A new beginning

Exciting news out of Paris on this late but final day of action. There is so much excitement, enthusiasm, and progress moving forward coming out of these last two weeks. With negotiations referring to the agreement as a "high ambition coalition" and a that the text is "the best possible balance," states  have flexibility in their actions but have all committed and agreed to stop the global temperature rise and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The final draft still needs to get one last approval, but there seems to be so much support and optimism for the progress made thus far. This is the best thing that could have come out of Paris but also having happy and excited negotiators and leaders. Reports indicate both rich and poor nations clapping and cheering as negotiators entered the plenary room, including a photo of Francios Hollande, Lauren Fabious, and Ban Ki Moon smiling with the progress that had been made. These last two weeks will leave a lasting mark in history for nations all over the world. We can be thankful that negotiators stayed up late into hours of the night working tirelessly to preserve our planet and the future lives of our children and grandchildren. We have so much to be thankful for as Christmas is so close to coming early for our planet! This draft and the actions taken thus far represent the solidarity undertaken by negotiators and world leaders. Coming to this collective action is the best possible thing for our world and doing it together makes it all the more worthwhile and meaningful. Lets hope that the process will come to a close within the next 24 hours and then we will have so much more to celebrate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/world/europe/climate-change-accord-paris.html?_r=0

Mayors leading the way

Within the climate negotiations taking place in Paris, there is a noticeably strong presence from local leaders across the world. Their cities are the ones where people live, where pollution occurs, and they are taking action. While nearly 500 mayors were in attendance at the Paris meetings and met Paris with the Paris Mayor at City Hall, there are thousands of mayors throughout the world. Why didn't more of them attend? More than 60% of the world population will live in cities in future years and mayors play a key role in the city. Whether the city is large or not is irrelevant as smaller cities and suburbs that surround larger ones are directly connected to it. The phrase, think globally, act locally was a key phrase throughout Paris. Local actions are already taking place on multiple levels. People care about their local environment and neighborhood. Mayors should be leaders in the climate change fight as their citizens will be directly affected.

Progress in the making and the end in sight

To say that progress has been in the making during these last two weeks is an understatement. The amount of progress made thus far during the climate negotiations at COP21 could be argued the most difficult and successful progress that has happened in the last year. Nearly two hundred countries debating over the complexity of words to be used to reach an international agreement on climate change and global temperature rise. With almost one party objecting to nearly every single word and phrase during the early negotiations, having a condensed 27 page draft and an "agreement in sight" according to the Huffington Post, is significant progress and success (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/10/paris-climate-talks-deal-in-view-but-negotiations-likely-to-go-into-overtime?CMP=share_btn_tw&utm_content=bufferc5ae1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer).
 Ultimately, the most successful outcome will occur when the final text is released and it is announced that a final agreement has been made. I am optomoistic that this will happen as our many of my colleagues. We spoke with a reporter from the St. Cloud times yesterday who asked us to make a prediction about the final results. We all said, yes, an agreement will be reached. So far that is looking like it will happen. After nearly two all night sessions, we and our future generations can be hopeful that the negotiators will reach a deal. This deal will set the tone for upcoming years of progress toward reducing global temperature rise and greenhouse gas emissions. Let's hope that the local government leaders, business leaders, indigenous communities, politicians and researchers present at COP21 will carry forward with their strong actions and desire to improve our plant. We need this deal. It will provide hope and optimism for our youth who will have to and are already bearing the consequences of climate change. This time last year I had already been skiing more than two dozen times. And now with no snow and temperatures in the mid 30's and 40's, I have yet to step into a pair of skis. I sure would like to teach my kids how to ski one day. For the sake of skiing, our future generations and our planet, let's hope our leaders are true to their word that the media has put out in the last few hours. Progress is happening, and an agreement is in sight. Cheers to this progress and the beginning of the weekend!

Advocating for Change

Last week in Paris there was much more than just presentations and negotiation meetings taking place, but rather people pleading for change to save their livelihoods and different methods of advocacy. We had the opportunity to see one of the most unique forms that could only be seen in Paris. The Eiffel tower was lit up with various forms of art and messaging. Phrases such as "protect the earth," "COP21," and "2 degrees" along with varying colors of light were displayed on the tower. This was an interesting experience to see as it attracted many tourists, visitors, and climate activists. Additionally, it attracted a Thai news station who reported on the subject matter and interviewed one my colleagues. Some felt that this act of art was a disgrace to the Eiffel tower itself, while others found it to be a unique form of messaging. Paris has taken quite a few steps to show their support for COP21 and reaching an international agreement. This shows to be one of their strongest intentions in support of negotiations. While the event may not been put on by the city, clearly there must have been some support as there was no pushback to take down the images. What I found even more fascinating about these images was the solidarity and globalization that it provides. These message are ones that do not just affect France or America, but rather ones that affect everyone at the conference and in the world. We need to protect the earth for it's own sake and for the sake of our livelihoods and displaying the messages on the Eiffel tower seemed to be an effective way to so!

Big Business's step up for climate change

Recently this week, 8 United States Senators spoke at COP21 calling for action on climate change. They acknowledged the role that the U.S. has played thus far and emphasized the need to reach a global climate agreement. Among these senators was Minnesota senator Al Franken, who stepped up with Minnesota business leaders to act on climate change. A recent article in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune, quoted Franken and the CEO of Cargill pushing for an international agreement at COP2,  http://www.startribune.com/our-food-supply-is-reason-enough-to-act-on-climate-change/360631241/.

Minnesota has a strong economy with many big business leaders in addition to Cargill including Target, Best Buy and General Mills who have all signed the White Houses's American Business Act on Climate Change Pledge. For Cargill in particular, climate change poses signifiant challenges for their business. As the worlds largest privately held company and one of the largest producers of food for the world population, adapting to the changes and finding solutions is critical to our world. For Target and Best Buy, these businesses are dependent on consumers purchasing goods, which is contrary to supporting environmentalism and conservation. It is great that these companies are committed to energy conservation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, however consumption poses significant threats to climate change and our environment. Throwaway culture is a major issue and unless these companies commit to producing and transporting their goods in friendly ways, there won't be significant gains in terms of protecting our climate. However, the fact that these big businesses are committing actions to climate change means that they are acknowledging the problem. Their presence at COP21 shows much support for an international agreement and to citizens and businesses world wide. 

Men or women? Who is leading the fight

Throughout this week I have sat in on many sessions about cities and local governments and been not only impressed with the action that many European cities are taking, but also impressed with the strong presence of women leaders taking action. A Tap talk with Jeffrey Sachs yesterday featured two female mayors, one from Stockholm and the other from a medium sized city in Brazil. Later in the day the Mayor of Gothenburg Sweden spoke, also a female. Prior to that, Olso's Mayor for the Environment addressed the audience, again a female. Sachs commented that if all of our leaders around the world were women, the problems we face would not be as bad. Women have a strong presence in cities and local government when it comes to addressing climate change. They have taken dynamic and innovative actions to improve and protect their cities thus far. I don't want to say I am surprised by these women, but their leadership was not something I had thought about prior to COP21. The gender and climate change dynamic is one that is interesting to follow. Both men and women have a role to play and both are contributing but will one gender step up more to take action? I guess we will have to wait and find out...

I guess we're all hypocrites

I recently read an amazing piece from the Twin Cities Pioneer Press regarding the Paris Climate Conference, and by amazing I mean it was well written, hilarious, and far right winged. Joe Soucheray, a columnist with the local paper feels this convention on climate "is an exercise in hypocrisy" (http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_29174240/joe-soucheray-paris-climate-conference-is-an-exercise?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook).
Sure we are all flying on large jet engine airplanes to travel across the globe and talk about climate, but these are conversations worth having and ones that will impact generations to come. While we know flying in airplanes has its effects on the environment, we'd all like to admit that we enjoy flying and traveling and we'd like to keep it that way. And thus we are taking steps to protect the environment, reduce our consumption and footprint so we can continue to enjoy these many first world pleasures. Theses changes are about sacrifice and for them to be effective we'll have to sacrifice certain luxuries to receive the benefits of others. While it may one day be possible to consume excessively and see no repercussions, taking steps and making sacrifices now is essential. While I give Soucheray credit, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman's evidence about the Metronome's dome roof collapsing isn't very substantial in support of climate change, at least he's making moves to improve the city, it's residents and overall liveability. Speaking of liveability, alternative transporation is an essential component. Because many citizens first make the smart choice of living near their occupations, and secondly ride their bicycle to work.... all year long! Yes, that's right, they ride their bike in the winter too! And you also think all of these people are hypocrites. Is that the only thing you write about these days? One day when I grow up and serve on some city committee, commission, or council, I hope I can be featured in a piece of yours.... that would be a real pleasure!(http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_29098754/joe-soucheray-st-pauls-hypocrites-love-bike-lanes)