A journey to change the way we travel

The adventure began Aug. 10, 2008, in Brisbane, Australia.

Wanting to do more for climate change, Australian Kim Nguyen thought the best way would be to cycle to Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference slated to commence Dec. 7. After covering around 25,000 kilometers, pedaling through Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Mongolia and Turkey, among other places, Nguyen reached Prague Nov. 7 and went on for Berlin Nov. 10.

"If a person can cycle from Australia to Denmark, so can people cycle from their home to work, or to a friend's house or even to the next town," he said.

The ride is part of the project Ride Planet Earth, promoting changes in behavior, specifically environmentally sustainable transport.

Nguyen said he also wants to see how climate change affects people in different places around the world. But he has certainly learned a little more along the way, like during one stop in western Mongolia. Isolated in the middle of the mountains, a group of locals invited him to stay and rest for two days.

Sheering sheep

"I helped them to catch sheep and sheer them," Nguyen said. "They were making vodka from the goat's milk. We were distilling this vodka and trying it."

And what is drink without a little food to go with it? The Mongolians passed Nguyen something he didn't recognize, and he ate it.

"I asked, 'What was that?'? It was sheep's penis," he said.  

While in Mongolia, Nguyen also found that, while many still live in the same way their ancestors did hundreds of years ago, some contemporary tents also have small solar panels to provide electricity.

"It's astonishing to see that these people, who have one of the smallest carbon footprints of anybody, are taking action using this new energy," Nguyen said.

While meeting people along the way, there was practical assistance, as well, like in Azerbaijan, where Nguyen interviewed an official with the National Meteorological Society.

"He arranged so I could stay in meteorological stations along the way where they measure the weather and the climate," Nguyen said. "I'd go and knock on the door, and the old man would let me in, and I would sleep at these weather stations."

Since leaving Brisbane 15 months ago, numerous people have joined up with Nguyen for parts of his journey. One man in particular, Richard Kimberley, has been riding with Nguyen from Georgia for the past three months.

"It's like a small snowball," Kimberley said. "Slowly it grows with more and more time."

Nguyen is next on to Berlin, his last official stop before Copenhagen. During the journey, he has collected messages and said he wants to pass them on to leaders who are gathering for the UN Climate Change Conference.

"Most of the people don't know what politicians are talking about. They don't know about this meeting, and they often don't really know what's causing the problem. They just realize the climate around them is changing and their lives are becoming more difficult because of it," Nguyen said.

The current international treaty on climate change, the Kyoto Protocol, expires in 2012. The Copenhagen Summit will bring together government representatives from 170 countries. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is pushing to create a Copenhagen Protocol to follow up Kyoto, and 2009 is seen as the last chance to reach an agreement to have it ratified and come into force by 2012.

"Whatever happens in Copenhagen, I'm very optimistic about human society's ability to deal with climate change," Nguyen said. "I've been amazingly surprised by the amount of wonderful people that are out all over the world, even in remote parts, doing amazing things to protect their planet."

Kim Nguyen's arrival in Copenhagen is expected Dec. 6.

Carlos Vicente can be reached at
features@praguepost.com