In preparing for my trip to the international climate negotiations in Bali I
packed suits and a briefcase stuffed with science papers and a laptop.
After today I feel like I should have just brought a bull horn and some
spray paint. Maybe its not too late to find them...

Canada's Minister of Environment John Baird arrived in Bali today. Just in
time to reach an all time low by being the recipient of all three of today's
"Fossil Awards" from environmentalists from around the world. There are
over a thousand environmentalists here for the climate talks and at the end
of every day hundreds meet and vote on which countries did the most to hurt
the potential for progress in fighting climate change. Today Canada had the
dubious honor of being first, second and third.

The night before I left for Bali I heard my two boys talking in their
bunkbeds, "I hate it when Mommy goes away." said Quinn(4). "I know but
Mommy's going to save the climate." said Forrest (8). Forrest's confidence
in me was crushing and motivating at the same time. I was reminded of
hearing Barbara Kingsolver interviewed years ago on the radio about how she
stays motivated and hopeful in the face of such huge environmental
challenges. Her reply has come back to me again and again as I have sat
devestated reading the reports coming out of the International Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) over the past two years. "I am a parent," she said.
"And therefore hope is the only moral choice." So it is with a renewed
sense of purpose and hope that I find myself in Bali this evening preparing
to engage in what I believe is the most important conversation in the world.

A conversation that will not only shape my children's future but will decide
the fate of millions of people and the ecosystems we depend on all over the
world.

Tzeporah Berman is one of the experts interviewed in 11th Hour and one of the founders and current Strategic Director of ForestEthics.

Participating in 11th Hour (I am interviewed on the state of the worlds forests and the contribution of logging to global warming) has been an inspiring yet challenging experience for me. Initially I was just excited that I would have the opportunity to contribute a little something to the project and to communicate the importance of protecting the few remaining intact and old growth forests that we have left on the planet to the many people who see this film.

After seeing the film itself last month at the screening for those of us interviewed I have been both inspired and challenged by the magnitude of the work ahead to re-imagine a sustainable world. I’ve been working on environmental issues full time for fifteen years, a journey that has taken me from blockades to boycotts to the corporate boardrooms of some of the largest companies in the world.