Today I arrived in Amsterdam after a long train ride with the DB night train from Copenhagen. Although it was cheaper to fly to Amsterdam Airport, I decided to take the train after COP15 (practice what I preach…) Costs: 120 euro. For 15 hours on the floor of an old German train that was leaking snow. Anyway.

Time to reflect a little on everything that happened in Copenhagen in the last week! I left Järna and YIP a week ago:

Saturday December 12, 7am.

Together with 4 other YIP participants I got a lift with someone driving down from Stockholm. We arrived in Copenhagen just in time for the Vigil of 350.org.

During the entire week I had awesome accommodation in the centre, a 5 minute bus ride from Nørreport. Thanks so much to my host Nana!

Sunday December 13 – the universe conspired!

I got up a bit late, to catch up on some sleep, and then met up with the others at the Club, our location for the OASIS game on Tuesday and Wednesday. More about that later! We then went to the Bright Green business expo in the Copenhagen Forum, and got some free VIP tickets at the entrance. We only went to see a lecture by Alex Steffen from worldchanging.com. The lecture was much of what he already writes about (I actively read his inspiring blog) and some quotes from Paul Hawken, Naomi Klein and others. One thing stayed with me, in one of his last slides he said:

Most people on the planet are poor, young and ambitious.

Very inspiring, because those are the ingredients for great achievements! Nothing to loose, a life ahead, and dreams about the future.

After that I hurried to a prep-meeting of the WSCSD side event for the 18th. A quick briefing where I also met the UNFCCC YOUNGO‘s and some other friends like Michaela Hogenboom (Youth Representative to the UN Commission for Sustainable Development), Christopher Baan from WSCSD and some young people from The Global Humanitarian Forum’s Youth Forum.

Had to leave quickly to the next event, the launch of a film and website of the European Environment Agency (EEA).The movie ‘one degree matters’ shows the effect of climate change and the solutions we can already see in Europe.

Bend the trend is a social movement inviting individuals to pledge a lifestyle change, such as going to work by bicycle instead of car, that will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. In the end of this blog post I will also pledge a lifestyle change!

I met some really inspiring people, including the farmers from La Vialla, the bio-dynamic and organic farm in Toscane, Italy, where I buy my wine since I was introduced to them by a good friend of mine. Their farm was in the movie, and is one of the examples of sustainable agriculture in Europe.We got served their amazing food during the entire evening.

Monday December 14 – sailing into the future

In the morning we took of to a workshop of the Tällberg Foundation about the Rework the World 5th YES Summit.

“Rework the World is a global initiative that seeks to mobilise young people around promising sustainable ventures and help take the emerging green economy to the next level.“

We had a very inspiring meeting with them about the questions of youth at COP15, and I got inspired again for the summit. Let’s see if we can go there with YIP and WSCSD.

We then quickly went to the Klimaforum09 to a talk called “Survival Pact, not Suicide Pact: Bill McKibben and President Mohammed Nasheed of the Maldives on the global movement for 350ppm”. We waited about an hour for President Nasheed, listing to Bill McKibben preaching to the choir about the number 350. He had too, I forgive him.

According to President Nasheed the number 350 is the most important number ever. That is quite a statement, but is is certainly very important. All 6.8 billion of should know about 350ppm, but understand that it is all part of 1 universe, 1 galaxy, 1 solar systems, 1 planet, 1 atmosphere, 1 never-ending thing called LIFE.

The rest of the day I spent walking around Copenhagen, ending up at the Club for a briefing for OASIS.

Tuesday December 15 – OASIS #1

The first day of OASIS at the Club. The Club is a place for kids and youth from Copenhagen to come and spent time after school, in the afternoons and evenings. In the 80′s this place was famous for it cultural influence on Denmark’s music and cultural life. Today the building is quite old and needed some hands. The basement was under utilized and after an open space with the educators of the club, the kids, and 20 YIP participants, we started renovating the place. We emptied the basement, started desiging different corners and spots, and had great fun all around! Communcal cooking, dancing, and fighting for the few tools.

That night I heard about the exclusion of civil society from the Bella Center. Some people waited 11 hours before they got in. Where will these 15.000 people go was my first question? And why did they have to wait in the cold? We could use some extra hands!

Wednesday December 16 – OASIS #2

We continued with the renovations, and we shifted gears. Girls were painting on the sound of the Spice Girls, and the guys were hammering and sawing in the basement. I was wondering what had happened at the Bella Center and followed the People’s Assembly and police intervention via Twitter. It made me quite sad, and I thought a lot about the future of the civil movement. Can’t we think of another way of action? Demonstrations and violent interactions with the police, is that really the solution? The old news (tv, newspaper) only reported on these ‘riots’ that night, although they were relatively small.

We finished the OASIS game with an amazing result! The basement, that had been used for storage, turned into an exhibition space for art of the kids, a dark corner into a cozy lounge space, and a future washroom into a temporary girl lounge. We made tables, benches, fixed lights, cleaned storage spaces and recycled lots of materials, with no costs or external resources. Most importantly, we had a lot of fun!

In the evening I was feeling a bit down, thinking a lot about the political outcome of COP15. I was worried. I watch a documentary on National Geographic on the mysterious Colony collapse disorder (CCD) or sometimes honey bee depopulation syndrome (HBDS), and got even more worried. Climate Change is a challenge, but imagine if the bees disappear. Job of the future: Hand pollination?

Thursday December 17 – silence

In the morning I went to check out the Bella Centre. The parking lot was empty. Where did Civil Society go? I then went to the Forum, the alternative NGO venue. EMPTY. Where is everyone? Only in the Klimaforum09 I found the people I was looking for. Civil society sharing the possible solutions. Thousands of leaflets, brochures, flyers, posters with projects, initiatives, ngo’s, etc.

We then went to Christiana to visit the Climate ecovillage. What a great place! The best piece is the exit sign:

I had a great conversation with former Ashoka Fellow Edgard Gouveia, Jr., who did OASIS with us. Christiania, the best place for lunch and a genuine winter feeling!

Friday December 18 – ‘…’

The World Student Community for Sustainable Development (WSCSD) had their side-event on Youth & Student collaboration beyond Copenhagen in the Forum in the morning, and it was a great succes. Because I was not accredited I was not able to join, but I heard many positive stories! Read the news on http://cop15.wscsd.org/

Saying goodbye to fellow YIPpies, and relaxing after a full week I tried to follow the negotiations online. The hope was on Obama. It was only until the late evening that the first ‘results’ came out. I was having a wonderful supper, I could not be bothered really, but was of course very curious. Michaela Hoogenboom tweeted some updates from the Bella Center.

The Copenhagen Accord.

The blog posts have been endless. I do not need to add much. Read Bill McKibben, Jon Isham or Andrew Light or the many others.

The Awesome Outcome:

RT @christopherbaan: We, the young generation and entrepreneurs have to do it. Together. Fast. We can’t afford to wait for politics to fail.

This has been the largest connectivity in civil society in history. Environmentalism became Social Justice in Copenhagen (Naomi Klein)

They’re not done yet. Neither are we. (tcktcktck)

COP15 and the disappointing political outcome inspires me to work more and harder with civil society, youth and entrepreneurs. What if we continue living and inventing the solutions for a ambitious and inspiring green future? The time of waiting on the politics is over. Let’s work together with innovative sustainable enterprises, social entrepreneurs, civil society and youth.

Good example: Aart van Veller from wijzijnkoel.

What if we do not show up at COP16, because we are to busy working on the solution? (Thanks Nakyta for this wicked idea!)

My personal pledges for 2010:

• Maximum of 10 flights, only if related to work for civil society, and if there is no other option. (I need cheaper train tickets, anyone?)
• 95% vegetarian (5% organic, local meat & fish)
• 100% organic/bio-dynamic and fair-trade food
• Facilitating the 10X growth of the civil society movement, with youth.
• Create a climate positive international youth network festival.
• Build a wind-mill.

I am not proud of my 2009 travelling footprint, but it got me where I am now:

I am poor, young and ambitious.

(In the next blog post I will write more about my plans for 2010. I need a short break to develop some strategies.)

November 6th, 2009. I am turning 24.

In the Netherlands, the life expectancy of a male inhabitant is 77,6 according to UNFPA State of the World Population 2008.

I have lived 30% of my life.

Looking at the world today, the increasing global population and the increasing life expectancy show a fascinating demographic. When my parents were born they entered a population of about 3 billion people. Since then the population doubled to 6.8 billion today. I will probably see the same growth in my lifetime, up to 9.2 billion in 2050. (I will be 65 by then.)

In the countries with a rising life expectancy the median age is going up, and the population pyramid is turning into a population ‘vase’, and eventually maybe a straight column?

(http://charts.jorgecamoes.com/animation-and-demographic-information-visualization)

The bottom of the population pyramid is also called the youth bulge. We can maybe say that this time in history is the peak of youth. Population goes up, and life expectancy goes up. If population reaches a steady level, life expectancy will still rise, and the global median age will keep going up. Will the youth start aging in 2050, creating a decrease in the youth bulge?

Most worrying is the consequences of the current “youth bulge” (technically a situation where 15-29 year olds make up more than 30% of a population) for global security. (…) In Africa and the Middle East, for example, there are estimated to be 300 million people aged 15-30 (out of a total population of 2 billion). – The battle of the youth bulge

The about quotation is from an interesting article by Malcolm McIntosh, where he also refers to the possible darker side of a youth bulge. Some scientist have linked youth bulges to war, genocide, colonialism, fascism and terrorism. Youth without a direction can be directed by an ideology, join a movement. This is an opportunity and a challenge, because youth is being educated to look up to the previous generation, and follow their values and realities.

Youth Supplement to UNFPA’s State of the World Population Report 2008:
There are more than 1.5 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24, the largest generation in human history. Approximately 70 per cent live in developing countries, 60 per cent in Asia alone. They enter adult- hood in a time of transformations in the economy, education, communication, demographics, the environment, technologies and culture.
Globalization is this generation’s hallmark, with free flow of markets, capital and products; easier travel, instant connections, and rapid urbanization, with more than half of world population living in cities and towns. The result is economic and cultural integration on a scale never before seen, with a tremendous impact on every aspect of life.
This generation of young people is also shaped by a trend towards democracy and the rise of civil society, giving them much more opportunity to participate in local and national decision-making.
Young people, especially girls, are more likely to be healthy and educated than previous generations; except that they – especially adolescent girls and young women – have been disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

So what?

No what do all these stats tell us, and what does this mean? And more important; why does this effect everyone, and why does it effect me?

My generation enters a world of global challenges, and it is up to us to do something about it. Climate change, economic crisis, population growth, HIV/AIDS, technological development, migrations, globalized markets, re-distribution of capital, and much more is on our plate. Challenges older generations has never seen before. And no one knows how to deal with them.

Could the biggest generation in history co-create the solutions?

Could the biggest generation in history come with a direction, instead of waiting for one?

Could the biggest generation in history start a movement, instead of joining one?

Could the biggest generation in history be the change we want to see in the world?

What about a Youth Renaissance?

Please join me in a discussion, here in the comments!

Today, on October 15th 2009, more then 7000 bloggers all over the world are writing about “Climate Change”, the topic of the 2009 Blog Action Day. One can say that this topic is ‘hot’ and popular, and that that is the reason it is this years topic of the Blog Action Day.

When we look at the world today we can see more and more action around climate change. There have been many international events, and increasingly people are gathering to ‘have their voice heard’. More recently we have had a Global Wake-Up Call, an Avaaz campaign, and on October 24th millions of people are engaging in the International Day of Climate Action, organized by 350.0rg. I am also taking part in that event, with a big action in Stockholm with YIP.

One can sign petitions on hundreds of website, urging our political leaders to create a miracle in December, at the COP15 conference in Copenhagen.
At the same time we can discover more and more ‘alternatives’;, good practices, examples, new energies, eco-friendly products, zero-waste parties, organic food, local products, vegetable gardens, etc.

At the same time it is possible to book flights with Ryanair for € 13,- or less. In November I am flying more then ever before. I am flying from Stockholm to Brussels (€13,-), Oslo (13,-), Berlin (€48,-) & Basel (€38,-) for meetings, workshops and conferences, all ‘to make this world a better place’.

Where as this world needs world-citizens, it is not possible to be a world-citizen without a massive ecological footprint. One can improve internet communications and decrease travelling, but then again;

“Is this question of climate change all about CO2“?

When we take a closer look at these words Climate and Change we can find some other definitions as well (Dictionary.com)

Climate
“The prevailing attitudes, standards, or environmental conditions of a group, period, or place.”

Change
“To become different, altered, modified, transformed or converted.”

When we really try to look at that this movement is actually about, we can question what this time asks of the human race. Is it just protectionism, our ‘immune system’? Are we restoring our balance with nature?
I have always been fascinated by the way some, or maybe most people see nature as that chaos outside of the city, or in the parks.

We are cutting down the trees, but do we want to live in a world with trees? We are building roads, but do we want to live in a world where we have to drive cars to get somewhere?

As a kid I sometimes was afraid for the moment all particles in the universe would be in a order or position where something radically would change. I imagined the world being an unsolvable puzzle, that would sometimes be very close to a solution, before a radical change.

• Yes it is important to write this blog post today.
• Yes it is great to be part of an action of million of people on the 24th.
• Yes it is crucial that our politicians come to an agreement at the COP15.
• Yes we do need to start using alternative energy, sustainable products and local organic food.
• Yes I do need to limit my flying, and look for alternatives.

But is that enough? Maybe the most important question of today should be written in every single newspaper every day, in all school text books, tweets, blogs, television shows, etc:

How on earth do we want to live together?

Our prevailing attitudes, standards and environmental conditions of groups, periods and places need to become different, altered, modified, transformed or converted. It is so important to not only focus on reducing our emissions, but to consciously leapfrog our thinking and perception into a radically new perspective.

Constantly.

Environmental Climate Change and the story of CO2 is just a chapter in the journey of global human and natural development.

Are you ready for the challenges of a climate-neutral society?

40 international young people from the Youth Initiative Program in Järna, Sweden, “sun-baked” a flash-mob at Stockholm Central Station on Monday the 21st of September 2009, to urge our politicians to go to Copenhagen and ask for a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty!

Global Wake-Up Call by Youth Initiative Program from Pieter Jacobus Daniël Ploeg on Vimeo.