Written November 7th, 2021 (Post 3 of 3):

feelings in this moment:

hope.

 

It’s strange to be leaving Scotland. Each day, I’ve been able to see the conference space transform into a different theme and listen to leaders, young and old, hopeful and hopeless, exuberant and tired. I’ve been surrounded by ministers and presidents and activists. How do I take this feeling home with me? In a talk on youth and innovation in the UN Innovation Hub, I asked panelists a similar question: How do we take the lessons learned home? How do we enact change? The answer was simple: tell your story. This answer came from a woman who had just taught us a song (along with coordinated hand movements). The song was one her father had written, and it was about how we can work together to care for the earth. I approached her after the session was finished and thanked her for bringing music into the conversation. She smiled and asked me to reach into a bag of hers and pick something from inside – I pulled out a few stickers, some of them said, “Be Significant.” She asked that I take them and give them to others that I meet in my life. I have them, tucked in a pocket somewhere, and hope to give them to students at Duke.

Later on this last day, as I wandered through the pavilions (not yet wanting to say goodbye and trying to soak in the atmosphere), I stumbled upon an event I had been hoping to go to. It was a poetry reading in the science pavilion (yes, you read that correctly). An event to “cut through the doom and despair,” it was the first and only event at COP26 where I cried. I’ll save you the sappy details, but I do recommend you listen to/read the poetry (link at the bottom of this post). Feel free to share your reactions in the comments here or reach out to me directly.

In this post, I’ve written my one feeling: hope.

I hope to see the $100B commitment reached; I hope the rules of Article 6 are finalized and enable the establishment of a global carbon market; I hope the US continues to phase out fossil fuels and ensure a just transition; I hope developing countries receive the loss and damage funding they need (reparations are due); I hope the next COP is more welcoming and more accessible; I hope to be there, at COP27, and the one after that…

My “hope,” though, is not nearly enough. In fact, it’s rather empty on it’s own. It is swift, transformational action and accountability that will make COP26 a success (or not).  Good thing I graduate soon…time to get to work! 🙂

If you’d like to hear a bit more about my experience as a COP observer, feel free to check out the article below published by the Royal Institution of Australia:

Link to article: https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/climate/what-was-it-like-to-be-an-observer-at-cop26/

Link to “One Chance Left” webpage: https://greenfutures.exeter.ac.uk/one-chance-left/