Hey America! So we all know that global warming is a problem and that what's slowing the progress of getting it under control is POLITICS! Did you ever wonder what those “politics” are all about? What happens behind closed doors at the United Nations Climate Change Conference? Here's an account of one Melting Snowman's 6-day experience in Montreal!

So what exactly goes on at these big conferences? Lots of negotiators talking in lots of languages drinking lots of coffee run around like crazy to meetings. I attended as a youth delegate along with about 150 other students from around the world. We had meetings every day to decide how to lobby various delegations, how to get our message across to the media, and how to make some noise that this is a big issue to us!

My first day there, I was able to attend a meeting between the US delegation and NGO's like the Sierra Club. I was not pleased when I realized that they were actually trying to slow the progress of the negotiations, and were unwilling to make any real commitment to stopping human-induced climate change. It was an embarrassment that my country accounts for over 25% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, yet we refuse to participate in global warming agreements!

This meeting motivated me to speak out as much I could while in Montreal. My generation will be most affected by whatever decision is made about global warming. My future is worth more than today's politics! Along with the other youth delegates, I demonstrated to remind delegates that this conference was about so much more than policy and negotiations. Rather, it's about the people all over the world who are being affected by climate change. The native tribes in the Arctic where the ice is disappearing because of shorter winters. The traditional fishing cultures where the sea level is rising to overtake entire islands. And let's not forget about the people in New Orleans who were the victims of the increased hurricane activity that has been directly linked to global warming!

Youth demonstrations took place in the main lobby of the conference center where the delegates entered the building. On Friday, all the youth delegates came dressed in tank tops and shorts (despite below-freezing Montreal temperatures) to get the point across that the climate is heating up way too fast. We showed off a clever chant while pausing to proclaim our individual commitments to stop human-induced climate change. During our second demonstration, we moved through the crowd with our hands covering our mouths, portraying the message that our generation will be most affected by global warming, but has the least say in the matter. A third demonstration took place outside, where youth delegates played a mock hockey game in a rink of water, followed by the funeral of hockey, which was “doomed” because of climate change. Sure, they were crazy ideas, but they got our point across to the delegates and the media.

It wasn't just the youth delegates that gathered to send a message. On Saturday afternoon, 15,000 people took to the streets in Montreal. Crowds were asking for their governments to make firm commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Never in my life have I witnessed so much energy, so much passion for a cause. Walking down the street, there was a crowd of people that went further than I could see. The march finished with a set of moving speeches and musical demonstrations. This experience made me realize that there really are lots of other people out there who care about this issue, and gave me hope to keep fighting for change.

The march was a crucial moment for me because I was able to step back to see the bigger picture of this conference and its place in global healing. Those two weeks were about so much more than just debating the political aspects of climate change. Rather, the conference represented countries from all over the world willing to recognize that we have some major issues to work out, and its time to start solving them. Seeing people come together as an international community to start figuring out our collective social and environmental problems has given me the most profound sense of hope that there is still unity amidst seeming global chaos.

So what was the main thing I took away from Montreal? The realization that while human-induced climate change is a global issue, it needs to be handled on a local level. Along with every other environmentalist, I want to see our government make a firm commitment for post-2012 greenhouse gas emissions, promote renewable energy sources, and increase fuel efficiency for cars. But after my meeting with the US delegation, I realized that we can't afford to sit around and wait any longer for our government to take action! The world is heating up, people, and we need to do something about it!

Global warming is not caused by governments: it's caused by people, by you and me. We can stop global warming by saving energy in our every day lives, and in our local communities. Just think about something, anything you can do to save energy, and you're helping to stop global warming. We are the ones who can do something about this! I want to leave you with this thought, that the world is starting to get together to address its problems, that progress is happening, but that the real progress happens in the decisions you make every day. So get going! When you walk by a snowman this holiday season, I want you to stop and tell him what you are doing about global warming, so that he knows that his grandchildren will have a future. Do it for the snowmen!

To read the youth BLOG of the conference or to see more pictures, visit www.itsgettinghotinhere.org