<incom> Breakthrough at Virtual Bali

[Peter Armstrong]

Hi - apologies for cross posting, but we feel this is a significant  
moment for our work on climate change in Second Life.

Cheers,

Peter

Senior US politician “travels” virtually to address

UN Climate Change Conference in Bali


Online address through OneClimate Island in Second Life brings US  
Chairman of Global Warming Committee to international climate  
negotiations

WASHINGTON - Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Select
Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, has linked up  
with OneClimate’s 'Virtual Bali' initiative to participate in the UN’s  
Climate Change negotiations currently underway in Bali, Indonesia -  
even while he remains in Washington DC to press for passage of the  
final Energy Bill in Congress.

He will be harnessing the power of the interactive window opened for  
the duration of the UN negotiations (3rd – 14th December) by  
OneClimate, working with Cisco Systems, designed to allow conference  
participation without the carbon cost of flying.

Congressman Markey will deliver an address to the United Nations and  
the world using a 3-D animated version of himself (an "avatar"). He  
will address the conference at 1.30am GMT on Wednesday 12th December  
from a virtual Bali stage provided by OneClimate’s archipelago on  
Second Life.

His speech will be replayed all week at the conference, demonstrating  
an extremely low carbon way to encourage stronger US government  
support for climate action. Criticism of the carbon footprint of the  
UN conference has been rife. Congressman Markey’s decision not to fly  
but attend virtually will stand as an example for many future  
participants who want to interact without emitting flight-generated  
carbon.

In addition to transmitting Congressman Markey’s address to  
participants present at the UN conference, the OneClimate team is also  
transmitting out to the world the views of participants who have  
elected to be present in person at the UN conference.

Further, they are enabling citizens all over the world to interact  
with these participants – live – in an embryonic new form of  
democratic communication that allows an ever-widening range of people  
to engage with key political processes, without having to be formally  
included by conference organisers or being able to afford the cash or  
the carbon to fly.

Citizens in avatar form have been arriving each day on the OneClimate  
archipelago from 12.30 to 2pm GMT to take up the opportunity to pose  
questions and offer their comments to climate activists and experts  
present in Bali. Dr John Holdren, the distinguished climate scientist  
from the Woods Hole Research Center in the US was one such expert, and  
M.J. Mace, Program Director for FIELD, standing as advisor to the  
Pacific Island states, was another.

The avatars “fly” in from all over the world.  So far their locations  
include the UK, Canada, Italy, Australia, Japan, China, the US, South  
Africa and Belgium, but the list grows daily. Many stay on after the  
interactions with the Bali delegates to continue discussing climate  
issues amongst themselves.

Yoe May, an avatar who has been participating from Japan in the daily  
broadcasts on OneClimate said: “You know, I've been talking about  
[Virtual Bali] a lot today to people outside Second Life, and many of  
them said something like: ‘A-ha! Finally I understand what's so great  
about this virtual reality thing!’.”

When Congressman Markey’s decision was announced to the Virtual Bali  
crowd, there was a round of applause from the avatars present.


WHO: Edward Markey's Avatar, Virtual Chairman of the Select Committee  
on Energy Independence and Global Warming

WHAT: Address to UN Bali Climate Change Conference in Second Life

WHERE: The Internet, from One Climate Island,
·     http://slurl.com/secondlife/OneWorld%20Meetings/145/104/2/?title=Virtual%20Bali 
\\
or:
·     http://slurl.com/secondlife/OneClimate/128/128/26/?img=http%3A//www.oneclimate.net/wp-content/pix/CopMeeting.jpg&title=Welcome

or on the web at:
·     www.oneclimate.net/virtualbali

WHEN:

·     UK: Wednesday, December 12th - 1.30 am GMT/UTC
·     US: Tuesday, December 11th - 8:30 pm EST

HOW:
·     ‘OneClimate’ was instigated by Anuradha Vittachi, co-founder of  
OneWorld, in September 2006.
·     She pioneered the ‘Beam-Me-In’ method of attending conferences  
without expending travel-carbon in August 2007 by using OneClimate  
Island to address a Women TechLeaders conference at the Anita Borg  
Institute in Florida, USA.
·     OneClimate’s primary funders are Cisco Systems and the Guerrand- 
Hermes Foundation for Peace.

You can join us in this ground-breaking experiment  every day from now  
until Friday 14th December. Events start each day at 12.30 GMT (4.30  
SL Time). To take part, visit us in Second Life at OneClimate Island: http://slurl.com/secondlife/OneClimate/128/128/26/ 
  or watch the live stream on OneClimate.net at http://www.oneclimate.net/2007/11/13/virtual-bali/ 
  For more information on how to get started in Second Life, see: http://uk.oneworld.net/article/view/155652