Ethiopian runners Tulu And Gebrselassie speak at a cliamte hearing

A stadium full to the brim of people wanting to talk or hear about climate change. Among the crowd were the internationally renowned athletes Haile Gebrselassie and Derartu Tulu, religious leaders, civil society organisations, and senior government officials.

The main concern in this farming area is the impact on crops and water supplies. “There used to be so many streams, but these days we don’t have them”, lamented Jemila Mergo a farmer and mother of five. “Now we women have to walk a long distance to get water and don’t have time to look after our children”.

It’s not just that there is less rain. The seasons are no longer what the farmers are used to. “The rain used to fall from June to October, this year the rain only came in September” explained Mare Kiuma a widow who has lived and farmed in the area for 35years.

Local hero, Haile Gebrselassie, the Olympic Gold and multiple World Record Holding runner, joined around a thousand runners in a race that ended in the stadium. “This used to be called the green stadium, but now it has changed” Haile said as he spoke of how the area was when he grew up there.

There were banners all over the stdium. One that I liked rather politely said, “We Request Developed Countries to Cut Emissions Today!!” These calls for reductions in emissions from rich countries were echoed by many of the speakers.

The focus was not just on what needs to be done by others though, as Jemila put it: “We have to protect our trees and be more responsible”. A group of boy scouts told us how they are planting trees in the area and going from farm to farm to advise people about protecting trees and the environment.

The Olympic gold medal runner Derartu Tulu added that “Assella used to be known for being green, let’s do our best to keep it that way; we should all do our part.”

Capturing the spirit of the occasion Haile stated “This is an issue affecting all of us. I won’t stop making my voice heard until I see the impact, even if Copenhagen does not make a difference I won’t stop.”