What’s it like in Copenhagen – outside the Conference Center
Posted by cdchase on December 16, 2009 | No Comments
They are now severely limiting access to the Conference Center itself, but climate change-related exhibits and activities are everywhere around the City center itself.
There was a climate-change-related display in every square I came across in Copenhagen – and every temporary advertising venue had something related to climate change.
Scouting had set-up a gigantic potted-plant sculpture next to Parliament Square. World Wildlife Fund had a Arctic-themed set of photos, the melting ice-polar-bear skeleton sculpture, and a large “igloo” tent with speakers and live music. I came across a huge pile of recyclable trash-as-art along with a display of green rooffing planting examples.
Seimens was at the center of the glossy corporate-sponsored “Hopenhagen” installation near Tivoli Gardens (the world’s first amusement park). At night the earth was projected from the inside onto a large white sphere.
An “Earth Fair” was set up for the Danish public to visit, called Klimaforum09. I couldn’t tell you how many hundreds of exhibits, installations and events there were, since there was no centralized calendar that I came across, but suffice it to say if you wanted to educate yourself about climate change, the causes, impacts and what to do about it, you could – from all possible angles.
The other consistent feature was a very large police presence. They were everywhere in group along with vans making the obvious statement: ‘get out of line and we will cart you away.” And they did. Next installment: what was the rally really like?
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