COP 21 Day 1

By Mariah Carray ’16 and Kayla Walsh ’16

On Monday, a group of us with badges for the “Blue Zone” participated in the opening ceremonies for the official COP21 Conference! The conference was a whirlwind of energy. Delegates from all over the world, dressed in everything from feathers to Armani, proudly represented their countries. Experienced COP attendees and official party delegates carried out their negotiating routines.

One hundred and fifty Presidents, Excellencies, and Prime Ministers attended the event and took turns addressing the plenary in short speeches. The world leaders walked with intention, flanked by their bodyguards and advisors. We were interrupted by stampedes of media running to get ahead to take the “family photo” of the world leaders. The themes of “family,” “solidarity” and “unity” are key to achieving success at Paris and were echoed in the leader’s speeches.

While words may ring with hope, a history of division and blame shifting underlies these promises. One French woman I spoke with rolled her eyes when I mentioned optimism. Mr. Tom Goldtooth, leader of the Indigenous Environmental Network, spoke of the injustice of capitalism and climate change. India spent over a million dollars on a pavilion with a light-up water show, demonstrating their prowess and commitment to just renewable energies. Yet, they are reluctant to come sit at the bargaining table.

Another underlying theme of these speeches is the recent terrorist attacks. World leaders used this to emphasize peace. It will be interesting to see how these two global issues parallel one another as climate talks continue.

However, not everyone was cynical. Several strangers turned introductory handshakes into hugs in their excitement. The idea being—this time we will get it right, this time the world will come together.

Meanwhile…

Students without conference badges started their day early at the climate action hub called PlacetoB, which is a restaurant in the heart of Paris specifically designed to be a headquarters for international and civil media society to research or discuss COP21. After networking, the Mac crew met friends from Edina, Minn.! Paul and Mindi from Citizen’s Climate Lobby and Cool Planet graciously agreed to interview us for a podcast tomorrow morning. We are constantly amazed by people’s willingness to connect with us — as representatives of the youth climate movement — to collaborate, share, and inspire.

Eventually, we found ourselves at the hub of Climate Action Network to join them in watching the opening livestream of the conference. Political theater ensued with Obama acknowledging not only the imperativeness of climate change, but also developed nations’ responsibility to assist. In contrast, many small island nations grounded their talks in moral imperatives. Hardly any leader’s speech began without tribute to the recent Paris attacks. Angela Merkel said, “Through our presence here today we show we are stronger than the terrorists.” Recent events force us and our world leaders to acknowledge the close ties between climate insecurity and terrorism.

Climate Generations, a civil society space for side events at the conference venue was closed today. This lull in the action only motivated us to hit the halls tomorrow, interviewing climate leaders, attending relevant talks, and furthering our research.

In our open afternoon, we were able to marvel at the wonders of Paris, like the Louvre and Notre Dame. Here’s to a successful negotiations session on Tuesday.

COP 21 Arriving in Paris

As we walked Paris last night, on the eve of the UN climate summit, we were reminded about how extraordinary a moment this is. Despite a ban on demonstrations, climate protesters gathered at the Place de la République in defiance yesterday afternoon. Activists showed their symbolic presence by laying down hundreds of shoes in the square, including Pope Francis’s formal black shoes and running sneakers from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Later that evening, a solemn spirit occupied the square. Around the base of the bronze 30-foot sculpture of Marianne, a makeshift shrine reveres those slain on Nov 13 nearby at the Bataclan theater. It reminds us of the city’s still-open wounds. Last night the candles burned alongside the left shoes and messages for climate action. This is the kind of resilient creativity the world associates with Paris.

Unbeknownst to us, just down the block last night, President Obama, French President Hollande and Paris’ Mayor Ana Hidalgo were also paying tribute at the site of the Bataclan. Our first day in Paris was eerily quiet as the city is still in a state of emergency. It made climbing the Eiffel Tower for our students a rather quiet affair compared to the usual throngs of tourists.

Today we make our way to the COP21 site for the opening of this historic meeting – an expected gathering of 150 Heads of State, the largest ever. A record 40,000 observers will also be present.