This afternoon in l’Aquila, I just had the displeasure of sitting in the front row of the press conference for US President ‘Oh-Bummer’, Australian Prime Minister ‘Krudd’ and Climate-Sceptic Italian PM Berlusconi.

Coverage of the conference is, predictibly, fairly positive:

But from a climate perspective, basically, it sucked. This is a blog post full of regret – regret for doing nothing, and letting something crap happen.

I knew that Obama was speaking there, and so I prepared a fun, media-worthy 30 second intervention to yell out during question time from the journalists. But suddenly, when ‘my’ Prime Minister Kevin Rudd finished speaking, the leaders all shook hands and quickly exited the stage, being ushered off out of the building and to ’safety’, away from the press. There was no question time, and no chance for questioning or commenting on what was announced. Reporters could only ‘report’ on the leaders words, and received no alternative criticism.

It was all over so quickly, and from the moment that it finished, until now, I’ve been regretting just sitting there in the front row and listening passively to their announcements, patiently waiting for my turn that never came.

The press conference followed the conclusion of today’s MEF (Major Economies Forum), a meeting of the 17 highest emitting nations, collectively responsible for more than 75% of global emissions. This month’s MEF was held in conjuction with the G8, in Italy.

If you haven’t already heard from the media machine, Kevin Rudd today ‘officially launched’ the GCCSI – the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute – now officially backed by MEF nations. Australia has ‘kick started’ the initiative with a $100bn yearly investment into ‘clean coal’ research, and it’s already begun functioning.

The central objective of the GCCSI is:

to accelerate the commercial deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, to ensure their valuable contribution in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Frankly, the last thing that we need right now is more investment in coal – whether ‘clean’ or not. We need to be phasing out fossil fuels, as fast as possible.

I’m seriously kicking myself. Why didn’t I stand up and yell? I found out afterward that it was being live-streamed on the BBC. There were 50 other cameras there, the room was full with 300 reporters. All the G8 heads of state were in the room, plus Australian climate Minister Penny Wong. Any expression of dissent would have gone worldwide instantly, if I had followed through.

But I just wasn’t angry enough, and I wasn’t thinking straight. I was exhausted from overworking myself the last three days, due in large part to the two-hour transit to and from the conference centre each day. I’ve never seen a better argument for being a sustainable activist – because you never know when your fullest mental capacities will be required. I only knew one hour beforehand that the conference would happen, and was totally underprepared.

Since it finished, I’ve been running over what I would have said if I’d had my wits about me and judged the situation well. It is all so clear in hindsight. I should have jumped up and yelled something like this:

“Kevin Rudd, that’s bullshit! Clean coal is not a real solution to climate change. The only reason that you’re is investing in CCS is because of the huge amounts of coal to be mined in Australia, for profit! More coal investment is the last thing that we need right now. What we need to solve climate change is a global institute for solar and wind. Renewable energy has never seen that scale of investment. This is clearly a case of vested interests influencing government policy. And Obama, surely you know that this is the truth. How can you stand there and just let him say this?”

If only I had actually done it. I would sacrifice a lot to have a time machine go back a few hours and try it again.

As Rudd started to speak, other G8 leaders – Gordon Brown, Taro Aso, Sarkozy etc – walked out on the stage and Obama remarked to Rudd ‘It looks like you’ve got backup.’ And he needed it. The bombshell of more investment in fossil fuels as a ’solution’ to climate change was cemented by those leaders shaking hands on stage afterward. It was surreal to be in the presence of it. It all seemed so fake and unreal – inaccessible, like watching TV.

In a haze, I walked back to the G8 media centre, passing by a group of Australian government bureaucrats handing out GCCSI propaganda to all the journalists. Disappointed with myself and gradually getting more enraged. When I got back, I ran around the press centre to all the media outlets, saying that I am Australian and that I’d like to provide comment to any stories that they’re filing about Kevin Rudd’s announcement. But they weren’t interested. The media cycle was wrapping up for the day and the announcement was over.

Evidently, my opinions just aren’t that important at the G8. There was no space to express them, and I felt totally powerless.

But I suppose, that isn’t so surprising, as I was just an individual, attending the G8.

So very true to the criticisms often expressed of it, the G8 succeeded in shutting down debate and creating the illusion of progress. The barrier of the stage and the formal, for-power-holders-only atmosphere – not to mention the fact that I was one of few activists actually inside the G8, due to the opaque accreditation process – meant that I lost my nerve and couldn’t find the courage or space to tell it like it is to the global media there. My heart is very heavy, and this blog post is the next best way that I have to express my views.

With only a few months until Copenhagen, this MEF announcement may have been one of the last high-profile chances to demonstrate the failure of developed nations to actually address climate change. I was there, I had the chance, and I blew it. From now, the only media comment that we can get on this CCS Institute is national-level at best. Now, the GCCSI and the G8 have cemented a false appearance of climate leadership, in the eyes of the global public.

To conclude, today I learnt a three valuable activist lessons:

1. Express dissent at every opportunity. Never hold it inside. Always tell it like it is.

2. Get enough sleep to think straight

3. Don’t expect governments to do the right thing – we’ve got to push for the solutions ourselves.

Posted in Australia, carbon sequestration, Coal, Copenhagen 2009, Corruption, g8, global warming, Government, International Affairs, United States