 climate demonstrations staged for today, 12/12/09, around the world are asking for only one thing — a real deal to come out of the Copenhagen climate negotiations. Today one clear, united, and very loud voice is traversing the globe like wildfire — starting with the dawn of the day in the South Pacific, in the far east of the world. (more…)

Demonstration and Candlelight Vigil

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

Originally published by Michigan COP15 Blog

Demonstration and Candlelight Vigil in Copenhagen

Demonstration and Candlelight Vigil in Copenhagen

Just a quick note (it’s hard to type because my fingers are so numb!).

I just got back from the march and candlelight vigil from the city square all the way to the Bella Center–6km in total, that took over 2 hours.  I was helping to take audio and photos for the non-profit environmental journalism organization that I work for, Circle of Blue. It was incredible: the first sunny day since I’ve been here, so it was just beautiful to shoot.  And the message was overwhelming and beautiful as well.

At the end of the march, the estimated 50,000 people were directed to a stage beside the Bella Center.  There were speakers and music planned, but we decided we had gotten enough footage of the event, and left to get food.  Our cab driver told us that 40 (international) people had been arrested for throwing rocks, but he wasn’t sure what country they were from.

In any event, I think this was really something and I’m hoping that it unifies the voices into one clear message to the negotiators: we want a real deal.  We’ll see if this uplifts the spirits for next week.  (It’s not just in Copenhagen…demonstrations and candlelight vigils are going on right all around the world–Google it right now!) More later when I am more coherent and less cold…

In Copenhagen, public transportation promotes green initiatives

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Originally published in the Detroit Free Press

In Copenhagen, public transportation promotes green initiativesCOPENHAGEN – I had heard from friends who studied abroad in Copenhagen that traveling by bike is “the only way to see the city,” but I was totally unprepared for the number of bikes that they have here. The wall of every building is lined with bikes, and the racks in city squares and below subway platforms are mind-boggling.

The bike lanes are serious — clearly marked, and if a pedestrian dares to step out when the crosswalk is flashing red, there is no stopping on the bike’s part. And the flow of traffic by the bikes is continuous: I would guesstimate that there is about one bike for every two cars on the road, or maybe in all actuality the percentage is even higher and I just don’t realize it because bikes are so much smaller than cars and take up less room on the road. (more…)

An introduction to ‘Hopenhagen,’ Denmark and the former president of Costa Rica

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Originally published by the Detroit Free Press

Copenhagen COP15 Climate Conference

The Kongens Nytorv square in Copenhagen has 8-feet tall posters scattered around the plaza, each filled with facts and photos about climate change around the world. (AUBREY ANN PARKER)

COPENHAGEN — Unfortunately, I opted to watch four Hollywood Blockbusters in place of the inside of my eyelids on my eight-hour overnight flight—not that the screaming baby sitting in front of me, crawling into my seat, would have let me sleep even if I had wanted to. The Delta-Northwest 747 finally arrived at the Amsterdam airport at 8 a.m. this morning, on schedule for me to stand in the 45-minute customs line. (more…)