The Little Mermaid statue in the Langelinie harbour in Copenhagen has taken on a new meaning to us in the run up to the UN Climate Change Conference, taking place in just one weeks time. Small, fragile, yet resolute, she gazes out across the icy water and industrial buildings, and quietly waits. We get the feeling she has been waiting for a long time, as long perhaps, as the sea itself is old. Many thousands of people are gathering in Copenhagen to lend a discerning ear to the negotiations; many millions more will be tuning in to the proceedings via internet and global news services. With all this human attention, the Little Mermaid serves as a reminder that the cost of climate change cowardice is measured in far more than economic terms. Part woman, part sea creature, she bridges the imaginary gap between humans and the rest of the natural world. Her silent form represents the hidden voices in the climate change debate. As an ambassador of nature, and of women, she is an eerily strong and fitting symbol of why WEN is at Copenhagen this month, campaigning for women's voices to be heard in climate change decison-making.
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