Youth Stand with Africa and Vulnerable Countries to shout, “We Will Not Die Quietly”
COPENHAGEN — Echoing the words of Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed and the African negotiator Ambassador Lumumba, nearly 500 youth joined a loud and energetic “climate storm” outside the main plenary hall to send a clear message to rich countries that are blocking progress: “We Will Not Die Quitely.” The action is a response to the growing call from Afric
an, Island Nation, and Developing Country delegates that they refuse to sign the “suicide pact” that is being presented here in Copenhagen and demand a real deal that meets the conditions science and justice demand.
“Negotiators are turning their backs on us and telling us to keep quiet. As a young person living in the Pacific, I know what it’s like to fear climate change,” said Subhashni Raj, a youth organizer from Fiji who spoke at the rally. “I’m here to say that we will not die quietly.”
The storm was the largest youth demonstration seen yet at Copenhagen and was intended to be a reminder to delegates of the over 1,000 young people that are organizing inside the talks. Youth from every continent clapped, snapped, and pounded their feet to make the sounds of a rainstorm, a symbol of the typhoons and hurricanes that have ravaged communities around the world this year.
Youth are specifically calling on developed countries to step up their commitments and not try and torpedo the negotiations with secret, back-room agreements like the “Danish Text” leaked by the Guardian on Monday. “Yesterday, in a meeting with African civil society groups, Ambassador Lumumba made it clear that African countries will refuse to sign a suicide pact here in Copenhagen,” said Landry Ninteretse, a 350.org youth organizer from Burundi. “Today, we’re repeating his words that the $10 billion of aid proposed by Europe and President Obama is ‘not enough for Africa to buy the coffins to bury us in’ if the climate crisis is allowed to continue.”
The international youth delegation will be working throughout the Copenhagen talks to make their voices heard loud and clear, and they’re confident they have the numbers and technological tools on their side. Over 1,000 youth are accredited to attend the talks, the largest youth delegation to a UN climate meeting in history. Many heard about today’s rally via text message, thanks to an SMS loop that organizers have set up to keep hundreds of people ready for action.
“We’re not here in Copenhagen to sit and take notes as politicians gamble with our future,” said Abe Woo, from Malaysia. “So far, these negotiations are way off track and we intend to change the game of what is being debated, science and justice demand.”
