Edina woman shaves head in protest at climate gathering

Article by: PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune
Updated: December 18, 2009 - 10:48 PM

Valida Prentice

Photo: Photo provided,

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An Edina woman in Copenhagen for the U.N. climate conference as part of a youth group joined 30 others in shaving their heads outside the conference center on Friday, the last scheduled day of the gathering.

Valida Prentice, 24, who traveled to Copenhagen two weeks ago as an accredited observer, and the others each held a sign outside the conference center that explained why they made this symbolic gesture.

"Shaving my head can symbolize a lot," Prentice said in a prepared statement, "the ugly negotiating process, the bad decisions made by negotiators, or the catastrophic changes that unabated climate change could bring about. But for me, my shaved head symbolizes a promise of new growth in the international climate movement to secure a fair and binding international agreement on climate change."

As the conference closed Friday, world leaders pressed to salvage a global warming accord amid deep divisions between rich and poor nations. A group of about 25 countries sought agreement on a political statement setting out critical elements, key among them the mobilization of $30 billion in the next three years to help poor countries cope with climate change and a scaling up to $100 billion a year by 2020.

Wednesday night, Prentice joined thirty international youth in a 9-hour sit-in at the conference center. They read the names of the many people who have signed a petition calling for a fair, ambitious, and legally binding deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482