This ain't no Climategate: SFR's been getting its own totally legit e-mails from New Mexicans at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP-15, for short) that began Mon., Dec. 7 and will wrap up with President Obama's visit this Friday. I've posted here what didn't fit in this week's paper version: insights, observations, photos and general musings from our friends in Denmark, starting with Ken Hughes, the conservation chair of the Sierra Club's Rio Grande Chapter. (Minor typos have been corrected for readability).

"This place is more frenetic than Zozobra," Hughes wrote on Dec. 9, his first day at the conference. After the shock wore off, he passed on some more substantive reflections; read his and others after the jump.

Here's Hughes:

Since 70% of the world will live in cities by 2050, low carbon models are huge. Brazil is partnering with South Africa in a www.redyellowgreencar.br relationship, to share ideas and embark on similar challenges, such as cutting out shipping all the way to Rotterdam every time it sends chickens to S. Africa...



To protect the polar bear means enacting building energy use solutions.

I sat in a most interesting session on the need for modernized cookstoves, relied on by 3 billion people using solid fuels—wood, charcoal, biomass. Gasifiers and other new stove greatly reduce emissions and especially the soot blamed for melting half of glaciers in the Himalayas...BP, Shell, Philips and Siemens are all coming out with new stoves, so you know this is big business...But ironically cleaning the atmosphere of soot will accelerate warming.



Sierra Club['s] message du jour is that Obama must earn his peace prize next week here. Many nations feel the US is trying to undermine commitments by keeping Kyoto.

The US is arguing over a measly billion dollars for the third world while thinking nothing of throwing a trillion at the banks.

Session on weather patterns in China: 2007 warmest on record.  Projected to increase .6 – 1 degree C by 2030 and 2-3% more H2O...Typhoon intensity expected to strengthen...Sharp drop in groundwater already occurring...50% drop in glaciers expected by 2050. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play.

Watch out for the Saudis or Russians trying to hijack a deal next week. Core nations want a deal but so far have not trusted each other enough to reach it. ...Some type of deal is certain. It is unclear if the deal will be ambitious enough... COP-15 is just the start.



An emotional speech today from Tuvalu, the star of the show so far, who cried as he thought of how Tuvalu's survival is at risk. He said the world is waiting for the US Senate to act and that Obama needs to clinch the deal when he arrives.

We also have a few outtakes from Joan Brown, a Franciscan Sister and the director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light (for more, visit her blog, which has some awesome photos):

Today I had lunch with a delegate from Bangladesh, the country being affected most. He is a delegate because their country has so few official delegates. The US, on the other hand, has many very formal delegates and it is very difficult to talk with them.



We need to draw upon the strength of creativity and real connection to Mother Earth that we have in New Mexico. These are important values to guide us. We have Brother Sun that is offering us part of the way into the future. I believe the people of New Mexico have a deep faith, resilience and compassionate hearts to make changes.

The youth had a session where they presented a United Voice of the International Youth Climate Movement. Many youth feel hopeless...yet during this session an orange and black butterfly flit about and landed upon people. This was such an unexpected symbol in the winter of hope and the possibility of transformation of our lives and New Mexico. My Danish hosts were shocked to hear this story...they have never seen a butterfly in winter....