Moral Courage

 
It is a rare that one has the opportunity to be in a room with a great leader, with someone who is articulate, passionate, and willing to show both courage and emotion on the international stage. Today was such a day.

Secretary Kerry started a briefing – his last at a COP as Secretary – by graciously thanking Special Envoy Jonathan Pershing, the U.S. delegation to the COP, and all the international partners - on this, his last speech to a COP as Secretary. He talked about returning to COP23 as citizen Kerry. He told a story of Churchill and Roosevelt traveling to Marrakech during WWII -- through active combat and with plenty of scotch - to view the sunset on the Atlas Mountains. He later would quote Churchill about not just doing what is right, but what is required. And he would go on to quote Pope Francis. This was not a typical briefing.

Kerry spoke of progress - in the UNFCCC, in clean energy innovation and adoption, in the strong message that the Paris Agreement has given the private sector. But he also spoke of the work that is yet to be done, sharing dramatic observations from his recent trips to the Arctic and Antarctica along with frightening statistics of the predicted new demand for energy, especially in southeast Asia, much of which is slated to come from coal.

The Secretary chastised countries that, with one hand, pat themselves on the back for all the progress they are making, but then, with the other hand give money to support the building of new coal-fired plants in developing nations. He expressed the need for urgency and more ambitious action given the pace at which the planet is changing and gave dramatic examples of the costs of inaction.  Countries, Kerry noted, couldn't "bask in the glow of Paris." And they could not fail, as this "would not be political failure, but a moral failure."

And then the moment when the audience held its breathe - when Kerry chose to speak about the fear and uncertainty people were feeling after the U.S. election. He, of course, couldn’t predict what will happen, but noted that he could say with confidence that issues look quite different when you are in office compared to the campaign trail. He challenged the new administration and anyone who is “conflicted about which road to follow” to “see for themselves, to do their own diligence, to see why so many are moving on this.” He urged them to talk to economists about the risk of inaction, Fortunate 500 companies, military leaders, farmers, faith leaders, and young people. And he told them that “above all, consult with the scientists who have spent their lives working on this” and not let their work be in vain.

Repeatedly, Kerry said that climate change shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but that it is one that will exacerbate conflict around the world. He urged people to talk with the intelligence community about global stability, increasing food prices and risks to human health. To talk with the mayors from cities in the southern states who are dealing with sunny day floods and to conservative business leaders who are holding their supply chains responsible for the ecological and carbon footprints.

Kerry had begun his briefing-turned-speech by saying that climate change was a personal issue for him. Many thought he was referring to how much he had worked on the international negotiations under the UNFCCC, but instead, he reflected on the first Earth Day and the teach-in he participated in, the first climate conference in Rio where he met his wife, the moment in Paris when he thought the "world had finally found the way forward" and this past April - again on Earth Day. On that day, he had invited his daughter to the United Nations in New York City where he would sign the Paris Agreement on behalf of the United States. This towering politician of international renown talked about playing with his granddaughter as he awaited his turn. In a spontaneous decision, he carried her on stage with him so that she would be part of the important moment in history and a symbol for the audience of what is at stake.

Here is the text of the speech.
~~~~~~~~~~
This all brought to mind this poem by Rudyard Kipling
If: A Father's Advice to His Son

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!”

Moral Courage

 
It is a rare that one has the opportunity to be in a room with a great leader, with someone who is articulate, passionate, and willing to show both courage and emotion on the international stage. Today was such a day.

Secretary Kerry started a briefing – his last at a COP as Secretary – by graciously thanking Special Envoy Jonathan Pershing, the U.S. delegation to the COP, and all the international partners - on this, his last speech to a COP as Secretary. He talked about returning to COP23 as citizen Kerry. He told a story of Churchill and Roosevelt traveling to Marrakech during WWII -- through active combat and with plenty of scotch - to view the sunset on the Atlas Mountains. He later would quote Churchill about not just doing what is right, but what is required. And he would go on to quote Pope Francis. This was not a typical briefing.

Kerry spoke of progress - in the UNFCCC, in clean energy innovation and adoption, in the strong message that the Paris Agreement has given the private sector. But he also spoke of the work that is yet to be done, sharing dramatic observations from his recent trips to the Arctic and Antarctica along with frightening statistics of the predicted new demand for energy, especially in southeast Asia, much of which is slated to come from coal.

The Secretary chastised countries that, with one hand, pat themselves on the back for all the progress they are making, but then, with the other hand give money to support the building of new coal-fired plants in developing nations. He expressed the need for urgency and more ambitious action given the pace at which the planet is changing and gave dramatic examples of the costs of inaction.  Countries, Kerry noted, couldn't "bask in the glow of Paris." And they could not fail, as this "would not be political failure, but a moral failure."

And then the moment when the audience held its breathe - when Kerry chose to speak about the fear and uncertainty people were feeling after the U.S. election. He, of course, couldn’t predict what will happen, but noted that he could say with confidence that issues look quite different when you are in office compared to the campaign trail. He challenged the new administration and anyone who is “conflicted about which road to follow” to “see for themselves, to do their own diligence, to see why so many are moving on this.” He urged them to talk to economists about the risk of inaction, Fortunate 500 companies, military leaders, farmers, faith leaders, and young people. And he told them that “above all, consult with the scientists who have spent their lives working on this” and not let their work be in vain.

Repeatedly, Kerry said that climate change shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but that it is one that will exacerbate conflict around the world. He urged people to talk with the intelligence community about global stability, increasing food prices and risks to human health. To talk with the mayors from cities in the southern states who are dealing with sunny day floods and to conservative business leaders who are holding their supply chains responsible for the ecological and carbon footprints.

Kerry had begun his briefing-turned-speech by saying that climate change was a personal issue for him. Many thought he was referring to how much he had worked on the international negotiations under the UNFCCC, but instead, he reflected on the first Earth Day and the teach-in he participated in, the first climate conference in Rio where he met his wife, the moment in Paris when he thought the "world had finally found the way forward" and this past April - again on Earth Day. On that day, he had invited his daughter to the United Nations in New York City where he would sign the Paris Agreement on behalf of the United States. This towering politician of international renown talked about playing with his granddaughter as he awaited his turn. In a spontaneous decision, he carried her on stage with him so that she would be part of the important moment in history and a symbol for the audience of what is at stake.


~~~~~~~~~~
This all brought to mind this poem by Rudyard Kipling
If: A Father's Advice to His Son

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!”

First time at a COP

This is my first experience of a COP, and I did not know how important COP22 would be when I signed on back in August. I'm part of the Moravian College group led by Diane Husic and Hilde Binford. I'm an observer, and much of this is over my head, but here are some impressions of my first day (Nov. 14)
The conference is an amazing tent city, with tents the size of small warehouses. I have been to lots of conferences in my life, but nothing like this. I am simply overwhelmed by the organizational skill it takes to manage a conference on this scale. I have been to several international conferences, but never to one that is so truly international. The exhibition tents have displays from many different countries highlighting the effective ways that they are addressing the problem of carbon emissions. The United States exhibit includes information from NASA. They are using satellites and the international space station to gather data and images that clearly show the increased carbon in the atmosphere and the rising temperature of the world’s oceans. One of the most beautiful displays was digitally enhanced film of all the world’s oceans where you can see the currents flowing with different water temperatures. NASA makes this information freely available online for anyone in the world. At least for now.
Morocco seems to be an incredible host. At the second session I attended Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco spoke. She is President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection and is the sister of the current king.  The heads of UNESCO and UNFCCC also spoke at that session. One of the speakers talked about the importance of education in helping people recognize that the problems of the world are their problems. He was not talking simply about putting climate change information in the science curriculum, but the important role that the liberal arts play in helping people think critically and engaged other cultures and people with empathy. Representatives of the youth delegates to COP22 presented a strong plea that climate change information be included in all school curricula in every country at every level of education and that the scientific information be readily available in every country. Most of the discussion was about making this information accessible in poor, rural countries that do not have access to advanced technologies.
What depressed me was the fact that in my country this information is readily available, but school boards and now even the federal government try to keep it out of school curricula. The whole world is coming together to combat climate change while the United States continues to resist the overwhelming scientific evidence that the globe is warming, the climate is changing, and carbon emissions are the primary cause. One presenter researched the effect of education on people’s view of the environment and willingness to change their behaviors. He found that in almost every country the higher a person’s educational level the more aware they are of climate change and how to prevent it. The one exception is the United States where the most educated people are radically polarized in their view of the science and the need for action.

An Accidental Ambassador

Photo credit: Gillian Bowser

I came to Morocco ten days ago for the U.N. climate meetings, to play a role in linking scientific researchers to each other and to policymakers, and to obtain updates on issues related to mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. Besides making sure that my absentee ballot was sent in on time since I would be away on Election Day, I had not put much thought into the impact that the timing of the election would have on the climate change negotiations or my being in a predominantly Muslim country.

This COP is focused on implementation – for Parties to hammer out details of putting the Paris Agreement into action, to work on areas where agreement had not yet been reached last year at COP21, and to try to get countries to be more ambitious in their pledges (and preferably verifiable action) to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Everyone coming to Marrakech knew that finance issues still required difficult negotiation work, be it for financing technology for a low carbon future, for helping developing nations to adapt to the current and future impacts of a changing climate, or for perhaps the most contentious issue of all, compensation under the provisions of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts.

The conference started off normally. Then, a different sort of 9/11 occurred. The world awoke on the 9th of November, day 3 of COP21, to the shocking news that Donald Trump had been elected president of the United States. The very candidate who has tweeted about climate change being a hoax, who has vowed to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement and to defund U.N. initiatives, and yes, the one who has made all sorts of negative rhetoric about Muslims.

It is still uncertain whether all of this was simply hollow campaign speech making to gain support from certain constituencies. But when I see high school classmates, people I have known all my life, posting statements like “No more Muslims or Mexicans in the country, time to celebrate,” I know we have much to worry about.

I would love to be a fly on the wall in the meetings of the U.S. delegation to get a better sense of their fears (beyond their job security in the State Department or at NOAA or NASA). Are their hands now tied as far as negotiations? As a civil society observer, I do not have the ability to influence policy at that level, but instead am limited to discuss with like-minded friends back home ways that we can organize, rally, and try to create climate friendly policy and practices at the local level. I have been surprised at how many emails and Facebook messages I have received from former students and community members -- all expressing their fears for the future and looking to me for a glimmer of hope. I am not sure how to provide what they are looking for, but I have come to realize that there is some intangible importance to my being in this place at this moment.

By being here, I have somehow fallen into a role of diplomacy making, an odd thing for a scientist, who grew up being rather a-political, and certainly knowing little about Arabic culture. The people of Morocco are incredibly welcoming, but it seems as if everywhere I go, the locals – waiters, shopkeepers, ticket sellers at the train station – have a need to mention the election and ask about our new president. After they ask if I voted for him (I did not), they relax a bit and begin to talk more. As typical, at dinner one night last week, the waiter asked where we are from, and then made some comment about the election results. But then he asked why American's don't like Muslims. My heart dropped. I told him that wasn't the case for all of the people in my country.

None of us know what the future holds, so we speculate and try to find some hopeful signs between the sound bites that pass for news these days. As we share some mint tea and kind words of empathy, we come to realize how much we have in common besides our fear – our mutual desire for three main things: peace, a good future for our children, and a planet that remains habitable. This then, becomes my mission – to find what binds us together, rather than differentiates and divides us. For it is these common goals that will give us the strength and guidance to solve much more than the global climate challenge.

Human Mobility and Climate Change

What I think most people do not understand about climate change is all the human rights issues and inequities it brings to typically vulnerable communities around the world. Typical reasons for human mobility are majority slow onset events such as sea level rise or drought. At a side event I attended today, one of the panelists mentioned the importance of terminology between the terms migration, climate refugees, human mobility/planned relocation, and displacement. Migration gives the idea that the people chose to leave versus displacement where the people were forced to leave. Furthermore, climate refugees might not be the most appropriate term to use because refugees are a people who leave their home due to persecution. Human mobility is a word that encompass these terms, whose meaning can be further identified from the context in which it is used. After this brief vocabulary lesson, the panelist began to provide insight into this ever growing concern of climate change.

As sea levels rise entire islands or coastlines can be completely submerged. As the water rises, it encroaches on entire cultures, communities, and heritages. To adapt to climate change many of these communities are forced to move inland to higher ground, but in the case of islands, often times higher ground or inland might not exists. In these circumstances many small island developing states (SIDS) are planning relocation for their people. These relocations result in the buying of land in another country where these communities then have to transition into. Imagine being forced to leave where you grew up knowing you would never be able to return. What are the non-value costs associated with this?
 
Many times cultures live in harmony with their environment and are forced to leave their loved ones they have buried behind, never being able to tell their children about where they grew up. If the migration to another country occurs, the loss of cultural identity that may occur is catastrophic to traditions of these communities. Furthermore, imagine the difficulty of trying to integrate into a foreign culture permanently. It is difficult for us developed nations, who see less consequences of climate change in our own backyard, because we don’t have to worry about losing our entire culture and moving.

This is why it is of utmost importance to decarbonize our economies and to make the transition to renewable energy to limit warming to stay below the 1.5℃ so these SIDS can keep their homes. Climate change is a complex issue that won’t be cured overnight, but we can all make a difference by changing our lifestyles and advocating for strong climate and environmental policies as well as social responsibility in companies. I am hopeful we can all come together as a global society to stop climate change before it is too late for some.

Day 3 at COP22 Part II: Trying to make sense of it all

An hour before my alarm was to go off, I awoke. I had been dreaming about the election outcome. So I checked the news - and was shocked by the headline: "Cliffhanger." That would change a bit later to show that the Republicans had taken control of the country. This was my Facebook post at about 6:30 a.m.:

In a little while, I have to walk in to the UN meetings and face the world. Literally. Not sure I am up for this. It is tough enough to try to "solve" climate change, work towards sustainable development to close the gap on inequality, and fight for education and equal rights for women around the world. But what do you do when your own country elects a person who is against all of that...

I needed to pull my act together since I help run the daily meetings of the Research and Independent NGOs. One of my steering committee colleagues - a very wise, even-keeled climate policy expert from Germany, leaned over and said: "It is a sad day for the world. We are going back to WWII times, only this time, it is not Germany causing the problems." I gulped.

Just yesterday, friends on Facebook were interested in knowing what the reactions to the election would be from people around the world (before any of us knew the outcome). A reference to WWII was not one that I would have predicted 24 hours ago. To say it was difficult to stay focused on the tasks at hand today is an understatement.

My third post of the morning on Facebook was let those friends know what the reactions have been:

The election result has cast a deep shadow over Morocco. I remember the elation in 2009, when Obama was new to the office and the world hoped that there would at last be progress on international climate change policy. Today, it is just the opposite. People fear that the US will pull out of the Paris Agreement, will no longer provide funds for sustainable development and climate mitigation/adaptation or any other UN initiative. Much of the key climate research comes from NOAA, NASA, etc. Will that be shut down? People worry about how this will embolden Putin or increase global conflict. Latin Americans are asking what this means for cross border relationships with their "neighbor" to the north. And we are in a Muslim country. The people fear for Muslims around the world. Despite the fact that the sun came out and it is a beautiful day weather-wise, the mood is dark. But the empathy and support is strong. That brings a bit of solace.

The COP22 venue in Marrakech, Morocco

My post today was going to be about the Earth Information session from yesterday where some of the latest climate change data was shared. It wasn't exactly upbeat news. The Futurearth organization has a headline on their webpage from November 3rd: Plans to meet international climate targets may fall short, new report says referring to a United Nations Environmental Programme report. Those who follow climate change science already knew that the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit on global temperature rise included in the Paris Agreement was not likely to be met. What shocked me was what the panelist from this group had to say.

In order to have a 50% change of achieving this target, the following would have to happen:

• Within 4 years, we will need to hit peak emissions (of greenhouse gases)
• Within 40 years, we need to achieve net-zero emissions
• Within 80 years, we need a new carbon sink on the scale of our oceans (read geo-engineering as mentioned in my previous post).
  

To me, this is frightening. Comments (tweets) like the one below made by our now president-elect make it even more so:

The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012

Day 3 at COP22 and what a day

What a day to be a United States citizen at a global conference directed around finding a solution to the complex and urgent issue of climate change. It was difficult to stay focused on the side events and meetings at the COP because I kept fearing for my friends of a different race or ethnicity, different religion, the opposite sex, or sexual orientation than I and those in foreign nations who need us to help in the fight against climate change. After the election results came in, my immediate thought was, “Now what?” I have spent so much time and energy into learning more about climate change, its impacts on the livelihoods of vulnerable communities, the loss of biodiversity, and how to help resolve the issue as well as how to effectively share these learnings with anyone willing (or not) to find out more on how they can be a part of the solution, and it might have all been for nothing. Then, I reminded myself of how giving up is not going to fix anything. We all need to stay focused, have hope, and remember we have the power to demand the changes we want to see changed. If anything, I am going to continue to fight for those whose voices have been drowned out by the greed of politics, fight for a world where entire nations are not subjected to sea level rise and gone forever, I will fight for sustainable development: good health, gender equality, no poverty, no hunger, reduced inequalities, etc because that is a world worth fighting for and I hope you all will join me and fight the good fight because we ARE stronger together.

From the “City of Light” to the “Red City”

With the official entry into force of the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2016 we, as a global society, have developed a plan for a world where global surface warming stays well below 2℃ with every effort to keep warming from exceeding 1.5℃. The foundation for change is here, but now we have to make Paris a reality. Having a plan in place is not enough. The actual putting into practice and seeing the plan through will be the sure measure of our success. We cannot continue to let down developing nations or future generations when a resolution to the problem has been formulated. This is where we, civil society and non-governmental stakeholders, can help maximize the success of the Paris Agreement. Effective means of communication, availability of information, transparency, partnerships and collective action needs to occur for swift implementation. Holding ourselves and our nations accountable for the commitments they made in their INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) to lower greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels is also of importance.

A phrase I keep seeing and hearing at COP22 is “Today’s youth are the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change and the last that can do something about it.” How poignant this saying is. It emphasizes the urgency of this matter, bringing home the message that without implementation of this ambitious agreement the necessary action will not take place. Everything was at stake in Paris at COP21, but we have everything to lose in Marrakech at COP22 without action. At this COP of action it would be wise to take a look at all the outcomes of previous COPs and aggregate the learnings into continuing this momentum for change. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the negotiations and will encourage all you who are reading to think about how you can act against climate change.

The Rest of the (News) Story in 2016

For the past year (it seems like so much longer), the airwaves in the United States have been dominated by campaign noise. Occasionally, this noise has been punctuated by some actual news such as the stories about Hurricane Matthew, the struggle of refugees coming from war-ravaged areas, and forest fires in the western states or the central U.S. (and if you pay attention to international news, Siberian boreal forests). In case you had not thought about it recently, Haiti is still in ruins after Hurricane Matthew, described just last week as a “blighted apocalyptic landscape of wrecked homes and growling hunger.” And you may have missed them with all the campaign static, but there have also been several news stories related to climate change, besides the ones I mentioned above.

In October, there was a historic agreement reached to cut hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – avoiding the release of significant amounts of CO₂-equivalent emissions. In 2015, reports indicated that there had been a dramatic rise in HFC emissions between 2007 and 2012 due largely to air conditioning – an increase of around 33 million tonnes per year of this very powerful greenhouse gas. The Kigali Agreement will cap and phase down HFC consumption starting with developed nations in 2019.

On November 4^th, the Paris Agreement, negotiated at COP21 in 2015 went into force (i.e. became international law). This is the first agreement were all countries have specific pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As of November 8^th, 102 (of 197) countries have ratified this agreement which has as one key goal to limit planetary warming to below 2°C over the pre-Industrial levels.

Yesterday (November 7^th) COP22 began. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Parties or signatories of the 1992 agreement are committed to address the global problem of climate change. At the annual Conference of the Parties or COPs, multilateral negotiations related to climate change policies occur. You may wonder why this group needs to continue to meet if so much progress was made last year. Part of the answer to that question is that the current commitments of individual countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are insufficient to meet the planetary temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. These intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), when added up, are projected to only limit warming to around 3.5°C, and that is only if the countries actually abide by their pledges.

A goal of continued negotiations then is to get deeper cuts in emissions, to have countries move towards these more ambitious cuts sooner, and to have the conversion to a low carbon future in order to limit warming to, not 2°C, but rather to 1.5°C. Scientific models show that the 1.5°C warming limit may – just may – limit sea level rise associated with climate change so that it won’t completely drown out several small island nations and coastal communities. To get there, not only will each country need to be more ambitious with their INDCs, but the Parties will also need to address emission sources not currently covered such as the bunker fuel emissions from maritime shipping in international waters.

Monitoring and verification mechanisms, carbon markets, adaptation, and finance related to both loss and damage due to climate change impacts and technology development needed to green our national economies are just a few of the other issues that need to be addressed in negotiations. It is only day 2 of COP22 and I have already heard much more about geoengineering and negative carbon emissions (reducing CO₂ from the atmosphere) than usual. With my science background, these terms are code for “plan B” to save the planet. To others, they are terrifying concepts of hubris, our belief that our technological developments can “fix” everything.

I suspect that the reason for the increased emphasis on technological "solutions" may be due to some other pieces of news that have likely gotten lost in the campaign noise. Last year, 2015, was the warmest year globally on record and we crossed the 1°C mark for global average temperature increase. For the first three months of 2016, the global average temperature was hovering around 1.2°C warmer than pre-Industrial times. Sea level rise is occurring faster than any time in the past 2800 years. And we learned that the 2011-2015 mean September sea ice extent was 30% below the 1981 – 2010 average. This information is not from models, but from actual scientific measurements. Perhaps the scariest headline from all of this is that scientists believe it may now be impossible to limit global warming to the 1.5°C target.

These are very big news stories that may be linked to severe weather events and conflict happening around the world. But despite the importance of these issues, they apparently were not significant enough to be discussed in any detail during the presidential debates, and at best, were a blip on the evening news.

Today, those annoying political ads will end. For days or weeks after the election, Americans will come to grips with the outcome of a contentious election, and political pundits will analyze what it all might mean. What likely won’t be in the news during that time is that thousands of people from 197 countries will be in Marrakech for two weeks trying to save humanity from a very real crisis that is happening regardless of which national leader is elected back in the United States.

“Re-COP” on COP21

After first hearing the acronyms COP, UNFCCC, IPCC, and RINGOs along with learning there is an entire intergovernmental process that works to address what causes climate change, its implications, and mitigation and adaption methods in my Environmental Science course my first year at Moravian, which Dr. Husic just happened to be teaching, I knew their was so much more to environmental studies than what I already had from prior education. All of this affirmed my decision to study and major in Environmental Policy and Economics. After taking more environmental courses at Moravian and eventually taking the Climate Crises course in the Spring of 2015, discussions about COP21 started and I thought to myself, how amazing would it be to attend such an reputable global political process. Having learned that Moravian holds accreditation to attend these conferences, I expressed interest in attending COP21 knowing I would be in my Senior year close to graduating and would have a good amount of knowledge on environmental issues from my coursework. In addition, I felt this will be the ultimate experience of my educational career, providing me with great insight into potential career paths.

Once receiving news in the summer that Moravian had received enough observer passes for me to attend, the reality of what an honor and privilege this was sank in and I became even more excited about the COP and what was to come. In the months leading up to leaving for Paris and while during COP21, Audrey and myself were involved in the joint Pathway to Paris and Citizens’ Climate Lobby internship where we in a sense, operated as a nexus between public discourse (specifically on Moravian’s campus) and climate policy advocacy, with the focus that people are the agents and drivers of change. It was a great way to bring people together and into the conversation that may not have normally had access or interest in. In addition, to the internship I had begun the research process for my InFocus project, which looks to examine the inequities climate change imposes on already impoverished nations and how it can affect sustainable development in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. The realization that climate change threatens the lives and development of developing nations, especially those in already extreme and harsh environments from drought, desertification, flooding, rising sea levels, etc, is incontrovertible. Not only did I plan to attend the conference to listen in on the negotiation process and see if the voices of those in threatened areas from climate change are being heard and included in the agreement, but also to interview individuals from different non-profit organizations, to see what their thoughts are on the political process and gain insight from their experience and work on the frontlines of climate change.

All of this momentum of my educational interest, research, and internship came to a halt with the horrific news of the terrorist attacks in Paris. The concern for safety and the threat that I may not be able to attend this highly anticipated intergovernmental process, affirmed in me how much attending and being a part of this process meant to me. In addition it further defined my role I would be playing as a youth citizen. The extra precaution and heightened security in the city comforted me about attending and I am so glad we were still able to go.

While at COP, we all had the unique opportunity to be immersed in a new culture, be surrounded by such distinguished individuals, as well as listen and learn to what was being negotiated and talked about. A lot of my daily take-aways and reflections have been posted to the blog, which was another great part of the process. Blogging was a great way to educate others back home on what was happening, why this COP was such an important one, and what topics I thought would be important to share. I think the education piece is vital in moving forward with action on climate change here in the United States. Considering our dense political processes and lobbyist agendas, action against climate change is often overlooked or denied. This is why it is important for citizens, or non-party stakeholders how the Paris Agreement would put it, need to educate, initiate the change, and fight for the world we want. This is another reason I thought the role of youth and my participation was so vital. We will be the one’s left to adapt and mitigate climate change and without our voices heard and those of impoverished nations then the urgency of the matter is not as apparent. Without the awareness and participation of the everyday global citizen, then who will be fighting for action against this unbiased phenomenon that affects us all. Action can be taken through various means which were discussed in many side events such as carbon pricing and the carbon market, alternative energy use, and listening to the words of the people who are already experiencing the impacts from climate change.

At the venue itself, there was a lot to learn whether it was in the side events or just walking around meeting people interested in work similar to your own. Thankfully, since most of the science and research behind climate change is already well-defined and established, and learning more on the MOOC course through my internship, I feel like I didn’t have to learn anything entirely new on why climate change is happening, but I did learn a lot of new ways to adapt and mitigate against climate change whether it is through business models, innovative techniques and technology, or the hard work of nonprofit agencies whose missions help those most threatened by climate related injustices and disasters. I also learned a great deal about how an intergovernmental process works and how an agreement can be made in a short time period of two weeks.

The transparency of this UN process made access to the international stage for many nonprofits and other non-party stakeholders available through briefings and the opportunity to meet with those 190 nations involved in negotiating the text. Having the opportunity to observe all of this allowed me to believe an agreement would be made and the importance my voice (the role of youth) has in developing climate change policy. Furthermore, with my interest in furthering studying environmental policy in graduate school, I aspire to hopefully have a career in urban policy and planning, sustainable development, or as a policy analyst. Watching and listening to the UN and various political leaders negotiate for future generations futures, reaffirmed my decision to pursue these potential career paths further and attend graduate school.

Once returning from Paris the work to educate the public was not over. We were invited to be interviewed about our experience on WFMZ, asked to share our thoughts to questions for Moravian’s Inside Moravian e-newsletter, and are presenting at the Sustainability Conference in February. I hope to continue to have the opportunity to share my experience and to inspire people to take action.   

What an overall positive experience COP21 has had on my life, thus far! Thank you, to both of you, Dr. Husic and Dr. Binford, for planning the trip, educating me and the other students on the process of COPs, sharing your passion with us, and providing me with such a great educational experience I will never forget and take with me throughout the rest of my life.