When people lead, leaders follow

Although this is a campus paper that speaks to campus issues, it is time to take this page global, if only for a week. In the spirit of thinking globally and acting locally, one upcoming event definitely fits. Just as knowing, how things were different in the past can help us envision how things can be different in the future, knowing what is happening globally can help us recognize what is going on locally.


The issue is global warming. Whether or not you personally understand or accept what scientists and world leaders have recognized as a real and dire situation, there are some key decisions about to be made that will affect the policies and budgets internationally.

In 2012, the Kyoto Protocol, a document never ratified by the U.S. that was designed to prevent climate change, runs out. Although it has failed (global carbon dioxide emissions are at a record 31.5 billion metric tons per year; 40% above 1990 levels), it has raised awareness of the issue. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC), to be held December 7-18, 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark, is where world leaders will meet prior to the renewal of the climate agreement. They will try to agree on ways to stabilize the amount of greenhouse gases.


A total of 192 world leaders will be represented. That means many different points of view. Trying to decide who will do and who will pay and how much needs doing and paying for will likely be guiding the talks. Developing countries and those that feel most threatened by global warming met in early November to compile their unique concerns and list their demands for the outcome of the talks.


A brief account of their declaration is as follows:


“Anthropogenic climate change poses an existential threat to our nations, our cultures and to our way of life… our nations lie at the climate frontline and will disproportionately feel the impacts of global warming… developed countries bear the overwhelming historic responsibility for causing anthropogenic climate change and must therefore take the lead in responding to the challenge (through) mitigation, adaption, technology and finance…. developed countries (should) provide public money amounting to at least 1.5 percent of their gross domestic product, …to assist developing countries make their transition to a climate resilient low-carbon economy.”


This statement captures both high hopes and unreasonable demands, depending on the perspective of the country. A grassroots organization known as Hopenhagen believes that limiting future carbon emissions and minimizing the effects of climate change are realistic goals for the event, however. They have launched a campaign of hope for the event, and are urging individuals from across the planet to sign online petitions, educate themselves, and get the word out to UNCCC representatives to focus on the global good.

“We can build a better future for our planet and a more sustainable way of life,” reads their promotional literature. “It is the hope that we can create a global community that will lead our leaders into making the right decisions.”

Leaders lead, they do not usually seek change or try to foist new policies and procedures on the people. The role of the people is to lead the leaders towards positive change: globally, on policy decisions, and locally, on recycling and on sustainable construction projects. Hopenhagen has a point when they say, “Change will not happen unless the people demand it.”