Occupy the Climate Day Leads to More Protests and Few Results (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Taking a cue from the Occupy Wall Street movement, Saturday became Occupy the Climate in several cities around the globe. Officially named the Global Day of Action on Climate Change, protests coincided with the United Nations Conference of the Parties being held in Durban, South Africa. Unfortunately, the message of the protests became muddled amid the usual Occupy Wall Street agenda.

Gathering and Protesting

Protests were held around the globe with many participants blending Occupy Wall Street and Occupy the Climate. In London, a Climate Justice March and rally attracted several hundred protesters. In Boston, a similar number of people came together to show their concern about climate change. The Occupy Los Angeles movement was joined by groups of people voicing their anger about pollution and climate issues.

As the marches and rallies spread, I think it was difficult to distinguish between the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy the Climate movements. It seems that some of the protesters were also confused by the two groups. The protests were a mishmash of ideas and banners that did not produce any real results.

Outcomes

The protests were designed to coincide with the United Nations climate talks. The Conference of the Parties is expected to last through Friday, but activists felt it was better to hold the Global Day of Action on Climate Change after the conclusion of the first week of the talks. Although the global protests may not extend beyond Saturday, the protests in Durban have been ongoing and are expected to continue.

Will the protests lead to any real change? Demonstrations have been held at all the previous COP meetings without producing significant results. While some countries are urging action and concrete plans, the debate over the Kyoto Protocol continues to be the center of attention. Unfortunately, this year's Global Day of Action on Climate Change may be even less beneficial to furthering the protesters' agenda because of the difficulty many are having distinguishing it from Occupy Wall Street. The message for climate change action is being lost amid the cries of anger over the 1 percent and the plight of the 99 percent.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111204/pl_ac/10592025_occupy_the_climate_day_leads_to_more_protests_and_few_results

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