Well, the 15th Conference of Parties has begun! Thank gosh I have already been to a UN conference, because if I hadn’t, I don’t think I could handle this thing.
Let me just give you all a quick play by play of what my morning was like, and will be like, for the next two weeks:
-Wake up between 6:00 and 7:00 in our crap hostel (no internet, we cannot use the kitchen because we aren’t a “family” or “individual”, no eating or drinking in our rooms, no breathing, etc.)
-Go to breakfast (leave backpack outside because it isn’t allowed in, make sandwiches and put in pockets anyways)
-Get on the bus for 30 minutes
-Get on the M Tag (metro) for 15 minutes
-Go to the Bella Center office after passing numerous groups of protesters (some are good, some are crazies like the Asian TV network SuperMasterTV that wants all the world to be vegetarians)
-Get in line for security (similar to an airport, except you can bring liquids in as long as you sip some in front of the guards)
-Get your badge screened
-Wait in line for 5 to 10 minutes to check your coat
-GO!
It’s wonderful to see more friends who have started to arrive that weren’t here for COY. It’s also incredible to walk down the hall and, oh look there is Kumi Naidoo, ED of Greenpece International. Hmm and there is Jonathan Pershing, USA Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change. Who is that lady getting her makeup done over there? Oh, it’s Amy Goodman from Democracy NOW.
Sorry if I’m making anyone jealous. That isn’t the point of this blog post. I just want to get across how completely mad this conference is when it comes to opportunities for meeting some of the most influential and motivating people surrounding the issue of climate change. This isn’t always the case of course. There are a lot of important people here that I proudly walk by without a second glace, because they are the ones who are slowing down this process.
Well, hopefully with hard work, I’ll do my part along with the rest of you the youth to change this as much as possible. It’s already been exhausting and crazy and it’s only one day. I’m still trying to figure out how to actually get things done instead of just spending all day at different meetings, which is usually the norm at these conferences.
Wish me luck! And for those of you who wish you could be here, join the Rapid Response team to get calls each night by me and other American youth to take action back in the USA. Click here to learn more: http://www.powershift09.org/rapidresponse
Monday, December 7th
