Two of us wrote a song inspired by the Lima talks, criticizing carbon markets and the politics of the climate talks. The song called on people not to remain silent and frustrated, but to unite and raise their voices. It’s called ‘Hombre de Papel’ [‘Paper Man’], referring to bureaucrats and the technocratic framework. We performed it inside the conference in front of [UN climate chief] Christiana Figueres and other delegates. Right after the song, the delegate from Bolivia spoke, and he was so touched his voice was breaking. He said, ‘Yes, we the Paper Men need to do our work well to secure a safe future.’
It was very unifying. Even though everyone there was so different, in age, political views and approach, the music went to the core of the problem, in which we are all together. As well as practical solutions, we need a cultural change to encourage critical thought and hope that things can be different.
