In December 2009, the United Nations climate change meetings took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Around the world, people took to the streets, demanding action. In Canada, Greenpeace scaled the Parliament buildings to draw attention to Stephen Harper’s stance on climate change. At the same time, peaceful acts of protest, large and small, took place across the country.
Reporting on the protests, CBC news took a playful tone, asking:
does protesting change anything? The broadcast seems to conclude that groups like Greenpeace protest because we don’t have access to the corridors of power. We can’t afford expensive lobbyists. We don’t play golf. Our only alternative: climb buildings, put up banners. If only we could reach policy-makers by conventional means, the broadcast implies, we’d hang up our grappling hooks for good.
That’s not exactly true. First, Greenpeace does lobby politicians. As implied, we don’t use expensive lobbyists. Like other Canadian residents, we write letters, we circulate petitions, we comment on political platforms, we hold forums. In addition, we often develop relationships with our elected representatives, sharing our scientific research and policy expertise. Sometimes we hold meetings with them, attempting to influence their decisions. Sometimes it works.