Andrea Cinquina is a 30-year old man from Italy – Pescara specifically – who has long cared about environmental issues. He has studied at leading universities earning a master’s degree in sustainable studies and environmental sciences. Now, he is funding his own trip to Copenhagen to create a platform for citizens of Italy to lend their voices to the debate on climate change at COP15.

 

Working through the organization Tik, Tik, Tik, and the Adopt A Negotiator campaign here, Andea has actually “Adopted” Mara Angeloni, the Italian negotiator. Italy has an important role at the UNFCCC.

 

There are thirteen negotiator trackers –aligned with all of the key industrialized countries – who offer information and feedback to climate change negotiations. “I have been doing this for several months now” before Copenhagen.  I have been to Bonn, Barcelona, Bangkok, and now COP15,” said Andrea.

 

For More Information:  Adoptanegotiator.org

 

“We have formed close relationship with negotiators. This is not seen as an outsider’s perspective. It is a two way flow of information," Andrea added. He then sends his report via the blog site, FaceBook, Twitter, or his own Social Media programs reaching local constituents. 

 

Claire Vernon, an account director from the UK-based Freud Communications, is happy to represent such an altruistic client: “Andrea and negotiator adopters are able to get feedback from their own countries and give it to negotiators.

 

Freud represents GCCA – organizational secretary for the Tik, Tik, Tik campaign. They are sponsoring the young people. Tik, Tik, Tik is comprised of Oxfam, Greenpeace, Union of Concerned Scientists, World of Churches and more with a total  of 226 members in the coalition, according to Claire. “The call to action came from bigger partners who felt they wanted to broadly call for (change) and have a more consumer facing platform to do so.”

 

Andrea believes it is going well. “I have a positive relationship with the Italian head of  our delegation – and she is always avaiable when I contact her. I ask her, ‘What are you working on and she always gives me an answer.”

 

Andrea graduated in environmental economics from college in Italy. He then studied two years in Sweden on sustainable studies, and environmental science, at Lund university. Since then, Andrea has funded a non-profit in Italy. It works on the local level with municipalities, school, and gives seminars on Climate Change. “I am fascinated by the UNFCCC process,” he said. “How it works. What can local people do!”

 

This is a unique project –“I have never seen something like it. People going inside and having a platform to spread the message.” Andrea is not told what to write about or do… he said Italians are leaving great feedback on the blog. 

 

“It is rewarding.”

 

Mike Smith is blogging for The Energy Collective from Copenhagen. Reach him at bhgmike@aol.com