From Facebook to Tuvalu - a Very Wide Gap Indeed

Earlier this week, our public relations office sent out a press release and posted information on the college Facebook page about our participation here at COP20 in Lima.  Based on prior experience, if this was the local paper, I would (sadly) expect the trolls to make snide remarks.  You know -- how sending students to our college is a waste of money, something about climate denial, and the liberal “crap” we teach in higher education.  (It's true.)  I wasn’t, however, expecting negative comments from our own alumni.

ID-10-T error.  I'm so ashamed that my Alma mater is sending people to this farcical conference.

I should know better than to respond to Facebook comments like this, but nevertheless, I replied:

I would like to hear more about why you feel this way. The process is by no means perfect, but do you have a better solution as to how we address the major global issue?

The response:

The people at these conferences are all "watermelons." They pretend to care about the environment, but they're really just communists looking to redistribute the world's wealth. If the United States agrees to meet certain targets, we risk ruining our own economy. Remember, the people at the conference can't commit the US to do anything. Only the Senate can ratify international treaties. Nothing will be accomplished at this conference.

Well, if this individual had heard the fiery speech from Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, at the Opening Plenary of the High Level Segment, he would be further convinced of his claim.  Personally, I interpreted the comments from Morales as a call to rethink our unsustainable economic systems and consumptive lifestyles, and to allow others the opportunity for a fair, safe, and healthy standard of living.  I suppose that would mean a redistribution of wealth.  Because this speech was from Bolivia, – the first country to include Rights of Nature in its national constitution – there was also a call to protect Mother Earth.

Evo Morales at the Opening Plenary of the High Level Segment, COP20

It was another tactical error, this time on my part, to continue the conversation with a lengthy response:

I am well aware of the inability of the US to ratify agreements here and with the political environment in Congress, chances are slim that anything environmental will get ratified back home. Sadly, much talk here is to find a way to come up with an international agreement that bypasses the U.S. -- a country that is still one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters, especially if you express this per capita.

Are there some here who are interested in redistribution of wealth? Perhaps, but they typically don't express it so blatantly. Rather, there are discussions of "Polluter pays" - e.g. for the alleged damage that has been caused by greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate change.  There are calls for help with the development and transfer of new clean renewable technologies so that developing nations don't make the same mistakes that the US, EU, China, etc. have.

I will disagree, however, that an agreement/compromise/treaty will ruin our economy. There will be some adjustments in the short term, but as a scientist who has carefully studied the data, if we don't rethink our fossil fuel use and adapt, the longer-term impacts will be much, much worse for the economy.

But I would also add that there is no better way to hear all of the perspectives and be educated about the complexities of the issues than to be here with students and to bring these perspectives back to the broader community at home in an unbiased a way as possible.

End of that conversation.

The second alum to comment played off the first:

I agree a liberal arts college and professors that think liberal and teach liberalism - if only they would research and get their facts correct.

Hmmm.  Being curious, I had to inquire what facts/research were incorrect, but received no response to that question.

Since I was on a roll, I continued:

I also suggest that you look up the original meaning of the term "liberal education" and then ask you how participating in international deliberations about a globally recognized challenge is not something we should be doing as educators and researchers?

To that, he replied:

Goggle the true facts and stop agreeing with another liberal Huffington Post - Your telling us if Goggle the true facts and stop agreeing with another liberal Huffington Post - Your telling us if we stopped exhaling carbon dioxide the planet would be better off?

There is no response for a statement like that.  But for the record, as a scientist and academic, I prefer peer-reviewed scientific literature over things that someone might find on Google.  And I won't repeat some of the other comments he made.

Thank goodness for the response of a third alumnus – albeit one that the first two would likely feel had been brainwashed.  You see, this person attended COP15 with the Moravian delegation in Copenhagen in 2009.

I'm ashamed to share the same alma mater with someone who thinks that it is laughable that world leaders are discussing something as serious as anthropogenic climate change (which nearly all scientists studying the data agree exists)... Moreover believes it is a conspiracy theory brought about by world leaders to redistribute the world’s wealth (That is laughable. If that was the case, policy would have been implemented long ago, but it isn't and hasn't due to the many interest groups involved). Discussion must come before policy.

The impact of attending a COP meeting on that student, and the others who have attended, has been profound.  I distinctly remember this particular student sitting on the floor in a circle with youth representatives from small island nations, learning about their fears of having to move their entire country, leaving behind their homes, their culture, their history, their sense of place.  And I remember the passionate description in a post-COP essay about how that experience had changed his perspective on his own life.

I was thinking of that student today as I listed to opening remarks by Enele Sopoaga, Prime Minister of Tuvalu.  This is a small island nation midway between Australia and Hawaii.  It is only 4.6 meters above sea level at highest point, and thus, it is one of most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts, especially sea level rise.

Enele Sopoaga, Prime Minister of Tuvalu 

The prime minister first told of the tragic and historic connection between his country and Peru as there are Tuvaluans buried in this land, those brought over to work in the mines.  But he went on to note that no other leader has had to face question of whether their nation will survive or disappear under the sea.  He added, Think of what it is like to be in my shoes? He then asked the audience if they were faced with this situation, what would they do?

The passionate part of speech that came next was not expected.  My notes captured his words close to verbatim and I include them here because they are worth sharing.

After a reference to Dante (“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis”), Sopoaga said that this is a time of crisis and asked if [the other leaders] want this [the consequences of climate change] on their conscience.  The prime minister was in New York during the Climate March in September, and said that he was moved when he saw signs for the support of Tuvalu in midst of people – all 400,000 of them.  “I heard their moans, their calls, and share their concerns.  It is time to ignore the voices of the climate change deniers driven by big fossil fuel industries, to ignore the national leaders who don’t believe.  These are shallow creatures who only see face of dollars.  In Tuvalu, we see faces of children, and it is these children to whom they must answer.

...The fossil fuels we use today are from extinct animals and plants,  they signify extinction, we must not condemn ourselves to extinction.

… Ask everyone who leaves this room to look into eyes of first child they see and imagine what those eyes will see in 10 or 20 years.  Will they see hell or a sustainable planet?  Let us try to build a firm foundation here so that we can stand proud in Paris.  ‘Yes we have a future for you’ is what we can tell our children.  Let us make 2015 the year we save the world, save Tuvalu.  Because if we save Tuvalu, we will save the world.

These are the speeches we hear at the COP meetings.  These are the tough questions we wrangle with.  If this is “liberal crap,” then so be it.

Post COP Thoughts from Raleigh, NC

Unfortunately for me I am back in the United States surrounded by final exams, papers, and lab practicals. I would much rather be in Lima experiencing week two of COP, but there is that whole undergraduate thing that I have to do.

I wanted to write a post about what it was like coming back to Raleigh after being at COP. I think my biggest realization was earlier today when I went to talk to one of my professors. I had to get permission from all of my professors to leave for my trip, so she knew I was gone. My professor asked me about my trip, and of course I raved about the incredible experience and that I only hope to go back next year. She replied, "Oh, it's an annual conference?" I was disappointed, and frankly, shocked that she didn't know. Which made me think, who does? Who actually cares about climate change, but more importantly WHY don't more people care about climate change?

Another thing happened today that made me wonder about the way people view climate change. One of my roommates walked back into our apartment after taking a final exam. I asked her how it went, and she said it went well but she was almost late. We live on a narrow road full of college apartment complexes, and apparently it was full of traffic today. Normally the drive to campus usually takes about 8 minutes, but my roommate said she was stuck on that road alone for 20 minutes. I told her she should jump on the biking bandwagon (I usually bike to campus and it takes me a little under 25 minutes). This made me wonder, why did hundreds of college students who all live along the same road individually get in their cars to all leave at the same time to go to the same place? The system doesn't make sense. Climate change has been called, "The greatest problem our generation faces." But why doesn't my generation care? Why do we value convenience and the easy fix over everything else? Why isn't my generation a leader in climate change action?

Being at COP made me realize even more that things have to change. Of course, COP is on an international level. But COP is made up of countries, which are made of states or governing bodies, which are made up of cities/towns/counties, which are made up of people. Just individual people. My best friend always says, "No one snowflake feels responsible for the avalanche," which I think is very wise. No individual college student driving to their exam felt responsible for the traffic jam my roommate experienced this morning. No individual citizen feels responsible for climate change, like my professor this morning. But if we have any hope of combating it, we all need to acknowledge the responsibility we owe our planet, our society, and our future. The responsibility to be informed about climate change news, and to live our lives in a way that is as sustainable as possible. Being in Raleigh has made me think about my own life and the fact that the American way of life desperately needs to change. The way we value our resources needs to change. It's not a question of if, but when. For the sake of our planet, I can only hope it happens sooner rather than later.

Momentum and Purpose for the second week of the COP20

"We cannot repeat Copenhagen".  Those words echo in the Plenary tents. 

"The darkest places in Hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis do not act. --Dante

Extinct Plants and animals created the fossil fuels we use.  Fossil Fuels represent and embody extinction. We must not condemn ourselves to extinction by riding on the backs of the extinct" 

"we cannot ignore the voices of the youth and women in climate action.  Scientists tells us that urgent action is needed, civil society says urgent action is needed" 

"If we save Tuvalu, we save the world". -Prime Minister of Tuvalu

Indeed it is All of us or none of us. 

------------------------------------------------------------------

The opening remarks are heady with the words of how to meaningfully participate as a high-party delegate or as a civil society observer. What will this final week bring? 

Having a roadmap for the final COP20 can shape your perceptions of how you participate here as an observer to the negotiations.  In the past, our badges have said: non-governmental.  Denoting a specific type of hierarchy to the meetings, some say the badge is intentional to separate who really matters and who doesn't. This year that perception was challenged. 

In an effort to increase transparency and to encourage participation, the badges underwent a name change.  We are now observers. 

I think that it is a purposeful movement on behalf of the Secretary General to include civil society's role as Observers transforms their role as a stakeholder. It encourages them while letting parties know we are watching and reporting. 

Brilliant move.  

Here please find the road map for the current week, and what the negotiations hope to accomplish.  

Monday:

In the 2^nd week of the UNFCCC there were important documents distributed right before the joint high-level segment of Lima COP20/CMP10 opens on Tuesday.  The Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), (this is the body tasked with reaching a new climate change agreement and raising immediate global climate action), the Co-Chairs have already issued the newest COP decision draft text on item 3 and the elements for a draft negotiating text , which they had compiled over the weekend at the request of Parties.

The first documents benefited from a useful week of negotiations during the opening week of the COP20.

-The Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and

-Technological Advice (SBSTA)

Loss and Damage, Response Measures,  Reporting and Review by Annex 1 Parties under the Kyoto Protocol, and Annex 1 Review Guidelines now have more concrete documents. (1)

-Multilateral Assessment

This process is new to the UNFCCC that allows all countries to assess how developed countries are implementing actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was one of continued debate over how to best quantify and collect data in a reasonable way.

In the second session, the countries coming forward for assessment are: Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America.

Monday was also Lima REDD+ Day, where the topic of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries was a specific tone of the conference.

Tuesday: (HOY DIA!)

Today, Tuesday, there is a joint high-level segment of the COP and CMP opens, with a high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance  in the afternoon.

Currently, as I sit and type at the plenary.  The calls for engagement are the same as every year from Copenhagen to Warsaw and now Lima.  From Ban Ki-Moon, he references the People's Climate Summit in NYC this past September, to Figures who "calls for action in the urgent present", and COP 20 President Manuel Pulgar-Vidal asking for urgency.  ALL LEAD. the race is on.... the language is always the same. All the speakers continue to highlight similar sentiments. The President of Nauru, of the Pacific Island Countries: "Seize the opportunity before it slips into the abyss." Tuesday is a day to encourage action. 

---------------------------

Also, many days here at COP20 are designated under a particular theme. 

Today is Gender day, with a high-level event on gender and climate change scheduled for the afternoon, followed a by Momentum for Change: Women for Results event showcasing women’s leadership on climate action. Last year this segment was incredibly powerful, and was lead by Deputy Secretary General Christina Figures. This session acknowledges that men and women taking action on gender equality and climate change and now asks: How far have we come? The moderator this year is: Ms. Mary Robinson.

For those of you who are interested you can see the schedule for today below.  

H.E. Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, COP20/CMP10 President 

Ms. Nadine Heredia, First Lady of Peru (tbc) 

Stage-setting on global gender gaps 

Ms. Mary Robinson, United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Change (tbc) 

Moderator 

H.E. Ms. Amber Rudd, Climate Minister, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 

Panelists

· H.E. Ms. María del Carmen Omonte Durand, Minister of Women and Vulnerable 

Populations, Peru 

· H.E. Mr. Pa Ousman Jarju, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Water Resources, 

Parks and Wildlife, The Gambia 

· H.E. Mr. Juan Jose Guerra Abud, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico 

(tbc) 

· Ms. Lakshmi Puri, UN Women Deputy Executive Director 

· Ms. Susan McDade, UNDP Deputy Assistant Administrator 

· Ms. Alina Saba, Mugal Indigenous Women's Upliftment Institute/Asia Pacific Forum on 

Women, Law and Development, UNFCCC Women and Gender constituency 

· Mr. Klever Descarpontriez, College of the Atlantic/Earth in Brackets, UNFCCC constituency 

of youth NGOs 

Closing Remarks 

· Ms. Elena Manaenkova, WMO Assistant Secretary-General 

Wednesday: Momentum for Change. 

A special Presidential session will take place on Wednesday morning, in which several Presidents of Latin American countries will speak, as well as UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, followed by a Ministerial Dialogue on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action in the afternoon.

On Wednesday evening, the Secretariat's Momentum for Change Showcase Event will be held to celebrate the 2014 Lighthouse Activities. Click here for links to actions happening near you. (2)

Thursday: is Climate Action Day.

As part of a series of activities, Peru will convene an innovative climate action high-level dialogue between parties, UNFCCC bodies and non-state actors. (like me!)

The dialogue seeks to promote engagement and support by global leaders to strengthen pre-2020 climate action as a strong foundation for the post-2020 Climate Agreement, as well as to encourage implementation of existing climate commitments by Parties and other commitments by non-state actors. The meeting will be webcast live.

Friday: un dia loco.

The ADP is scheduled to have its closing plenary on Thursday afternoon, with the COP and CMP both scheduled to close on Friday. 

Envio Suerte!!!

The overarching theme for the week is: ASK yourself.  If not now, when?

1: http://newsroom.unfccc.int/lima/looking-ahead-to-limas-second-week/

2: ibid

Kaitlyn Teppert: Better than Interstellar

So, on the first day of the second week at the COP, we met an astronaut.

No kidding. After we registered (I am a student getting the opportunity to observe here during the second week) and got our bearings, the first place we wandered was the zone where many different countries get to put up different displays and host small side events (and also give away free stuff!). We found the U.S. Pavilion, and the main organization presenting there all week is NASA.

The NASA.

One of the students, Jade, had met employee of NASA Daniel Irwin on her way to our apartment the night she flew in; he was fluent in Spanish and they were staying in the same area, so he helped her arrive safely (and we couldn’t be more thankful for that). Luckily, when we went to the pavilion, he was there – with his good friend, the astronaut of fifteen years, Dr. Piers Sellers.

We got to talk to them both before any official presentations began. When speaking of the Hyperwall (pictured below of some not-so-impressive photos I took while we were there… you should really check out the NASA website to see amazing photos and videos that they simulate on the Hyperwall), Dr. Sellers looked at us with a clever smirk on his face and proudly proclaimed, “oh, wait until you see it. It’s better than Interstellar.”

 

When the presentation began, we could only see how right he was. It blew us all away. Eyes wide and up in front, it was almost too much to take in at once.

Most of the presentation comprised of data that was gathered purely via NASA satellites. In this single presentation, they went over how they could compile data into comprehensive videos and images of the salination levels in the oceans, the change in ocean currents, the ice coverage globally, fires that happen, and perhaps most poetically: they can show us how the earth breathes.

(See the video clip of this segment here: link)

Think about it: as spring comes for the Northern Hemisphere, our trees sprout their leaves and our flowers peek up their sleepy heads. They breathe in carbon dioxide, taking it out of the atmosphere; and when it’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s summer down in the Southern. Earth breathes in carbon dioxide in the winter, and exhales it in the summer. Like you or I, Mother Earth breathes.

Consider this in a way you might not have before. Consider the Earth as one functioning unit; as a body. And this is why climate change is so important; this is why we care. This system is fragile, and we are disturbing this gentile balance.

Luckily, NASA (and other organizations) has the technology to not only compile data into pretty videos, but they also have the ability to model how certain ecosystems will react to climate change. These are not guesses, or cartoons; they are realistic models built with copious amounts of data.

The scary part, though? With just a 4 degree Celsius change, we would be living in a world where we can’t make predictions. A change of just 4 degrees Celsius would cause a world so different from the one we’re currently in, none of our current, real-world data would be applicable.

And studies show we’re going to have to make some serious, serious changes if we want to stop at 2 degrees Celsius.

It’s hard to think of why we should care about climate change in a place like America. After all, climate change isn’t affecting us, right?

Wrong.

The sea level has already risen three inches. This might not sound like a lot, but this is across the entire planet. There’s more water on our planet than there is land, and enough has melted to cause it all, on average, to rise three inches. People in Miami, Florida are already having problems with sea water getting into their plumbing and sewage systems. Climate change is right on our door step, and she’s knocking.

However, with proper use of the models that NASA and other organizations produce—whether they are actual compositions of data or realistic models—it can help us avoid catastrophic disasters. For example, NASA was able to predict the movement of Hurricane Sandy of 2012 that saved the lives of thousands of people in New Jersey, because they knew they had to evacuate.

Beyond that, in the 1980s, when Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were banned by the Montreal Protocol in order to minimize the growth of the Ozone hole, we avoided a disasterous world.

What kind of world?

Let NASA show you.

 

Let’s hope that our world never becomes like the one on the left. We will not become a projection. We will fix our reality.

Observing the Negotiations from Afar

I’ve just returned to the United States as the COP prepares for the final “high-level segment” of negotiations.  Wanting to stay “in the know,” I’ve compiled a short list of resources, which I’m sharing below. If you want to have the news come to you, simply subscribe to the newsletters. For official texts, news items, webcasts, etc., the UNFCCC website is your best bet.

Official UNFCCC website

Outside organizations with blogs and daily newsletters:

Tcktcktck website and newsletter

Climate Action Network website and newsletter

Earth Negotiations Bulletin

Other great resources:

NOAA State of the Climate  

NASA Hyperwall Presentations

Continuing Threats to the Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon forests are likened to the lungs of the earth, and we are dangerously close to a tipping point where the forests won’t be able to recover from the large-scale deforestation, often involving burning the trees to make way for agriculture. At the COP this past week, the focus was on the illegal mining of gold and logging.

On Monday the US Center at the COP sponsored a screen of the movie Amazon Gold. The four-minute trailer is worth watching, with the visuals showing the large-scale destruction of the forests in Peru for illegally mined gold.  A less visible danger is from mercury used in the process, which is polluting the rivers. While this film documents the mining in Peru, it is occurring in other parts of the Amazon as well. 

Then, on Thursday, the widows and daughter of four environmental activists from a Peruvian indigenous community spoke at a session sponsored by the trade unions.  In their case, they are trying to protect the land from illegal logging.  This was followed by yesterday’s action of solidarity, where many of the YOUNGOs and ENGOs stood in solidarity with the indigenous: “We are Saweto.”  A recent report argues that the Peruvian government is not doing enough to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples and forest. 

Observing the destruction of the rainforests is becoming very routine – NASA has several satellites which are continually observing our planet.  The organization Global ForestWatch is continually monitoring the forests around the world, and have increased resolution to five meters.  For the last year of data on Peru (2012), they show the largest number of hectares lost since 2001, with 246,130 hectares (608,200 acres) lost.   

First COP, Favorite Quotes, and Floating Thoughts

Deanna Metivier here, blogging for the first time! I met Diane Husic over the summer at a 10 day program called the Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network Summer Academy (RMSSN). We had a lot in common given our shared interests in science and climate change. After the program I emailed her and she told me about the possibility of going to the Conference of the parties, more commonly referred to as COP, later this year. Lucky for me it all worked out, and here I am at my first COP and my first time in South America!

This experience has been incredible to say the least. I found myself feeling a little overwhelmed the first few days by all of the jargon, acronyms, and intensity that is COP. I wandered my way around the venue and attended some very interesting events. One thing I thought to do while taking notes in sessions is to write down some of the quotes that I heard throughout COP. I'd like to take this opportunity to share them and reflect on my experience with COP thus far.

On the first day of COP I was lucky enough to land a ticket to attend the opening session . The president of COP19 spoke and welcomed the president of COP20, as well as other distinguished delegates. Here, I wrote down my first quote of the week from Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, the president of COP20, "Science is at your doorstep. The world expects us not to fail. The time is now." I walked away feeling very motivated and excited for the week to come, although I still didn't exactly know what to expect!

Opening ceremonies!

Another one of my favorite quotes (I have a few I'd like to share) was a gentleman asking a question at an event that had to do with an update on climate science. The man said, "Climate change isn't the problem. Climate change is the symptom of a monumental problem. The problem is how we interact with Mother Nature. The question is can we live in a sustainable world with the present political system?" This quote really made me think about our society and how we interact with nature. We exploit it, we don't respect it. We exhaust it without thinking twice. We go for the easy fix instead of thinking about the future. Is the problem attaining the 2° world or something much bigger (if that's possible)?

Next up, a quote I heard while talking to Diane and Sarabeth, "No one here cares about the environment." After hearing a scientist present his research, I began to realize what exactly they meant. The scientists want to present their data in a straightforward manner and simply communicate the facts. The economists care about the economy. The politicians care about politics. Every country cares about themselves first. At the end of the day, who cares about the environment? People are here each with their own agenda and priorities, but are we losing sight of the bigger picture here, which is the environment and nature?
This next quote goes along with the previous thoughts. A woman spoke and asked a question and said, "Water is an endangered species." I thought this was an excellent way to articulate this issue. I've found myself often thinking about entitlement during this trip. What exactly each country and individual feels like they are entitled to, rather than something that is a privilege. Water is something we need to conserve and respect and never take for granted. Yet don't most of us every day, myself included?

Often times when I tell people I'm interested in climate change particularly in science, they say something along the lines of, "Oh so you can tell people how bad it's going to be and watch them do nothing about it?" I try to remain optimistic about climate change, but I have never been a very patient individual. On a panel with Climate Action Network (CAN) a man said, "Never get frustrated with the slowness. We are regenerating the human economy." I found this man's words to be particularly motivational because sometimes I find myself pessimistic about the future. But he is right, nothing about this entire issue will happen over night. We will not reach 0 carbon dioxide emissions overnight. We will not be 100% renewable over night. The issue of climate change encompasses every aspect of our lifestyle, economy, international policy, domestic policy, transportation, urban development, education-everything. We are regenerating the human way of life in every aspect.

Continuing with the the same theme, another one of my favorite quotes, again in a CAN presentation, "The people have spoken. The scientists have done their work. Now world leaders have a choice to make. Climate action or climate chaos?" Over 400,000 people marched in New York City in September demanding action regarding climate change. The IPCC fifth assessment confirms that climate change is real and is due to human causes. The science is there. The people are demanding action. If the scientists choose the latter option, we will continue to see widespread flooding, typhoons, sea level rise, increase in global temperatures, everything. So what'll it be leaders, climate action or climate chaos?

My final quote that I would like to end with particularly resonates with me. Being a young college student at this conference has been an experience beyond words. I've had the opportunity to travel to a new part of the world, meet wonderful people, learn about something I am incredibly passionate about, and see history being made. At the end of a session a woman stood up and asked for advice on how to make the most of her first COP. The panelist replied, "Don't forget to carpe diem." Climate change is real. It is up to all of us to do something about it. It is not an issue to think about in 2020, 2050, or the end of the century. We all need to remember to carpe diem and take action regarding climate change.

That's all I have for now! Unfortunately tomorrow is my last day at COP and I will return to Raleigh, North Carolina to take my final exams for the semester. Below are a few more pictures from this week at COP20!

The entrance for this year's venue for COP20 in Lima, Peru

The streets of Lima, down the street from the venue.

Me (Deanna) at COP20!

Phasing Out Coal

The European Union has been upstaged in recent weeks by the US/China agreement, but it is beginning to reclaim the limelight.  The leading player is Germany; this week the COP welcomed the news from Germany that they are reducing coal emissions, and that the German energy supplier, E. ON, is switching to a focus on renewables.

Meanwhile, the call from the Developing Nations and environmental groups is for 100% renewable energies by 2050, making moving away from fossil fuels, especially coal, a priority. On the first day of the COP, Christiana Figueres warned that there are risks associated with continued investment in oil and fossil fuels.  Investors are beginning to pay attention, and are worried about an economic crash as fossil fuel companies lose value.  Once again, it seems to be a question of risk: are the risks of economic hardship greater than the risks associated with continuing climate change? 

Setting the Stage for Paris

There is a certain sameness about the first days of each Conference of the Parties (COP) – the opening plenaries for the various working groups begin with the Parties (countries) stating their positions, the activists stage actions, and the scientific community present their latest findings.

This year, the opening statements have been statements of position (which haven’t changed much). In the past, there have been the exceptional moments in opening plenaries (like Yeb Sano’s statement in COP 19, following the devastation to his country from Typhoon Haiyan), but this year Yeb is noticeably absent. Last year, he started a Climate Fast, which has marked the beginning of this year’s COP, with over 10,000 people participating worldwide.  Yeb is identified with this action, and he is participating with an online video. At the COP 20, several delegates and observers are fasting in solidarity.

On the science front, the IPCC has presented their Assessment Report 5 Synthesis Report to the Parties in a joint presentation with Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA).  The main take-home points are that:

“1) Human influence on the climate system is clear; 2) the more we disrupt our climate, the more we risk severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts; 3) and we have the means to limit climate change and build a more prosperous, sustainable future.” 

Based on the work of over 830 scientists, this is perhaps the most important scientific report to read carefully. The report documents the persistent global warming trends, and while it seems like it’s been particularly cold recently in the Northeast, the most current records show that 2014 is on track to be the warmest year on record. 

While the potential impacts of climate change are very grim, including food and water shortages, increased poverty, flooding, and droughts, there are significant opportunities with both mitigation and adaptation, especially as we move towards more efficiency and clean energy.   

Japan Wins the Fossil Award for Direct Support of Fossil Fuels

 In 2009, 30 billion dollars was promised for climate finance, with much of that coming from Japan. In a review of over 300 projects that came out of that initiative, only Japan provided direct support for coal plants in Indonesia. (The argument is that they were 'cleaner' coal plants.) It may seem intuitive that the funds were meant for clean energy, but this incident has highlighted the need for clearer rules and definitions regarding the Green Climate Fund.