There are a million stories in the naked city, and a million cities.

I think one of the first blogs I ever read – and ever loved – was San Francisco Stories. Its author, Derek Powazek, reached around the globe to me with his wonderful storytelling. Later, he started the City Stories project. The lead-in quote on this blog post comes from that site’s tagline. I discussed starting a “Copenhagen Stories” site with someone, but neither of us were committed enough at the time. When I learned that the City Stories project had stopped, I felt partly to blame. I thought it was an excellent idea that deserved to survive.

A recent internet search revealed only one site in Manchester, UK with the city-stories theme. It shows no connection to Powazek’s original theme, but it does continue the idea of anyone sharing their anecdotes and stories. One other search result intrigued me: White City Stories. It takes the city storytelling to another level with its controlled story about Arequipa, Peru, a sister city to Charlotte, North Carolina. By controlled, I mean that the entire site has a fixed purpose or content strategy, as compared to the more user-generated-content idea behind earlier city-stories sites.

Why the storytelling fixation? It comes from my two weeks immersion at the Fresh Air Center during the recent Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP15). There were so many people at the center with fascinating stories to share – their own as well as the stories of others. When the COP15 produced no constructive results, I realized it was left to the people of the world – not the governments – to repair Earth’s climate problems. Storytelling is one powerful way to start those repairs.

You might think that storytelling is a face-to-face experience such as your parents telling you a goodnight story. Actually, it is a mind-to-mind or heart-to-heart experience, which is why it translates so well to the internet. Discussing the technical aspects of climate change can be complicated with all the data involved. How do you explain this topic to the general public when scientists are arguing about it? Storytelling.

Storytelling can help us relate to those people affected by drought, flooding, and other disasters that disrupt or destroy their way of life. For example, Peruvian farmer Cayetano Huanca is a climate witness who told his story in the Fresh Air Center, thanks to Oxfam. Tanzanian farmers tell their stories in the Unheard Voices book put together by Andy, Rachel, and Bob.

Unheard Voices book

There are millions of these stories waiting to be told. They can be loosely collected stories on one site or across many blogs, or they can be edited collections of stories such as the White City project. The storytellers will determine the packaging. The independent bloggers, photojournalists, journalists, video journalists, and citizen journalists started this effort in Copenhagen. It’s a new wave of “city stories”. The stories have always been there, but the number of storytellers and the methods of storyteling have grown tremendously.

How will the audience react? The first step is to listen.

The past eight days have been a whirlwind of activity in the city for the thousands of people involved in the climate conference. I have been at the reception area of Tck Tck Tck‘s Fresh Air Center in “Huset”. Between my volunteer work and the overwhelming amount of information pouring in all the time, I only manage tweets and a few photos.

The real story is the people at this conference.

I am humbled and awed by the people I meet each day. Their dedication and passion for raising awareness about climate-change issues is inspiring. Their stories also strike some fear and worry in my heart. It’s not the stories of science that worry me. It’s the stories about the climate issues that are causing catastrophic changes in the lives of ordinary people.

Didn’t school teach you that for every action there is a reaction? Didn’t your parents teach you that your actions have consequences? We are seeing the reaction to – and consequences of – years of an unfair distribution of resources.

I will not go into the science now – I ‘m tired and don’t know it all by heart.

I am writing to urge everyone to let your government know that we are not served by “deals” at the climate conference. Only a real deal will do, and no deal is better than a bad deal. Kumi Naidoo, the International Executive Director of Greenpeace, wrote an open letter to President Obama. I encourage you to copy his idea.

Naidoo’s closing paragraphs resonate with me:

Sadly, according to the science the urgency of now has become even more fierce. I humbly appeal to you to reject the voices of short-term interest, of political expediency and of compromise.

Listen instead to the call of history. Listen to the voices of those most at threat. Listen to the voices of future generations, of our children and grandchildren. Of your children. Of your grandchildren, as yet unborn. Then, please, take the action that you know is needed.

We cannot continue to abuse our home, this planet. Living in the so-called global village now means we know real people in all corners of the world. When we see news coverage of natural disasters, it is very likely that we know someone affected by that event. After meeting so many new faces during the climate conference, we will know many more. The stories will not disappear when we turn off the television news. We are connected, and our abuse of resources will have consequences that will hurt us.

Speak up if you care about human decency – your voice is important. Monitor news about events in Copenhagen and the stories from around the world at Tck Tck Tck. Read and share! NOW!

(PS “The fierce urgency of now” is a Martin Luther King phrase that Kumi Naidoo used in his letter. I liked it for the blog post title.)

Practical details aren’t finalized yet, but the Fresh Air Center pages can give you an idea of the project. This quote sums it up nicely, too.

TckTckTck is convening a rapid response digital media hub in Copenhagen for top global bloggers and digital campaigners. Our goal is to help civil society define the narratives coming from COP-15, align our messages and actions to emerging strategic priorities, encourage sharing and collaboration, and break through the noise by connecting powerful NGO, blogger, and independent digital media channels together.

The “helping civil society” appeals to my communicator heart. I love the idea of helping to communicate important issues in society – politics, science, and so on – so that everyone can have a chance to understand what is going on and to participate.

If this appeals to you, too, use the sign-up link on the Fresh Air Center pages.

(Poor blog. You’ve been sleeping so nicely, and now I come and do this to you. It’s for a very good cause called Earth.)

PS If you live in the greater Copenhagen area, people attending the conference need a place to stay. Hotels are booked up. Enrich your life: share a sofa and get to meet one of the COP15 attendees. Sign up at New Life Copenhagen.