Hello everyone,
Due to technical issues, I was unable to post until now, but better late than never!
Before leaving for Copenhagen, I had high hopes for the impact Copenhagen would leave on the world, and still do. Realistically, I did not think any great change would take place in a single week after years of carbon emission. However, in negotiating ways to mitigate and adapt to global warming, I could see great change in the future.
After conducting some research, I found myself particularly interested in China, as it is the country that emits the most CO2 and the country that is developing the fastest. The decisions China makes regarding climate change will affect not only China’s own population of about 1.3 billion, but it will also affect the rest of the world significantly, we all share the same atmosphere, after all. In a time where China is torn between joining a common effort to confront the imminent danger of climate change that we are already seeing the catastrophic consequences of and developing into one of the strongest nations in the world, China will have to make sacrifices in both spheres in order to survive and succeed. These changes, decided by China’s select few in power, will affect the entire nation tremendously. I chose to investigate how, particularly with those who do not have a voice in this decision, only the consequences that will come once the decisions are made.
On arriving to Copenhagen, I was surprised at how energy efficient the city was. The theme park was run completely on wind power! The city also had many exhibits, posters, fliers, art, new technologies, and new tools dedicated to spreading the awareness of climate change.
This is a picture of Tivoli, the theme park in Copenhagen that is run solely on wind power energy.
This is a picture of one of the exhibits where you power the lights of a Christmas tree through peddling on a bicycle.
This is a picture of one ton of CO2. China releases about 6 billion of these each year and the US releases about 5.9 billion.