When you try to unpack all of what goes into these UNFCCC negotiations it can be overwhelming (to say the least). Often you hear people say, what it really comes down to is…. oil, population growth, money, human rights…. etc. We all have our areas of focus, we all approach things in different ways – it makes sense, we are from different places, with different experiences and expertise, and differing needs and pressures. Of course there is going to be debate. But why does that have to be bad? Do we need to be against each other, don’t we (mostly) have the same goal, a better world, one that will last for future generations?
So my, “what it comes down to” line is this: Cooperation. Working together is the only way forward. It is the only way we are going to come to any sort of agreement that is inclusive and enduring. That means shutting the door to some is not an option. It means that hyper-partisanship is not an option. It means that openness and willingness to hear from and understand others is a requirement. And it means that respect for others is necessary.
Cooperation also means trying to move forward. It means when it seems like you have hit a wall in discussions regrouping and finding a new path. It means holding others to account but it also means taking their concerns seriously and working with them to find a better way. Cooperation requires collaboration of many, conveniently, innovative problem solving (what we clearly need on the climate change front) also requires collaboration of many and debate. New and great ideas come from people overlapping areas of knowledge in a new way that changes the face of a problem and makes it an opportunity.
These discussions do not have to be about how to “deal” with the problem of climate change and how to avoid losses. These discussions can be about how to benefit from an opportunity. An opportunity to re-imagine cities, to become a leader in technology or energy production, to become less dependent on oil, to engage on the world stage in a new way or any multitude of possibilities.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think ignoring problems is going to serve anyone in the long run. But those who find a way to conceive of those problems as potential benefits will surly come out of this process a whole lot happier and if we can find a way to share those insights we just might come to an agreement a whole lot faster.
Elizabeth Dubois, IFLRY and YLC Climate Change Conference Delegation Leader 2010