{"id":1434,"date":"2017-11-26T19:06:48","date_gmt":"2017-11-26T19:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalchangeecology.com\/?p=1434"},"modified":"2018-06-25T14:51:10","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T14:51:10","slug":"week2-faces-of-cop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalchangeecology.com\/2017\/11\/26\/week2-faces-of-cop\/","title":{"rendered":"Faces of COP23"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roaming around in the Bula zone of COP 23 in Bonn last week, I found myself wondering who those people are. Sure, first of all there are the delegates representing their parties to the convention, then there is official staff: the UN secretariat and other units, there are media people, employees from NGOs and international organizations accompanied by security and catering personnel. Not to forget also the motivated volunteers as well as the friendly Plant-for-the-planet people handing out chocolate at the entrance every morning: \u201chave a sweet day!\u201d<\/p>\n

But among delegates of almost 200 states and more than 16 000 participants in the Bula zone in total, it\u00b4s easy to get lost and to lose track. Clearly, you do recognize some faces. Nobody would confuse Schwarzenegger with Al Gore or Merkel with Macron. However, I wanted to get some more profound impressions and decided to get in touch with the people.<\/p>\n

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More than 16 000 people visited the Bula zone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI am here at COP 23, because I think climate change\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I asked participants to complete this sentence in order to find out about their motivation or ambition, their specific interest in, personal connection to or simply their understanding of climate change itself. The answers I received in these candid interviews were as diverse as you can imagine them to be, if you, more or less randomly, select individuals for a quick chat at a conference where the whole world comes together.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 is real!\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

First of all, it should be noted that climate change “is real”<\/strong><\/em>, it “is happening”<\/strong><\/em>. These statements might refer to the unbelievable denial of the obvious ongoing environmental variations by the official position of one particular country. Nevertheless, I spoke to a representative from the very nation who described climate change as \u201can urgent problem we have to deal with\u201d<\/strong>.<\/em> That\u00b4s why we all came together these days in Bonn, because in fact it \u201cis a problem\u201d<\/strong><\/em>, it \u201cis a life or death issue for the planet\u201d<\/strong><\/em>, but it also can be understood as \u201cthe most important justice question of the 21st<\/sup> century\u201d<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 is a threat.\u201d<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Furthermore, people see a threat in the continuing climatic changes. Especially the interviewees from the Small Island Developing States like Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the Seychelles, expressed that. They attended the COP because of climate change being \u201cthe biggest threat to our planet\u201d<\/strong><\/em> and \u201ca crucial factor regarding the survival of Small Island Developing States<\/em>\u201d<\/strong>. On a very personal level, climate change \u201cis threating everyone and everything I love\u201d<\/strong> <\/em>or \u201cnegatively impacts my community and I want decisions that reduce climate change vulnerabilities\u201d<\/strong>. \u201cWe are all affected\u201d<\/strong><\/em>, but it is these nations who are currently suffering the most from consequences they didn\u2019t cause.<\/p>\n

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Under Fiji’s presidency of COP23, a clear focus was put on the fate of the Small Island Developing States in the context of climate change.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c\u2026 is important.\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Actually, climate change is seen as \u201cthe most important thing to deal with in our and in future generations\u201d<\/strong>. \u201cFighting against it\u00b4s devastating nature is crucial for mankind\u201d<\/strong><\/em>. Therefore, generally all participants at the COP are busy. The time for every statement is limited, decisions will have to be made and even the most protracted negotiations have to come to an end in order to be able to present a satisfying outcome. Considering this, I understand all people who did not want to answer my question.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 can draw attention.\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

An international conference of the magnitude of the UNFCCC COP 23 provides great chances for every participant. You can connect to people from all around the globe and get into touch to important politicians and famous personalities. That\u2019s what makes the COP an excellent platform to draw people\u2019s attention on aspects related to the core topic. For example, on human rights: \u201cclimate change and human rights are related to each other and we need to incorporate the rights into the core of the Paris Rule Book\u201d<\/strong><\/em>. Other aspects comprise the importance of the \u201cinvolvement of indigenous people and their traditional knowledge\u201d<\/em><\/strong> or the \u201cintegration of young people into the decision-making processes\u201d<\/strong>.<\/em> Ultimately, climate change can be considered to be \u201cparamount of sustainable development\u201d<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Delegates are entering the Chamber Hall for a meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c\u2026 can be mitigated.\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Some interviewees pointed out solutions and ways to handle the challenges we are facing: \u201cclimate change is a critical issue; the impacts must be collaboratively addressed\u201d<\/strong>. \u201cA<\/strong>ll nations need to take part in order to make a \u201cgood life\u201d for all people possible!\u201d<\/strong><\/em>. This emphasis on the significance of international cooperation and joint implementations were complemented by personal advice: \u201cclimate change can be mitigated with simple ideas, changes of our daily habits and the way we view things\u201d<\/strong>.<\/em> We need to act now! It’s about you to make a difference.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I thank all my interview partners for their cooperation:<\/strong><\/p>\n