Throughout Europe, students of the Erasmus mundus Marine Biodiversity and Conservation programme have rallied together in an attempt to have their concerns communicated at the upcoming Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen (COP15).
Over 50 students from 6 continents and more than 20 countries have independently launched a campaign to voice their concerns about the one thing that they all share in common: An overwhelming uneasiness concerning the fate of the world’s oceans.
Several weeks ago students began posting pictures of themselves on the internet holding billboards detailing their individual concerns in their native language accompanied by an English translation. They hope to send their messages to the world leaders at the COP15 summit and increase public awareness about the fragility of today’s oceans and the consequences of ecosystem collapse. The students are studying at 6 European universities and haven’t had the opportunity to meet or speak as a group yet.

One of the students who helped post the photos online said that a pattern began to emerge, “I started to notice that students from developed countries were directly addressing their individual leaders, demanding a change in priorities and referring to specific projects. Students from developing countries were also assuming responsibility for climate change but were demanding a change in policy from the developed countries. Much of the intensive environmental degradation is taking place in developing countries but the funding and pressure comes from Europe and North America.”

Tim Deprez, the administrative EMBC program coordinator, had the following to say about the students' initiative, “We were very happy to see students in our international master program really getting together in this action and show that they have their personal ideas concerning the whole issue of global warming. It shows very clearly to me that we are educating a next generation of scientists which are aware of their environment. The large geographical origin of our students proves once more that it is a problem affecting the whole world."

More information on this initiative can be obtained from student Gregory Puncher and the EMBC secretariat.

This action on the internet:

• Front news on Ghent University website
• Post on Indymedia.org
• Front page item on news blog in Portugal
• Article on Barlavento (Portuguese online newspaper)
• Radio interview on Ghent University Radio (in dutch)
• Dance for the climate (10 December) - Ghent University

1. EMBC Copenhagen Action (Published on 19/11/2009 by Tim Deprez (administrator))