For many, Copenhagen was a missed opportunity for leaders to deliver the ambitious, fair and binding agreement the world needs to face the future. For others it was a meaningful first step towards a global agreement.

Whichever viewpoint you side with, there is no doubt that after two years of preparation and pre-negotiation both the media and politicians reported disappointment at the final accord reached in Copenhagen, however well-meaning it is.

Critics point to no agreed global targets for emission cuts, no incentives for countries to pollute less and no sanctions on those that pollute more. Most of the commitments are not legally binding, are only to be enacted ‘as soon as possible’ and many national ‘targets’ can be taken on trust alone.

But as the dust settles on the United Nations 15th International Conference on Climate Change (COP15), we asked Rory Crawford and Ruth Carruthers, two British Council Climate Advocates who attended the conference as observers, for

'I felt the Scottish Government event I attended was a chance for the Government to promote Scotland’s climate change legislation. I think Scotland's climate change laws are great - and I'm very proud of them though the proof of the pudding is in their implementation.

'However, I find it hugely disappointing that Scotland still plans to build new coal-fired power stations.

'But I am a lot more positive about what Scotland is doing than what was agreed in the final accord. My response now has been to think how I can be more active. What more can I do in my personal life? What more can I do to influence others from friends and family to politicians and decision makers?

I hope to get more creative about how I personally communicate on climate change because top-down guidance has failed at the global scale. It is once again back to the grassroots - to everyday people to make their difference, and let their politicians know that this matters to them.

Ruth Carruthers
‘I don’t think it matters what the scientists say any more. For me, the real evidence comes in the form of stories not science. Hockey stick graphs and parts per million don’t mean much to most people.

'Walking along in search of food one night, my friend and I were offered "soup on the street" by a local café serving free broth to passers by. We were soon joined by three Nepalese mountaineers who also took advantage of this free snack.

‘The obligatory question of ‘so, why are you here?’ soon came up. Their answer was simple: We are here because we notice so many changes in our mountains over recent years. This is proof of climate change. Leaders need to know this is happening.

'At an event organised by the Scottish Government and the British Council, Mary Robinson (the former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) spoke about

some of the ‘climate witnesses’ she had met at the summit through her work as Honourary President of Oxfam.

'One story that really stood out was that of a woman called Caroline from Mali in West Africa. Caroline’s village is suffering the effects of the changing climate so much that woman are selling their bodies as a means of survival. But Caroline is disappointed she can’t do that because she is HIV positive. “How low can you go?” asked Mary Robinson.

'Ibnu Najib, a Climate Champion from Indonesia stood before us in a traditional Batik-style shirt. Najib explained that the traditional art of making Batik cloth is under threat from climate change because the plants that they obtain their dyes from can no longer survive. Subsequently, their traditional art is fading away.

‘Although not as shocking as the others, this is the story that surprised me the most. I usually think of people producing art in response to climate change, not losing it. Najib and his family are not starving or sinking yet, but the loss of cultural identity for them is equally heartbreaking.

‘It’s not the first time I’ve heard such stories but meeting these people and listening to their tales in person has altogether made me question the evidence on which I base my climate opinions. To me, these stories say it all, and they are evidence not only of climate change in action, but above all that we need a human approach to climate change not just a scientific one.’

Challenge Europe

Rory Crawford and Ruth Carruthers are both participants on our Challenge Europe programme which is currently in its second year. Challenge Europe aims to make a definite and lasting impact on the climate change debate.

For more information on our work on Climate Change please email simon.raeside@britishcouncil.org or telephone +44 (0) 131 524 5745.