UN Rio+20 Earth Summit Opening Speech

[Navigator]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=karQQb-B8Uk

Tena Koutou from New Zealand. My name is Brittany Trilford. I am seventeen years old, a child. Today, in this moment, I am all children, your children, the world’s three billion children. Think of me for these short minutes as half the world.

I stand here with fire in my heart. I’m confused and angry at the state of the world and I want us to work together now to change this. We are here to solve the problems that we have caused as a collective, to ensure that we have a future.

You and your governments have promised to reduce poverty and sustain our environment. You have already promised to combat climate change, ensure clean water and food security. Multi-national corporations have already pledged to respect the environment, green their production, compensate for their pollution. These promises have been made and yet, still, our future is in danger.

We are all aware that time is ticking and is quickly running out. You have 72 hours to decide the fate of your children, my children, my children’s children. And I start the clock now… tck tck tck.

Let us think back to twenty years ago – well before I was even an inkling in my parents’ eyes – back to here, to Rio, where people met at the first Earth Summit in 1992. People at this Summit knew there needed to be change. All of our systems were failing and collapsing around us. These people came together to acknowledge these challenges to work for something better, commit to something better.

They made great promises, promises that, when I read them, still leave me feeling hopeful. These promises are left – not broken, but empty. How can that be? When all around us is the knowledge that offers us solutions. Nature as a design tool offers insight into systems that are whole, complete, that give life, create value, allow progress, transformation, change.

We, the next generation, demand change. We demand action so that we have a future and have it guaranteed. We trust that you will, in the next 72 hours, put our interests ahead of all other interests and boldly do the right thing. Please, lead. I want leaders who lead.

I am here to fight for my future. That is why I’m here. I would like to end by asking you to consider why you’re here and what you can do. Are you here to save face? Or are you here to save us?

ENDS

Thoughts etc...?

 

[DC]

very well spoken and very true.

 

[theprestige]

Appeal to Emotion Theater is Appeal to Emotion Theater.

Seriously? A teenager starts a 72-hour clock to decide the fate of the world?

A teenager demands a guaranteed future?

Wake me up when Rio+20 stops wasting the delegate's time and starts doing real work.

 

[DC]

Appeal to Emotion Theater is Appeal to Emotion Theater.

Seriously? A teenager starts a 72-hour clock to decide the fate of the world?

A teenager demands a guaranteed future?

Wake me up when Rio+20 stops wasting the delegate's time and starts doing real work.

wake me up when the science deniers stop wasting our time.

 

[Tsukasa Buddha]

Appeal to Emotion Theater is Appeal to Emotion Theater.

Seriously? A teenager starts a 72-hour clock to decide the fate of the world?

A teenager demands a guaranteed future?

Wake me up when Rio+20 stops wasting the delegate's time and starts doing real work.

I know, how entitled of them .

It's not an appeal to emotion because they aren't trying to convince of some position (climate change is real and needs to be deals with), they are trying to get them to take action.

Personally, I think that even threatening to shoot kittens wouldn't change the economic forces that keep real changes from happening.

 

[Navigator]

very well spoken and very true.

Do you think this part is true?

I am here to fight for my future. That is why I’m here. I would like to end by asking you to consider why you’re here and what you can do. Are you here to save face? Or are you here to save us?

Is it really the UN's job to 'save us'?

 

[DC]

Do you think this part is true?



Is it really the UN's job to 'save us'?

no, it is our job to do that, the UN is just the best place we have to coordinate the solutions to a global problem. atm, they collect the Science and research done into the problem and make reports with projections and give advice to politicans so they are well informed to make decisions.

 

[Navigator]

Appeal to Emotion Theater is Appeal to Emotion Theater.

Teenagers huh! Girls!

Seriously? A teenager starts a 72-hour clock to decide the fate of the world?

Teenagers! Maths!
Maybe the meeting was 72 hours (3 days) - but stopping for meals, and sleep would reduce that to around 39 give or take.

A teenager demands a guaranteed future?

Teenagers! Dreamers!

Wake me up when Rio+20 stops wasting the delegate's time and starts doing real work.

You carry on sleeping - the real work is for the those waking themselves up.

About the Rio+20 Conference
At the Rio+20 Conference, world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, will come together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want.

http://www.uncsd2012.org/about.html

 

[Navigator]

no, it is our job to do that, the UN is just the best place we have to coordinate the solutions to a global problem. atm, they collect the Science and research done into the problem and make reports with projections and give advice to politicans so they are well informed to make decisions.

So that part wasn't true then.

 

[Navigator]

Personally, I think that even threatening to shoot kittens wouldn't change the economic forces that keep real changes from happening.

What are 'real changes' and why would 'economic forces' prevent these?

 

[DC]

So that part wasn't true then.

what was not true about it? she adressed a group of representants of their respective countries.

 

[Beerina]

You'll note the heavy reliance on edumicating the next generation on the importance of the left taking control.

In this sense it is little different from religion. It has a long-term view.

By the way, lest anyone even remotely be confused by my position, I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth. In a context of economic freedom.

 

[DC]

You'll note the heavy reliance on edumicating the next generation on the importance of the left taking control.

In this sense it is little different from religion. It has a long-term view.

By the way, lest anyone even remotely be confused by my position, I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth. In a context of economic freedom.

ever taken a look at how fast climate has changed in the past ? we could trigger such an event with our warming of the climate, that is what the catastrophic part is about, people that have studied past climate changes realize that.

 

[Navigator]

What are 'real changes' and why would 'economic forces' prevent these?

The part about 'saving us'...as you pointed out - it isn't there job to save us.

Brittany said: I would like to end by asking you to consider why you’re here and what you can do. Are you here to save face? Or are you here to save us?

It isn't true in the sense that they are not gathered their to 'save us' and as you say, they can pass the message on to political who can make informed decisions but not 'save us'.

As you say - I agree - "it is our job to do that"

Then again maybe I assumed you meant 'we the people'...?

Then again, maybe Brittany was referring to Humanity when she said "us"...everybody. Not just the administration she was addressing...

 

[Navigator]

You'll note the heavy reliance on edumicating the next generation on the importance of the left taking control.

In this sense it is little different from religion. It has a long-term view.

Could you quote that bit - I am not overly politically savvy.

By the way, lest anyone even remotely be confused by my position, I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth. In a context of economic freedom.

Expand please...(I know...I could 'googleit')

 

[Navigator]

ever taken a look at how fast climate has changed in the past ? we could trigger such an event with our warming of the climate, that is what the catastrophic part is about, people that have studied past climate changes realize that.

Wouldn't it be ironic if we suddenly all woke up and realized it was too late.

Or that the two events coincided...in that...the inevitable extinction was the very thing that woke us up.

But science hasn't told us we are doomed yet has it?

It has told us we are awake...

 

[DC]

The part about 'saving us'...as you pointed out - it isn't there job to save us.

Brittany said: I would like to end by asking you to consider why you’re here and what you can do. Are you here to save face? Or are you here to save us?

It isn't true in the sense that they are not gathered their to 'save us' and as you say, they can pass the message on to political who can make informed decisions but not 'save us'.

As you say - I agree - "it is our job to do that"

Then again maybe I assumed you meant 'we the people'...?

Then again, maybe Brittany was referring to Humanity when she said "us"...everybody. Not just the administration she was addressing...

well i dont know about you but i am living in a democracy, our delegation represents us the people, and she was adressing those people that represent their country there. and thus she was adressing all of us.
it is not the UN's job to save us, it is the job of the member countries to save us. the UN has no power to enforce any national laws, only the countries themself have. so it is our job, this UN conference is an ideal place to adress all of the members. i hope that clears it up.

 

[DC]

Wouldn't it be ironic if we suddenly all woke up and realized it was too late.

Or that the two events coincided...in that...the inevitable extinction was the very thing that woke us up.

But science hasn't told us we are doomed yet has it?

It has told us we are awake...

science has told us to be aware, it has told us that AGW is already happening and also the first concequences are showing, it also showed us, that it might trigger catastrophic events wich would bring the problem out of control.

 

[Navigator]

science has told us to be aware, it has told us that AGW is already happening and also the first concequences are showing, it also showed us, that it might trigger catastrophic events wich would bring the problem out of control.

Well if we have been shown, then why are we seeming to be unable to fix it?

 

[DC]

Well if we have been shown, then why are we seeming to be unable to fix it?

lack of money and will. we are able to fix it now already. But i think we will wait untill the cost of AGW's concequences will be higher than moving to CO2 neutral technologies. because everything we do comes down to money.