Fijian climate campaigner takes message to Poland
Updated
Day One of Copenhagen was punctuated by a number of passionate and emotional speeches, but the one which attracted yesterday's headlines was by a young women from Fiji, Leah Wickham. Ms Wickham begged delegates to come to binding agreeements so that she and many young people like herself can look forward living in her island paradise.
After the first official press conference, young people from all over the world entered the auditorium holding up large scale building blocks which spelled out "10 million people expect a fair, ambitious and binding deal" to show leaders how important it is to get an effective climate deal.
Leah Wickham told Geraldine Coutts - from a train on her way to Poland and her next speech on climate change - that the attention has come as a bit of a shock.
Presenter: Geraldine Coutts
Speaker: Leah Wickham, climate witness and representative of TckTckTck and Greenpeace
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WICKHAM: Well, it has come as quite an overwhelming experience. For me personally, it was very humbling to be able to present the delivery of the speech at the delivery of the petition on behalf of 10 million people. I mean I am just one of them and these people come from all walks of life, from all over the world and I don't know them, but I do know that we share the same passion, that of climate justice.
COUTTS: Now, tell us a bit more about the organisation and it's TckTckTck, which is an unprecedented global alliance made up of leading international, national or local organisations. Are you actually a member of that?
WICKHAM: Well, I am a volunteer with Greenpeace, who is a member of TckTckTck, yes.
COUTTS: Tell us about it though? Who runs in and who can join?
WICKHAM: Well, TckTckTck is basically set up by the global climate change action committee. It's basically more so of a movement than organisation on its own. It's made up of about over 220 organisations and these organisations not only work with the environment, but also with development, labour and health.
COUTTS: Okay, and ten million people are expecting a fair, ambitious and binding deal. The evidence that is coming out now from leaked documents means that 10 million people may well be disappointed that there will be no binding deal?
WICKHAM: Well, I would like to think that it is too early in the Copenhagen talks for us to know exactly what our leaders will commit to and I choose to cling to hope for now, hope that they will deliver, more so as human beings than as leaders.
COUTTS: Well, as we can hear, you are on a train on your way to Poland. What are you going to be doing when you get there?
WICKHAM: I have been invited to speak as a climate witness for the South Pacific by Greenpeace Poland, who are organising an activity.
COUTTS: And as a witness, what will you be telling that delegation?
WICKHAM: Well, I will be telling them the affects that climate change has had on the islands of the South Pacific and how important it is for our leaders to realise that the identity of the Pacific people, the culture, the tradition is not something that can be negotiated in those plenaries.
