The Copenhagen Story/Converge

the story of our success

the copenhagen story a proposal for support, participation and partnership

thecopenhagenstory.org

table of contents

Executive Summary!

It is the year 2025!

The Need and Meeting the Need!

How the Story is Created!

About!

Timeline !

Call to Action!

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The Copenhagen Story is a web-based, collaboratively created story of a doable and desirable future in 2025 where people have met the climate change challenge. It is founded on science and motivates action on climate change through an ancient, proven method of sparking re-invention: the story.

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executive summary The Need As a species, we have dramatically impacted life on our planet. Our dreams of progress have been fueled in ways that are no longer viable, and climate change is upon us.

Science and stories from around the world tell us that we face huge challenges. But science and stories can also create a vision of success - we have the technology and the resources to mitigate and to adapt.

We are missing a critical element to make a positive outcome real - the belief that it’s doable and desirable.

The Copenhagen story will show that is doable, desirable, and motivate us to action.

The Mission The mission of The Copenhagen Story is to create belief in people’s hearts and minds that it’s not too late...solving climate change is not only doable and desirable, but it's what humanity is destined to do.

The Strategy To build motivation by creating an attainable, inspiring vision of the future that is based in science and expanded through collaboration by people from all over the world.

Why Now? Science tells us that to meet the scale of the challenge action must be taken within the next two to three years to avert the most serious consequences of climate change.

The Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen (COP15) is a critical event and may represent our last real opportunity to demonstrate an ability to manage our impact on the earth’s climate.

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executive summary !

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The Audience People who want to move from pessimism to optimism – those who understand the urgency and enormity of the climate crisis and know that if we combine our brains and resources and inspiration, the human presence on the planet can be sustainable, joyful and just.

The Tactic A website thecopenhagenstory.com will serve as a platform for creation of a collaboratively written story.

The website will include: • A baseline narrative that is expanded and augmented by words, images, videos and music from contributors all over the world.

• Interactive scientic tools that allow users to explore the impacts of proposals for change.

• A video, song and graphic novel that serve as interpretations of the narrative.

• Resources that link readers with information on climate change, biographies of contributors and ways to connect with other efforts.

The Deliverables A book, song and video to be released prior to COP16 in 2011.

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Story telling is how we learn to exercise agency to deal with new challenges, mindful of the past, yet conscious of alternative futures.

Story telling is how we articulate the individual and collective identities that dene the ends we seek and among whom we seek them.

Story telling is how we access the emotional – or moral - resources for the motivation to act on those ends.

- MARSHALL GANZ

imagine it’s the year 2025, !

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16 years have passed since countries of the world met in Copenhagen for the United Nations 15th Climate Conference

A new view has taken hold about humanity’s role on the planet.

People now see themselves as both stewards of and participants in greater systems.

Climate disasters that were predicted early in the century never came to pass. Instead, economies are expanding and ecologies are showing signs of renewal all over the world.

Early in the century, people recognized that devastating climate changes on the planet were the result of human choices. They knew something had to be done. The technology and resources were available, but people lacked the belief that they could nd solutions.

Those who wanted change needed a vision of success…in 2009, they started writing.

The Copenhagen Story began.

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the need !

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to genuinely believe it is doable and desirable

We know how to address the impact of climate change technologically.

We believe the costs can be met.

What is lacking right now is the belief that we can do it – and the motivation to take action.

The Copenhagen Story responds to this challenge.

meeting the need !

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with the power of story based in science!

If I am not for myself, then who will be for me?

And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?

- RABBI HILLEL

Since ancient times, stories have inspired, sparked re-invention and motivated action. Narrative allows us to communicate the emotional content of our values. And it is through the shared experience of our values that we can with others, motivate one another to act, and nd the courage to take risks, explore possibility and face the challenges we must face.1 Experts who have raised awareness of climate change have relied heavily on fears to motivate action – fears of massive oods, food and water shortages, destruction of cities and towns, health crises, and the collapse of economic and societal systems.

Rather than inspiring people to seek change, fear can immobilize and create despair. Hope is lost.

And at the moment when we should be most energetic and creative, we shut down. It’s time for a new approach.

The Copenhagen Story is a vision of success in our efforts to meet the climate change challenge, a vision that is not only desirable and possible, but doable.

The Copenhagen Story PROPOSAL

1Marshall

Ganz, What is Public Narrative?

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how the story is created !

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Step 1 Expert contributors drawn from a matrix of geographic areas and subject matter areas are sent a request and link to an on-line story response template. Each expert is asked to respond to the following: Based on YOUR area of expertise and the premise that we have solved the climate crisis, respond to the following question in 500 words or 5 minutes of video: “What is the world around you like in 2025?” Your response should be inspiring, hopeful and written as if you are there and are describing the world around you to someone else.

Step 2 On thecopenhagenstory.com, a word cloud depicts ALL contributions collected in real time. As a user mouses over words in the cloud, stories relevant to the words appear with title and author. The cloud starts with 500 words that describe The Copenhagen Story project.

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how the story is created !

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Step 3 In November 2009, all of the collected stories are distilled by a team of three editors and a team of three digital media artists into a 1,000 word narrative and 10:00 minute video entitled “The Copenhagen Story.”

The Copenhagen Story (in narrative and video) is released on the site and then offered for expansion by anyone with the question “In 500 words or 5:00 minutes of video max., “What is YOUR Copenhagen Story?”

As further contributions are received through an on-line portal, the word cloud and story expand, with each PRIMARY story from Step 1 being searchable using the same cloud navigation.

In 2011, The Copenhagen Story is released as a book with the original Step 1 stories and expansions, and a video during a major public globally-connected event.

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components of the story !

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2. Science also tells a story.

The Sustainability Institute, the MIT System Dynamics Group and Ventana Systems have created a transparent, accessible simulator called C-ROADS to model climate change. These simulations are stories about our future told through data.

The simulator has been used to help decision makers and leaders worldwide to improve their understanding of the planetary system's responses to changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including CO2 from fossil fuel use, emissions from land use practices, and changes in other greenhouse gasses. !!

The Copenhagen Story website will provide access to C-ROADS for users, enabling them to visually and numerically depict the projected aggregated impact of national-level commitments to GHG emission reductions.

C-ROADS has already been used to compare four major plans for action being considered by world leaders and scientists, including: • Earth Policy Institute’s “Plan B”" " • WorldWatch’s “Low-Carbon Energy Roadmap” • The International Energy Agency’s “Energy Technology Perspective Blue Scenario” • McKinsey & Company’s Greenhouse gas abatement cost curves • Comparisons of these proposals for action on climate will be available on the site.

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components of the story !

3. Book and Graphic Novel Late in 2010, a team of core contributors will be gathered to review the entire Copenhagen Story in its fully expanded form, and the asked to begin the process of editing it into one story for publication as a book in 2011.

To supplement The Copenhagen Story, a graphic novel will be developed by an illustrator in collaboration with a writer to adapt the entire nished narrative in a highly visual style for release in 2011.

Music can change the world because it can change people.

4. Song The Copenhagen Story will also be brought to life with a musical interpretation into song.

This professionally written and composed song will provide uplifting, inspirational access to the primary message of The Copenhagen Story in a different way.

- BONO

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about !

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originators

Lisa Renstrom is incoming President of Rachels Network, a group of women philanthropists dedicated to stewardship of the earth.! Lisa served as the President of the Sierra Club from 2005 to 2007 and now serves as a Director on the Boards of ecoAmerica, Earth Justice, and the Bonwood Foundation. Prior to her immersion in the politics and advocacy of environmentalism she owned and operated two hotels in Acapulco Mexico.

Tracy Russ is President and principal consultant of Russ Communications, Inc., a consulting practice providing strategic communications, media relations/publicity and advertising services to Fortune 500 corporations, governmental units and non-prot organizations.!Mr. Russ is also a founding partner of Interactive Decisions Inc., providing change management, process design, strategic planning and communications planning services.

Fiscal Sponsor:

Partners and Allies Under development Founders, Supporters, Writers Under development TCS is a project of Lisa Renstrom and Tracy Russ. It will be guided by a board of advisors drawn from the elds of advocacy, agriculture, business, economics, faith, government, media, entertainment and science.

It will draw upon the collective knowledge and energy of people who wish to envision the story of our success.

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The mission of our time is to reinvent the human – at the species level, with critical reection…by means of story and shared dream experience.

- R E V . F R . T H O M A S B E R RY C . P ., T H E G R E AT W O R K

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timeline

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open minds !

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create new possibilities

There is an enormous amount of effort and money being invested in the months leading to COP15. The Copenhagen Story is especially unique because it will inuence the conference – and will play a critical role following the event.

The decisions reached in Copenhagen will open minds and create new possibilities that need to be captured and disseminated.

The Copenhagen Story will embrace that responsibility – providing tools to take action, and serving as an ongoing source of inspiration and motivation for people around the world.

The Copenhagen Story needs your support, your participation and your partnership.

Financial support is required to fund the design and production of the web-based platform where the story – in its diverse formats – will be established.

Individual writers and other contributors are needed to collaborate on the creation of the story, with its many perspectives, media formats and inherent ability to motivate action.

Alliances and partnerships are sought to bolster the scientic credibility of the story, and to serve as additional resources for interested parties to pursue their own paths to addressing the challenge of climate change.

For more information, and to learn how you can become an integral part in the creation and sharing of The Copenhagen Story, please contact:

Lisa Renstrom Founder

Tracy Russ Founder and Executive Director

The Copenhagen Story (704) 650-4222 lisa@thecopenhagenstory.com

Russ Communications (704) 579-0042 tracy@thecopenhagenstory.com The Copenhagen Story PROPOSAL 16