By Sarah Tyrrell - 3 December 2013
As youth we are vibrant. As activists we are angry. As youth activists we can be frustrated and even at times be utterly deflated. The system in which we exist is often our biggest obstacle when attempting to challenge norms and promote new ways of thinking.
Do we tackle this obstacle head on? Yes. Are we always successful? No. But sometimes we are - even if not in the way we had hoped.
COP 19 was the perfect example of how hope can turn to despair. But with an exciting twist at the end!
As a Young Friends of the Earth Ireland Climate Champion I was given the opportunity to travel to Warsaw during the 19th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (COP19). My first experience of international negotiations brought with it mixed emotions. I knew the process would be infuriatingly tedious so I opted out of accreditation and chose to spend my time in the city, taking part in actions and looking after communications. I chose what I thought was the fun option.
During my week in Warsaw my eyes were opened to the world of international negotiations. I was right, it was infuriatingly tedious at the best of times, and while I did experience a certain amount of "highs" (usually the hour or so immediately following a successful action) I felt low most of the time despite being outside the actual talks. I couldn't quite come to grips with the insincerity of it all, with the lack of commitment by my own government, and most of all with the almost complete absence of any real compensation for countries like The Philippines who are suffering so disproportionately at the hands of climate change.
It was the first time in my life that I felt ashamed to be Irish, ashamed to be European and ashamed to be from the Global North. And it was the first time that I felt powerless.
But then there was the Walk Out. The biggest organisations in the world such as Oxfam, Friends of the Earth International, World Wildlife Foundation, Action Aid, to name just a few, decided to momentarily put aside their often stark differences and quite literally walk out of the COP together in solidarity with the Global South. They decided to stand up and say "Polluters Talk - We Walk". It was an extraordinary thing really.
Eight hundred activists coming together to stand up for climate justice in the face of such political indifference had an effect on me which I never anticipated. I was filled with adrenaline. Like a flash of lightening the atmosphere was electric.
There was the messaging - how would we as civil society make our message clear? How could we make perfectly clear our outrage with the developed countries and our solidarity with the developing countries? How could we make our demand for climate justice visible in the midst of such madness?
There was the logistics - how would we unite all of the different organisations? How could we bridge the gaps between the various brands/images/logos? How could we smuggle hundreds of t-shirts past COP security who were becoming more vigilant by the day? How can we ensure that the news of the Walk Out doesn't leak? When exactly should we send our press release?
And there was the aftermath - what would happen after the Walk Out? How can we proceed together to build the international climate justice movement in order to meet COP 20 with a stronger voice? What next?
For one day we existed in a state of pandemonium. Preparations for the Walk Out became the absolute first and only priority for all and other actions which had been planned to take place were dropped like hot potatoes. And as the delegates entered the COP that morning Thursday 21st November all we could do was wait tentatively for the signal. The calm before the storm was excruciating.
The Walk Out was an outstanding success. Standing at the bottom of the steps leading from the COP watching the crowds pour out in a sea of white t-shirts shook me. I felt that I was a part of something momentous - a part of real change. Swarms of media made their way through the crowds and the flashes of cameras added to the rush. We were united and stronger than ever. We held the world in our hands - or so it felt.
In a matter of hours following the Walk Out the presidencies of COP19 (Poland), COP20 (Peru) and COP 21 (France) made contact with the leaders of the Walk Out requesting a meeting to discuss the issues which had lead to such drastic and unprecedented action. They knew that this was big. They knew that this could not be ignored. They knew that the time has come for world leaders to sit up and pay attention to those that fight everyday for our planet, for our people and for our future.
In my mind - that alone is a win.
By Sarah Tyrrell 
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