YouTube users raised their voices at COP15

18/12-2009 by Marie Sauer Johansen

CNN presenter Becky Anderson relocated her London studio to the Bella Center on December 15 for an interactive debate organised by YouTube, CNN and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, Hollywood actress Darryl Hannah, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Yvo de Boer and Danish climate sceptic Bjørn Lomborg answered questions such as this one from an eight-year-old boy: “what do you plan on leaving for my generation?”

The question was answered by Yvo de Boer, who said: “A world without an issue which has run out of control. I hope that what we will see here in Copenhagen is the beginning to not only get greenhouse gas emissions under control, but also help especially developing countries deal with the inevitable impacts of climate change. So I would want to walk away from here with a radical turning point.”

Other questions came from a British man dressed up as a pirate, a Bangladeshi professor and three rapping English schoolgirls.

Two very special guests were in the audience; the makers of the two highest rated videos, Breno Almeida Coelho from Brazil and Paul Dawryn Garilao from the Philippines, who won a trip to COP15 and a stay in Copenhagen for two.

“When we heard that we won the trip AND the chance to participate in COP15, it was like a dream come true,” said Mr. Coelho, whose artistic black-and-white video lists realistic steps to prevent climate change and asks viewers to open their minds and begin making changes immediately.

He thinks that the internet can be used to empower people and create connections globally.

“This video allowed us to show the world the problems that we’re dealing with in Brazil as a result of climate change, in a format that everyone has access to,” he said.

Mr. Garilao’s video also brought local problems to global attention, by showing the devastating effects of the hurricane Felicia in the Philippines and Hawaii. He is enthusiastic about how social media provides a platform for young people to share their ideas with the world.

“This competition and debate has been a great opportunity to get our voices heard, expressing a serious issue in a creative way,” he said, after participating in the CNN debate.

More than 1000 videos were entered in the competition and around 4000 people posed text and video questions.