Did you ever wonder where It’s Getting Hot In Here came from? I mean beyond the Nelly song, which is now a distant relic of early-2000s pop culture.
Here’s that story.
It’s Getting Hot In Here, the blog, was founded at the United Nations climate negotiations in Montreal in 2005: COP11/MOP1. Just that year Russia ratified the Kyoto Protocol, meeting the requirement that countries producing at least 55% of global emissions signed on for Kyoto to take effect. Montreal was the first meeting of Kyoto Protocol signatories. It was also the foundation of the International Conference of Youth, the body that brings youth from around the world together to develop a common platform, strategy and story.
The atmosphere in Montreal was both hopeful and frustrated. The Kyoto Protocol had finally come into effect, the first ever international treaty on climate. This was a major step forward. And yet, the United States and Australia, two of the world’s largest emitters, had refused. While delegates met to discuss making the Kyoto Protocol stronger and how to improve implementation, parallel negotiations began to discuss a new framework to replace Kyoto after 2012. It was in this context that I found myself thrust into the international climate movement.
I was one of approximately 150 young people at the conference, a group largely dominated by youth from the United States and Canada. We were not an officially recognized constituency, and many of us found our way there through other organizations. We were a small group, but dedicated. While some youth followed the policy developments, others pressured individual delegates, and others organized youth actions and media. I was a part of this last group.
One day, in some back hallway, a group of about 8 of us were trying to plan out the day’s action just a couple hours later. We decided to go with something simple, attention grabbing and easy to pull off with a lot of people in a short time frame: a cheer.
Ooh, it’s hot in here. There’s too much carbon in the atmosphere. I said, OOH it’s HOT in here. There’s too much carbon in the atmosphere. Take action take action and get some satisfaction. Take action, Take action and get some satisfaction.
Two hours later, over 100 youth marched through the Palais de Congres, publicizing the blog and first performing a cheer that would become a rallying cry for the international youth climate movement for years to come.
Since then, It’s Getting Hot In Here has become the largest youth issue blog in the world, and the cheer has been performed at nearly every youth climate conference since, from Missouri to Australia, the Kenya to Indonesia. Youth have been recognized as an official constituency by the United Nations. Youth spearheaded global mobilizations of hundreds of thousands of people before and during the UN negotiations in Copenhagen last month.
Back in 2005, I never imagined that those few words would travel the world connecting young people across the globe in the effort to build a better future. But as this movement builds, we will keep accomplishing feats I never imagined in 2005. Here’s to transforming our movement such that a year from now we will do things I can only imagine today.
This post is the first of the Climate Generation series, a month-long series reflecting on the state of the youth climate movement. As we pivot into 2010, the series will provide a forum for discussion on the history of the youth climate movement, recent victories and setbacks, potential for growth in capacity and influence, and how to orient the movement in the post-Copenhagen landscape. Please join youth leaders for posts on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and early evenings.
Posted in 350, Climate Generation, Climate Justice, Climate Policy, Copenhagen 2009, global warming, Government, International Affairs, Montreal 2005, Political Participation, United Nations, Visioning, Youth Leaders
