Let's Do Something BIG.
A COMMUNITY DEDICATED TO TELLING THE STORIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES WORKING TOWARDS MAKING THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
Of course we all know walking is good for our health; it benefits our cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems as well as our lungs, mental clarity, and emotional well-being. We also know walking is better for the environment than driving because oil drilling, emissions, tires, and car fluids contribute enormous amounts of pollution to the atmosphere. Fact: one gallon of gasoline creates about 19 pounds of CO2 because the released hydrocarbons attach to oxygen in the atmosphere. However, there are numerous other benefits to walking that I’ve only discovered after being forced to take baby steps. Watching a baby take its first steps is a singular moment, an unforgettable milestone worth celebrating – and so begins the bittersweet struggle of a child becoming independent. From the day my first daughter could walk, she insisted on it, and gone were the brisk walks with baby in stroller, allowing me to get exercise everywhere I went. Instead, we now walk at a snail’s pace, taking an hour to walk around the block, while stopping to notice every stone, leaf, insect, piece of litter, etc. It can be frustrating when I’m trying to get somewhere, but when I’m patient and go at her pace, I’m reminded that each leaf, flower, and rock is wondrous. I realize I overlook many important and interesting things that exist on a small scale because I’m focused on getting somewhere, and forgetting the journey is utmost. People have walked to find peace, joy, and mindfulness for centuries. Henry David Thoreau wrote extensively about the benefits of walking to enliven the body, spirt, and mind. Zen Buddhists and others practice forms of walking meditation, an ancient tradition. Walking is a great equalizer – it removes auspices of status, and puts us, rich or poor, on equal footing with all the other species who only move under their own power, and with our ancestors that lived prior to mechanical locomotion. Walking moves us at a pace in keeping with our physical development, literally grounding us and connecting us to the Earth. Walking is to slow down and disconnect from technology, giving the brain a chance to collect itself, as opposed to the high alert required at all times when driving. Too many people go from their house, to their car in the garage, down the road to work or the store, and back into the house, with barely more than a few steps on the actual Earth, or a few breaths of outside air, day after day. Walking is a powerful political act as well. In 1930, Gandhi and many followers walked 240 miles to the sea to gather salt, which at the time was illegal under British Rule. Eventually, this act of nonviolent protest, this walk, lead to the repeal of the salt tax, and eventually to India’s independence from Great Britain. From 1958 to 1981, an extraordinary woman known as Peace Pilgrim walked over 25,000 miles back and forth across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, teaching the steps to inner peace to thousands of people while advocating for nuclear disarmament and world peace. In present times, on any given weekend across the world, supporters join together in walk-a-thons and marches to show solidarity and raise awareness and funds for various health and social concerns like multiple sclerosis and equal rights. Getting to walk is a luxury I value, and is often my only option for getting around during the day. It certainly isn’t always easy, but helps me be more mindful in planning my day, as it takes extra time. It also reminds me to have gratitude: for strong legs, heart, and lungs; for the hand-me down jogging stroller that gets us around in the rain and snow; for those who keep the bike path and sidewalks clear; for considerate drivers; for my girls’ adventurous and cooperative spirits; for our warm clothes; and for the blessing of getting to live in a walkable town with a 360 degree view of beautiful scenery. It’s been an adventure these last couple winters, pushing through the ice and snow, the girls wrapped up in a lambswool and a down sleeping bag. So, yes, it takes effort, and I have to remind myself constantly that doing things that are hard is good for me. Walking has helped me get to know all the different neighborhoods I’ve lived in, and going a different way each time helps me keep a fresh perspective on life. We have encounters with wildlife; birds, insects, and even fish, that we would never have seen if we’d been in a car. We smell and feel the air change as we go from dry warm areas to shady moist spots where the path heads into the shadows or dips into a drainage area. Walking outside connects us to the seasons and cycles of the Earth as we see and smell the plants that are blooming at any given time, and as we witness the phases of the moon and the angle of the sun which helps us instinctually track our journey through time and space. Walking helps me reconnect to myself, to the Earth, and to my community. We notice things when we are walking, rather than driving, because they go by slowly. Getting to know the neighborhood gives me a sense of connection and belonging, and having eyes on the neighborhood helps everybody. Generally, more connections within any system contribute to a stronger and healthier system, resilient and resistant to damage. In these uncertain political times, I crave opportunities to build connections with inspiring and uplifting people and things. As simple as walking is, it has helped me change my attitude about how I can be of service in the world. In my present life stage as a stay-at-home mom, I still yearn to contribute professionally, especially with the constant barrage of bad news about our environment and political crisis. Walking as a contemplative practice, like yoga or sitting meditation, helps me stay present and mindful of the things that unify all of us. Walking helps me focus on positive solutions, rather than despair. I notice what is working, what is wondrous. I realize walking to work or errands is not an option for many, but nearly all of us can dedicate at least a few steps each day to enjoying our present moment, to honoring mother Earth, and to peace for all beings. I used to feel discouraged that the most important accomplishment of any given day was just walking my daughter to school and back, but now I feel enormous gratitude for the opportunity. I now see it as a chance to expose my children to the beauty of the world. My individual actions may not change the world, but I believe if enough of us declare peace in our personal sphere of influence, we will knit together a strong fabric of peace that connects different individuals and different cultures across the globe, to the benefit of all. Bipedalism, walking upright on two feet, is one of the key reasons humans have been so successful as a species. So if walking, in many respects, makes us human, maybe walking more can help us be more human – more humane. Maybe it is under our own two feet where we can find many answers to help us make peace in ourselves, with each other, and with planet EARTH, while saving money, staying healthy, and building community connections. SaraSara Tremayne currently lives in beautiful Girdwood, Alaska. Enhancing connections between people and the rest of Nature drives her personally and professionally as an adventurer, a mother, an artist, an environmental educator, and a landscape designer - specializing in native plants and habitat restoration. She is grateful to be a part of the worldwide community who are working for a healthy planet and world peace.
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In 2016, only 25% of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) graduates in the UK were female. Throughout history women's contributions have been limited by their exclusion from most formal scientific education entities. I have chosen to write this article because I am very passionate about the subject of getting more women into historically male-dominated scientific fields. I am currently studying physics at Sheffield Hallam University, and am part of a noticeable female minority on the course. Although I don’t feel intimidated by this environment, there must be a reason that there are so few women in this field. Another personal incentive for me to raise awareness on this issue is that my idol Vera Rubin died in 2016. It was a year when the deaths of many famous people were reported widely in the media, but I saw barely any mention of the passing of Vera Rubin. Possibly this was because she wasn’t a celebrity, or perhaps because her work in science wasn’t considered as noteworthy as having released an album or being in a movie, which is another issue in and of itself. This lack of recognition of her passing just seems so fundamentally wrong, as the research she carried out led to the current theories surrounding dark matter and the chemical makeup of our universe. And, as citizens of this universe, shouldn’t we care? Recently a major blockbuster movie was released called Hidden Figures, displaying the prejudice against women working at NASA who were instrumental in helping calculate the moon landing. I feel like this really helped highlight the issue to a wider population. So I want to use this article as a platform to discuss some of the women that have played a major role in scientific developments and why it is so important that we encourage people of all genders to pursue their dream job. What women have there been in science? Although universities were initially established in the 11th century, it was not until the 1700s that Laura Bassi became the first female professor. The late 19th century saw rise of higher education available to women, including the establishment of the renowned Cheltenham Ladies College in the UK. Despite the limitations to formal female education, there have been many influential women in science throughout history, here are just a few:
Why do we need more women in science? It’s not so much particularly that we need more people in science, the issue is that gender roles are stereotyped, and that not all young girls are being encouraged to pursue their dream jobs. This is the same cause for there being fewer male nurses, and it’s just wrong as every person should be able to pursue their dream job. It’s easily possible that young people aren’t given enough encouragement to follow their passions, but it’s also possible that many people aren’t presented with the opportunities in the first place. A lot of the historic reasons for women not pursuing such careers were due to the preconception that they would be unable to work a job and look after children at the same time. Nowadays this has been made less relevant because of childcare being made available to more people. However, there are still sometimes judgements passed on women who choose careers over having children or pressures imposed upon women in professional careers to not have children at all. The brilliant Marie Curie is quoted to have said: “I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy.” How can we encourage more women into science? Young girls are typically encouraged towards traditionally feminine roles according to tradition, with statements made throughout life suggesting that women should be intimidated by the typically male-dominated field of science. WISE is a campaign for gender balance in STEM that enables people in business, industry and education to increase the participation, contribution and success of women in the field. They aim to influence society from an educational level to the level of the boardroom in industry; it is organisations like these that we must get behind to encourage gender-equality within science. However, encouraging women to pursue their scientific interests starts at home and in schools at an early age. If children are told they can, then they are that much closer to trying. At my university I am part of the physics society and I would love to go with the physics society into different schools to encourage young people into science. I think it would be great for them to see that I, as a non-stereotypical or not “nerdy looking” person am studying the nerdiest of subjects. To finish with a quote from QuynhGiao Nguyen, a materials scientist at NASA: “If this is really the passion you want to pursue then pursue it without limitation or hesitation. Put your heart and soul into it and break the stereotype.” (June 2016, Media Planet) So, let’s unite, and using our hearts and souls together we can do something BIG. RhianRhian studies physics in Sheffield, United Kingdom and grew up on a dairy farm in the rolling hills of North Wales. She loves everything science and outdoors related. Alexis McGivern began her plastic-free lifestyle in 2013 after setting herself a 2-month challenge. She completed her MSc at University of St Andrews (Scotland) and currently lives in Switzerland, working for the Global Marine and Polar Programme at IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Here’s your chance to get to know her story. • What inspired you to begin a plastic-free lifestyle and when did it all begin? I’ve always considered myself to be an environmentalist, but I was so preoccupied with melting ice caps and issues in far-away places that I never really looked at my own choices and how they affected the planet (I know, right?!). Honestly, the plastic-free thing came in a total epiphany: I was eating a granola bar one day and it suddenly just struck me – where is this wrapper going to go when I’m done with it? Where will it end up? Will it stay in the country? Will it be shipped somewhere else? Will it be landfilled or incinerated? I wondered if anyone else had had these questions and ended up spending the afternoon down the rabbit hole of blogs and pages of people talking about how they managed to live plastic-free, making their own cosmetics, shopping without packaging and learning to be more self-sufficient. I was so enchanted! I made a pledge to myself to quit plastic right there. That was almost 5 years ago now! • What was the hardest part of cutting out plastic? Definitely losing the absolute convenience of plastic – you can easily get a snack or even a full meal pre-packaged and ready to move with you on the go. When I first started plastic-free living, I was really frustrated at having to plan ahead all the time. Turns out there are other ways to be convenient and plastic-free: for example, I always carry a small cloth bag on me so I can grab a sandwich or a croissant on the go, I can get loose fruit from the grocery store if in a pinch and I’ve learned how to whip up quick and delicious snacks at home. • What are your top three tips for living plastic-free for someone who may feel restrained in doing so? I definitely understand this! My friends, roommates and family are not necessarily living the same lifestyle, so there are times I’ve had to compromise. I would definitely say it’s important to do what works for you: going cold turkey overnight might mean you’re less likely to stick to it. Start with the easy stuff – the reusable bag, the water bottle and the reusable coffee cup. Once you’ve integrated those three items into your daily habit, I encourage you to branch out and try more changes. Also, don’t beat yourself up if you find it difficult – plastic is made to be extremely convenient and it’s tough to give it up. Instead of focusing on the things you can’t give up, why not pat yourself on the back for all the plastic you can give up through small and easy switches? I would also say a lot of the plastic-free living “kits” can be expensive and an investment upfront. You can totally make do with what you have; you can reuse plastic bags you already have or use old pasta sauce jars as containers for the bulk store- there’s no need to drop tons of cash for this new habit! Finally, I’d recommend when you first start out to dig around your trash can and see what type of plastic you are throwing away. For example, mine was full with convenience foods like chip bags, small containers of cherry tomatoes and pre-wrapped cookies. So those were the first things I started with: I learned how to make my own chips, I got my tomatoes loose from the farmers market and I got really good & fast at making cookies! • How can we learn more about living plastic-free? My blog, my instagram, and my youtube channel with Josephine from Rogue gone Vogue.* I also really recommend reading these two blogs: Lindsay Miles’ Treading My Own Path and Anne Marie Bonneau’s Zero Waste Chef – both are packed full with tons of really useful tips and great recipes as well! When I first started plastic-free living, I lived by Beth Terry’s 100 Steps to a Plastic Free Life. Enjoy and good luck – please feel free to email me at [email protected] or post your questions on the blog or instagram! --- *Additional note from author: check out a TedTalk Alexis did here as well! LeonaLeona grew up in eight countries on three continents, making the world her home. This has given her the chance to see so many amazing places, which she is passionate to protect. Having recently completed her BSc at Durham University, she is currently working as a field assistant at the Swiss Ornithological Institute. The Fijian presidency gaveled COP23 to a close just before 7am on Saturday, November 18 after a full night and early morning of negotiations. You can see the details of what happened over the course of the evening here. The overall document coming out of COP23 is the Fiji Momentum for Implementation. Some of the major points of interest include:
Loss and Damage: The main COP 23 agenda item focusing on loss and damage was the review of the report of the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change Impacts. There was much debate between parties as to whether loss and damage should become a permanent item on the negotiating agenda during future subsidiary body meetings, especially considering what some felt was an unclear mandate, and need, for the Executive Committee to continue its work after the initial 5-year work plan ends in 2020. Looking at the COP23 decision regarding the Warsaw Mechanism, it looks as though the parties have tried to address this by making clearer the rolling of the Committee beyond these initial five years ending in 2020. This seems to be an alternative solution to making loss and damage a permanent item on future negotiating agendas. Of course, the underlying tension below much of the loss and damage work and demands in negotiations is that countries see this mechanism as a tool for financing projects addressing loss and damage issues. This COP has done nothing in its official reports to move past the knowledge-gathering efforts of the previous two years and into looking at financial mechanisms attached to loss and damage. You can find the advanced unedited version of the WIM decision here. Agriculture: The working group on agriculture finally reached an agreement in the SBSTA/SBI joint task this COP, a decision 3 years in the making (over the course of five sessions). The decision calls on SBSTA and SBI to jointly address food security and agriculture, and specifically its vulnerability to climate change, through workshops and other means not really specified in the decision. The one-page decision then requests observers and parties to submit requests for topics for such meetings, listing 6 topics to begin with which include modalities for implementing the recommendations of the past 3 years' workshops, methods of assessing adaptation/adaptation co-benefits, and improved livestock management systems. You can find the advanced unedited version of the decision here. Indigenous Peoples: An outcome many parties were looking to by the end of this COP was the operationalization of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform, mandated by the Paris Agreement to focus on knowledge, effective engagement, and climate actions/policies. The final decision accepted by the COP lays out in two pages the purpose of the Platform as understood by the Parties as well as a further explanation/illustration of the three general focuses of knowledge, engagement, and climate policies. Additionally, per the decision, the first activity of the Platform will be a multi-stakeholder workshop on the further operationalization of the Platform's three work areas. The decision still left questions that need to be answered before any full operationalization and so it has been referred to the SBSTA April-May session to be further discussed. You can find the advanced unedited version of the decision here. Adaptation Finance: Countries continued to negotiate on the role of the Adaptation Fund in serving the Paris Agreement throughout this COP. They did not decide that the Adaptation Fund "shall" serve the Paris Agreement, but there is agreement that it should serve the Paris Agreement. Shall adds legal weight to the assertion which some countries are not comfortable with as of yet. The conversation moved away from this language and towards the legality of how to transition the Fund. The parties decided that this transition should be the focus of the next negotiating session. Here is a link to the final informal note from the APA agenda item on the Adaptation Fund. Ocean Pathway Partnership: Fiji along with many partner countries launched the Ocean Pathway Partnership on Thursday. This one page document states the importance in connecting oceans and climate change. It specifically calls out the interconnectedness of Sustainable Development Goals 13 (climate) and 14 (ocean). The document does not create any new agenda item or work program under the UNFCCC (which is what some parties had hoped for), but it does encourage integration of the ocean into future NDCs and into other negotiating streams. At the launch, Fiji announced that Sweden would be the co-chair of the Ocean Pathway Partnerships. Here is additional information about the Pathway although the final document is not posted yet. To check out the decisions coming out of COP23, you can check out the UNFCCC website. Thank you for following along during our time at COP23! Please reach out to us if you have any addition questions about the UNFCCC process. AnnaAnna is a master's student pursuing a dual degree in Climate and Quaternary Studies with the Climate Change Institute and in Global Policy with the School for Policy and International Affairs. Her research interests include climate change adaptation governance and interactions of international climate governance and ocean governance regimes. Interested in reading more? Find more posts at 'COP23 Perspectives: The University of Maine Delegation to the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Negotiations'
In September 2015, the UN established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a follow on to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The idea behind setting these goals is to suggest ways in which countries and people can work to improve the human condition. Countries have agreed that these new SDGs should be achieved by 2030. Only two months later, countries gathered in Paris and successfully negotiated the Paris Agreement which is now the anchor for all conversations taking place here at COP23 and under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change more generally. While the Paris Agreement does not specifically call out the SDGs, it references the need to work "in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty" throughout the text. As climate action is one of the 17 SDGs-- it is SDG 13-- there is a direct tie between these two UN efforts. In the age of the MDGs, they were not at the forefront of conversations in the climate change arena. Under the UNFCCC, in Paris in 2015, the SDGs were brand new and were not broadly discussed during negotiations or side events. In Marrakech last year, there was some commentary, but still no overwhelming linkage. At COP23, this has all changed. The SDGs are everywhere here in Bonn, and it is clear that efforts are being made, especially on the part of the non-governmental groups here, to highlight this linkage. As you bike between the two zones of the conference, you are met by a massive globe surrounded by the SDG logo (see photo). The side events schedule is laden with discussions about the interconnectedness not only of the Paris Agreement and SDG13, but with the targets and indicators of almost every SDG. Think tanks have put together massive databases to provide evidence of the connection. At one side event I attended called "The 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement- Towards a new and coherent development paradigm at the national and international level," three organizations presented their own version of this content. WRI and GIZ have a report coming out in the next few weeks with information on the overlap and disconnect between which ministries within a country manage the SDGs and which deal with the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. One database to check out is the WRI SDG-NDC tool where you can generate all kinds of information about the relationship between the SDGs and the NDCs. Another one to check out is the German Development Institute and the Stockholm Environment Institute's tool called NDC-SDG Connections. However, some delegates here at the COP are weary of this push for a joint SDG-NDC agenda. A professor from TERI University in India suggested during a side event last week that she wants to caution countries about the joint agenda due to the challenges associated with operationalizing it. She asked. "Are we looking at these as obligations or are we actually taking full ownership?" She goes on to explain that, to her, a combining of the agendas suggests that countries will start to see all these lumped tasks as obligations which is a problem. In the negotiating rooms that I have been in this week, the delegates have not been bringing the SDGs into the conversation. As of now, while the two agendas are linking up in the civil society sphere, they still remain separate in the eyes of the negotiators here in Bonn. This will be something to watch over the coming years- will these massive goals for humanity be brought together or kept within their own constructed worlds? AnnaAnna is a master's student pursuing a dual degree in Climate and Quaternary Studies with the Climate Change Institute and in Global Policy with the School for Policy and International Affairs. Her research interests include climate change adaptation governance and interactions of international climate governance and ocean governance regimes. Stocktake (according to Collins English Dictionary): The COP is confusing. Especially when you have a stocktake of the stocktake and informal informals. Let me explain. On Saturday, the Fijian presidency took a stocktake of the stocktake. The second stocktake in that sentence refers to the Global Stocktake (GST), which is being done to measure progress in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The key part of the Paris Agreement is that all countries submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and then meet every 5 or 10 years (this is being negotiated as you read this) to see how well everyone is doing in reducing emissions and pledging more cuts (or less). The idea behind the GST is for parties to meet and ratchet up ambition, that is to say, we want a mechanism to increase climate action in the future by all parties, and this is the way they have negotiated to do that. By having a stocktake of the stocktake, the Fijian presidency wants to see how things went during week one. Week one was busy, but some countries complained they were not productive enough. In the first intervention once the president opened the discussion, the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG), represented by Switzerland, complained that they were making slow progress and feared that not enough had been accomplished. Ecuador representing G77 and China followed the EIG by calling for more financing to developing countries for climate adaptation and mitigation. While week one was full of negotiations, there remains large pieces of the puzzle to be solved. This stocktake of the the stocktake served as a forum for all countries to share their opinion of week one, and you can imagine that there are about as many opinions as there are countries. Needless to say, week two will also be full of exciting action. This week the foreign ministers and heads of state arrive. While the US contingency is notably lacking a recognizable high-level representative at this meeting, more political appointees from Washington are expected to descend on Bonn in the coming days. It is will be interesting to watch how these negotiations continue. We do expect a strong showing from other countries including Angela Merkel of Germany and Emmanuel Macron of France, among many other leaders around the world. On the informal informals. The idea behind informal consultations is that parties get together to negotiate various texts. Frequently, as observers, we are able to watch these negotiations and be in the room. However, sometimes countries ask to have informal informals. This means that no observers are allowed in the conversation and parties want the chance to hash out their grievances without observers being able to report on it. I saw this process work first hand this week as parties entered into informal informals to finalize text related to the Informal Consultations on Research and Systematic Observations. When they emerged from these conversations, the text was nearly complete and they quickly agreed on all the completed paragraphs. This is quite frustrating as an observer because you don’t get to see the process happen. The most important thing about being at the COP is getting to see who says what and different interests parties hold in the negotiations. Parties will frequently ask colleagues to explain their position and then you get to see why the country holds their beliefs. Frequently this is for legal reasons, but occasionally you get a glimpse into the countries politics. For example, this week the US was asked to explain some of their positions and they simply said that they were waiting on an answer from Washington. We don’t know who they were waiting for in Washington, but clearly there are communications between the group here and those still in D.C. It will be interesting to watch how the tone shifts this week from the US as more political appointees arrive in Bonn. Today starts the next exciting week of COP23, we look forward to following the negotiations today and all week! Stay tuned for more all week from our UMaine delegation. WillWill is a US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Maine where he is pursuing a masters degree in the School of Earth and Climate Science. Will is interested in glaciers around the world and works with remotely sensed and in situ data to answer questions about glacier dynamics and mass balance. The United States Climate Action Pavilion (also know as the We Are Still In pavilion) opened yesterday with a well attended panel discussion between US leaders representing the state level, universities, faith organizations, corporations, and cities. As described in a previous post about the US at COP23, this pavilion is not run by the federal government- as all other country pavilions are- but it is run by sub-national actors and is situated right outside the official negotiating venue. Over the next week, they are hosting events ranging from "city actions to decarbonize buildings" to "the economic case for US climate action: views from congress and the private sector." We learned this morning that at least five US senators will be traveling to Bonn to speak in the US Climate Action Pavilion. Wednesday is colleges and universities day at the pavilion, and UMaine Professor of Marine Policy, Dr. Aaron Strong, will be presenting during the panel called "The big sink: large-scale land management to meet climate goals." This will feature a discussion of the role that Land Grant Institutions can play in carbon sequestration. You can follow along with the happenings at the US Climate Action Pavilion via the live stream! The full schedule of events is listed here. Check out Will's post today, Earth Science Feeding the COP, to hear a little bit more about the US positions within the negotiations. Will and AnnaWill is a US National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Maine where he is pursuing a masters degree in the School of Earth and Climate Science. Will is interested in glaciers around the world and works with remotely sensed and in situ data to answer questions about glacier dynamics and mass balance. For more frequent updates on COP23 read the University of Maine's blog here:
https://umainecop23.blogspot.com/ One of the major focuses of this COP is climate finance. Basically, how are we, as an international community, going to pay for all the mitigation and adaptation actions that are required in order to keep global temperature rise below 2°C and to decrease negative repercussions of climate impacts that are already occurring. In addition, discussion on finance covers the topic of Loss and Damage (L&D). L&D is basically the results of climate change impacts that were not prevented, and they can take the form of economic losses or non-economic losses. This area is of particular interest to the Small Island States group, the Least Developed Countries group, and other developing country groups because they would like developed countries to pay for the impacts that climate change has had and will continue to have on their countries due to developed countries being the major historic perpetrators of such changes. Finance is a key component of COP23 because the parties are still trying to figure out how finance will operate under the Paris Agreement. Basically, the creation of the Paris Agreement gives a new opportunity for countries to set up finance systems, and each country wants to ensure that the system will work for them. The Adaptation Fund, which was established under the Kyoto Protocol, is one place where countries are debating if this Fund should continue to play a role under the Paris Agreement, or if it should not. Today, I attended a morning full of negotiating sessions on the Adaptation Fund, and one notion is very clear. Developing countries feel very strongly that the Adaptation Fund should continue to play a key role in the UNFCCC under the Paris Agreement. As emphasized by the Philippines, on behalf of the 77+ China, they believe that the Fund has been extremely successful in funding "concrete adaptation" to date, and that it has provided access to funding to developing countries is a way that no other fund has achieved. Developed country support for the Fund is not always so clear. But, it should be noted that yesterday during the opening session of the COP, Germany pledged 50 million Euros to the Adaptation Fund on top of their current contribution. The goal was clearly to send a signal of confidence in the Fund and to set an example for other countries to do the same over the next two weeks. Will this German leadership lead to a confirmation that the Adaptation Fund will continue its work under the Paris Agreement? Right now, it is too soon to tell, but I will be attending further negotiating session on this topic and be able to report back as decisions are produced. AnnaAnna is a master's student pursuing a dual degree in Climate and Quaternary Studies with the Climate Change Institute and in Global Policy with the School for Policy and International Affairs. Her research interests include climate change adaptation governance and interactions of international climate governance and ocean governance regimes. COP23 kicked off Monday morning in Bonn, Germany with the opening ceremony and plenaries. The ceremony featured an important cast of characters for international climate change negotiation including the last year's COP President from Morocco, this year's COP President from Fiji, the German Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (because they are physically hosting the COP here in Bonn on behalf of Fiji), the Chair of the IPCC, and the head of the UNFCCC. Upon accepting the Presidency of the COP, the Prime Minister of Fiji, Minister Frank Bainimarama asserted that the delegates here, and the countries they represent, "are all in the same canoe," and therefore, we need to work together over the next two weeks to achieve the objectives of this COP. So, what are the main areas of focus for this COP? This is a bit of a challenging question because each delegation comes in with a slightly, or wholly, different agenda. But, some of the main objectives/focuses of the COP that were articulated today during this opening ceremony and ensuing events held by both country delegates and NGOs are listed below.
There is certainly a lot of work to be done, but the collective spirit of Paris and the action-oriented spirit of Marrakech live on here in Bonn. We will see how the above priorities unfold over the next two weeks in this context. AnnaAnna is a master's student pursuing a dual degree in Climate and Quaternary Studies with the Climate Change Institute and in Global Policy with the School for Policy and International Affairs. Her research interests include climate change adaptation governance and interactions of international climate governance and ocean governance regimes. |
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