Youth and civil society voices cut through the noise of pomp and circumstance during the negotiations yesterday. We’re feeling the palpable energy of rising tensions from our delegates — their blogs today speak to the unrest inside the convention space.
The official negotiations made little to no progress in the second day of high-level segments, and non-governmental attendees took to raising their voices and calls for action. An unregistered protest of more than 300 people began outside of an official plenary session, drawing the attention of the media as well as security. Over 200 protesters were stripped of their COP25 badges and removed from the conference. The plenary session continued and did not address the protest.
“Finding holistic solutions is what the COP should be all about, but instead it seems to have turned into some kind of opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes and to avoid raising their ambition.”
– Greta Thunberg
During Greta’s remarks yesterday, youth activists from across the world stormed the stage, calling out chants like “We are unstoppable, another world is possible!” and “Respect Indigenous rights, so we can win this fight!” It was an unprecedented interruption into the high-level segment. With two days left to finalize the critical parts of the Paris Agreement rulebook, the people are pleading for leadership and action. Vulnerable communities and countries that are already experiencing fatal climate impacts cannot afford to wait for these final decisions to be pushed to COP26 in 2020.
HEATED called out specifically why progress on this is nuanced — corporations with pollution track records have a large influence at COP25. And the discord is out in the open as well; while U.S. negotiators attempted to solidify that the U.S. will never be accountable for damage to vulnerable countries due to climate impacts (read more here), secretary of state John Kerry passionately addressed a crowd at the COP25 Climate Action Hub pushing for higher ambition.
Today, we’re diving into the reading the EU’s encompassing Green Deal that was unveiled yesterday. We’re also looking forward to hearing more about Spain’s Climate Action for Jobs Initiative launching today, highlighting a strategy to ensure people’s jobs and well-being are at the center of a transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
Have you read the book Exodus (a climate fiction novel)? TODAY we’re having a webinar with classrooms, discussing themes and providing an inside look into COP25. Join in at 11:20 a.m. CST.
Climate Generation Delegation Blogs
Sarah Goodspeed, Climate Generation
Jen Kader, Freshwater
Sabrina Patlan, Youth Delegate
Webcasts
Mark your calendar for the COP25 webcasts throughout the experience!
CLEAN Network Webinar
Inside COP25 with Sarah Goodspeed – Part 1
TODAY, December 12: COP25 + #TeachClimate (11:20 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. CST)
Educators are invited to this special #TeachClimate Network meeting; where their classrooms can participate in a discussion about what it’s like at the COP25 negotiations and facilitate a reading discussion.
Friday, December 13: Inside COP25 with Sarah Goodspeed with special guest – Part 2 (12 p.m. CST)
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Check out our Twitter and Instagram for even more footage from our COP25 delegation. Follow @ClimateGenOrg and hashtags #MNCOP25 and #ActOnClimate
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