Youth Delegate Anjali Appadurai Speaks Truth to Power at Conclusion of COP17 in Durban

onDec 9, 2011 @ 19:48 PST

Perhaps the most powerful speech made in all of COP17 at Durban came at the very end, a statement by Anjali Appadurai, a student at the College of the Atlantic in Maine, who addressed the conference on behalf of the youth delegates.

Her scornful depiction of the utter failure of the international community to act on climate change – a failure chiefly owned by the largest polluting nations who have caused most of the damage to the global climate – is spot on.

Watch coverage of Ms. Appadurai’s statement, courtesy of Democracy Now!

By Brendan DeMelle

Brendan is Executive Director of DeSmog. He is also a writer focused on disinformation and corporate accountability.

uk/UAE Influence on Reform Should be Investigated – Report

ByAdam Barnett

onSep 23, 2026 @ 02:12 PDT

The Gulf petrostate is forging alliances with radical right-wing parties across the world.

Analysis

Q&A: Amy Westervelt on the Corporate Poisoning of the Information Aquifer — and How to Undo the Harm

ByMatthew Green

onSep 21, 2026 @ 12:34 PDT

The acclaimed climate accountability journalist says bold steps are needed to reverse the insidious impact of decades of industry propaganda on the public square.

Series: Holding the Advertising and Public Relations Industry Accountable for Greenwash and Climate Misinformation

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Suncor Helped Lead Climate Denial Group Spreading ‘Uncertainties’

ByGeoff Dembicki

onSep 21, 2026 @ 07:18 PDT

With a U.S. Supreme Court decision looming on whether the company can be held liable for climate deception, internal documents show a campaign to question science.