The COP22 negotiations produced the Marrakech Action Proclamation, which touted “irreversible momentum on climate” while calling for much greater ambition. The commitment to implementing the Paris Agreement remains firm, despite new uncertainty as to the future actions of the U.S. For their part, U.S. representatives did all they could to show the world that sub-national […]
Traveling home from COP22 and Marrakech, not even adrenalin-invoking near misses on flight legs with no back-up options or a night on the cold stone floor of Charles De Gaulle airport could dampen the spirits of the SES COP22 delegates as they began to reflect on and process their experiences in Morocco. Reading their COP22 […]
What stood out to me most at COP22 was the concrete division between the urgency of the negotiations and negotiators compared to the urgency apparent among the people and organizations running the side events. During my experience in Marrakech, as someone not directly involved in the negotiations, I felt the urgency all around me. There […]
This year’s round of UN climate negotiations have officially come to a close, as six hours of overtime negotiations ended around 2AM on Saturday morning. While progress was made in advancing the implementation of the Paris Agreement, this “COP of action” hardly lived up to it’s name. Parties agreed to be inclusive, transparent, and open […]
After almost two weeks in Marrakech at COP22, by the end of last week I found myself sitting back in the classroom and back in my daily routine. I already miss the early morning dashes through the winding streets of the medina to the venue. Now, back on my bike in the Netherlands, I’ve been […]
Nouhad Awwad is a young Lebanese climate organizer living in Beirut. She has a Masters in Environmental Policy Planning and founded the Lebanese national chapter of the Arab Youth Climate Movement in 2015. She is the Lebanese youth delegate at COP22. Nouhad’s first experiences in environmental organizing began at the age of 15 when she […]
Letter from the Executive Director If you haven’t read our post-election reflection, After the Flood, I encourage you to do so. Fundamentally, our work hasn’t changed; more than ever, we must work together to build a big community that will demand climate action and engage in solutions to climate change. Will Steger recently gave the […]
The UN COP22 Climate Change Conference is now in the final week of negotiations. As negotiators begin the work of turning the Paris Agreement into a pathway forward towards a zero-carbon economy, several high-level diplomats will be flying in for COP22’s final days. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected in Marrakech today and […]
Bringing a delegation of students to a COP Conference is challenging and often unpredictable work. The logistics and the responsibilities that come with student travel are constantly at the forefront, and the tasks of clearing roadblocks and removing obstacles so that the students can experience and learn are front and center. But why? To what […]
Today was education day at COP22, and it ended up being nearly the opposite of what I expected. Taking a step back, I realize it was cultural ignorance that led to my surprise at how this day manifested itself at COP. This surprise stemmed from the focus of the education discussions, which was Indigenous, traditional […]