I cannot believe it is already December 7th the day our week two group fly’s to Madrid to join the second week of negotiations. The semester has flown by, but I feel prepared for the COP. Of course, going to the delegations for the first time will be a bit overwhelming, but I feel that the course material we have reviewed this semester will provide us all with a sound foundation going in. Overall, I am excited, and I do not quite know what to expect. After reading the blog posts from week one and following their Instagram, it seems like everyone had a fantastic time.
While at COP, I will be working with WRI and will be tracking article six and adaptation as it pertains explicitly to lose and damage. I will be attending sessions that particularly relate to these topics, and will be uploading my notes to the shared WRI note-taking archive. While WRI had to scale down their presence at COP due to the venue change, I will be taking notes during meetings and will be meeting with Tim, the COP program development lead. I have been conversing with him over email quite a bit, so I am looking forward to meeting him and the rest of the WRI delegation in person.
The COP, in general, sounds like a great central gathering point for NGO and IGOs alike to converse, network, and collaborate. The negotiations are the most critical aspect to the COP and are what distinguishes it from other academic or climate leadership conferences. However, side events are also spouse to be rather engaging as well. I am intrigued to see how these two dynamics intertwine.
I am looking forward to taking everything in. When I have told people I am headed to COP I have received a range of advice. Some very serious and some more light-hearted, the comments that stand out to date have been to watch for the moral of developing nations, to be cognizant of the negotiator’s demeanor, and to join the free food group chat. I plan to take most of this advice to heart, I am looking forward to learning more about what organizations across the world are doing, and how their perspectives are both similar and unique.
I am excited to be going to Spain! I am grateful for their hospitality and their willingness to step in as host. It seems like morale is high and that this gesture was a sign that countries across the globe understand the urgency to collaborate on climate action. Last evenings climate rally had record attendance nearly 500,000 people. It is clear that local citizens are paying attention and getting involved. I cannot wait to experience the energy of the city. I cannot think of a better city to host. I personally really enjoy Madrid, as it is an excellent example of how a city can provide a superb public transportation system, it is a city that has planned well and reduced its transportation carbon footprint.
