Global politics & local jobs

"What Maldives thing?" said my pal in reply to my reply to her question "What's been the biggest Stupid success so far?". Duh. Can't believe that a bunch of champion spinners like ourselves could fail to convey the news of our greatest triumph. 

So, anyway, you remember the People's Premiere? Well, at the live event in the solar tent - and therefore down the satellite link to the other 65 cinemas - we had a hot-off-the-press video clip from the president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed:  "Today, I can announce to you and the world that the Maldives will be the first carbon neutral country in the world. The cost of this probably will be high, but please understand that failure to act will cost us the world.  If the Maldives, a small relatively poor country can achieve a big reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions there can be no excuse from richer nations who claim that going green is too complex, too expensive or too much bother.  Now the world has an opportunity to come together and prevent the looming environmental catastrophe. This opportunity as we all know is called Copenhagen.  And let's be very frank about this. Copenhagen can be one of two things. In can be an historic event where the world unites in a collective spirit of cooperation and collaboration. Or Copenhagen can be a suicide pact. The choice is that stark. My message to you, my message to the world, is simply this: please don't be stupid." 

Cue the only standing ovation of the entire event. Followed by a rather neat summary from Mark Lynas: "This is more than just an amazing announcement. This is potentially a game-changer for the entire negotiations on climate change worldwide."

The video message is up on the Maldives own website, which is well worth a look in itself. There was also a double-page in the Observer, followed by a brilliantly-titled column written by the President, "Why we are opting out of this pact with the devil". And at the Bonn negotiations (one of the meetings leading up to Copenhagen) last week some activists presented the Maldives delegation with a giant Not Stupid certificate. See pics attached and Leo's witty report here. (So the Maldives got the first Not Stupid certificate and Global Warming Swindle director Martin Durkin got the first Stupid certificate on Newsnight the other week. Worked out rather nicely.)

The only downside is that we can't take the lovely Maldivians up on their open offer for some serious holidaying round their place. Goddamn flying. 

Sarah Teather MP said "If Honorable Members have not seen the film, I strongly recommend that they go and see it. As the G20 meets today, having bumped climate change off the agenda, I cannot help but think that we almost certainly do live in the age of stupid. Not only has the G20 bumped climate change from the agenda, with the decision to look at it at the Copenhagen conference later this year, but it will have failed—at least I expect that it will have failed; we await the Chancellor’s statement later this afternoon—to link the fiscal stimulus that so many countries are arguing for with the green economy. That most certainly is a very stupid thing indeed. "

"That the Parliament welcomes the successful screening of the film, The Age of Stupid, which has just come to the end of its run at the Filmhouse cinema in Edinburgh; notes the inspirational and sobering message of the film; hopes that this will encourage people to leave the cinema and take action against climate change; is pleased that the film has been granted permission to screen at the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh from 15 May 2009; supports the future success of the film, and notes that further information about the film including a trailer can be found at www.ageofstupid.net."

Also attached are some pics of how Team Stupid spent the Easter weekend: strategising and catapulting in a field in Oxfordshire. The scary thing we realised is that a quarter of the year to Copenhagen has already gone, so we can only achieve three times more than we already have. And somehow I don't think we have managed to stop a quarter of runaway climate change so far...

Onwards & upwards, 

Franny & Lizzie

Exec Office

Stupid Towers

Camden, London