Hey, Mr. President, Save Our Future - Take Action Right Now

A HaltonDoesCopenhagen Blog Entry

It is sometimes the things you least expect to have impact that hit you the hardest. We were making our way across the Bella Center for a meeting this evening and met a pair of delegates from Mozambique, Africa. We struck up a conversation with them and heard many of the same hopes, concerns, and fears that have been the talk of the beginning of the conference regarding developing nations.

They were attending the conference as part of Academia de Sonhos - a group that aims to help individuals from Mozambique (particularly children) to participate in activities that many children are not able to and to use these to connect with other youth from around the world. The example we were given was through singing. The message is clear: the children of Mozambique and similar nations see their future at risk. Climate chnage is not a distant concept for them - it is a current reality. The country has already been crippled by natural disasters such as cyclones and floods - while other parts are ravaged by drought and disease.

Here is an interview with the representative from the organization in which he outlines the goals of the organization and how climate factors in to their presence at the conference:

Following our interview, we had the privledge of a private performance from one of the young delegates from the organization. She hopes to sing this song to President Obama upon his arrival in an effort to convince him to aid developing countries. While this girl is singing to President Obama, the message is more than appropriate for Prime Minister Harper - instead of following behind the United States with even less ambitious goals, we need to step up with leadership and tackle these issues. It was a very emotional moment for both of us as it really sunk in that this conference will shape the future for this little girl and millions more like her.

Hey Mr. President (& Mr. Prime Minister), we urge you to listen to this voice and the millions more like it in Copenhagen, calling for change.

Simply Beautiful.