Snow Delays Environment Man At Global Warming Conference

By Alan Smithee

A week after playing at the Copenhagen City Hall Town Square, Environment Man & The Ecology Band (EMTCB), left, were stuck at the Kobenhavns Lufthaven Airport on the Amager Island on Sunday because the Washington, DC region was completely snowed in. The band had access to a new Gulfstream 6, pictured below, but both Hyde Airfield, pictured below, and Potomac Airfield were completely snowed in (both private airfields are about 2 miles from Eman's residence). Dulles, Reagan National and Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington Airports were closed too. The irony is not lost on the band and they are composing a song to capture the experience. The tentative title is, "Snowed In At The Copenhagen Global Warming Summit."

The group played a 3-song set the previous Sunday as the opening act for the Danish band Outlandish, who followed Archbishop Desmond Tutu's speech (he also joined in with Outlandish to dance a bit). Earlier, Tutu handed over 250,000 signatures from the international campaign Countdown to Copenhagen to Yvo de Boer, chief climate change officer for the United Nations (Framework Convention on Climate Change). The Sunday December 13th event was open to all and free. It was part of Hopenhagen, an 'open for all' cultural event at Radhuspladsen Town Hall Square (map), above right, with music and happenings during Cop 15.

EMTCB purchased offsets to cover the flights and limos. Eman also tried to negotiate an agreement for us (see CMX) to provide the UN climate change meeting in Copenhagen with offsets, but evidently they went with another service. The total projected direct emissions generated by the conference were approximately 40,000 tons. EMTCB is producing a documentary about the entire experience.