Dec 9
We went to press briefings where we could get in and watched on television ones that we couldn't. YOUNGO had an intervention today in the form of a huge protest lasting several hours. The closing plenary was suspended and the COP 17 sign was flipped upside down by an activist group (Greenpeace?). We went hope to get ready for traveling the next day and waited for word of the final decisions.
Dec 8
We started off the day with a panel discussion about Chemistry and the Low Carbon Economy, met Christiana Figueres, went to the Fossil of the Day, and went to a talk where Ethiopia introduced their plan for the development of their low carbon economy.
Dec 7
It started off slow, but things really picked up after 2 pm with seeing President Zuma, meeting the loud and dynamic Devine, Skyping with York, going to the Fossil Award, and rushing off to a press conference.
Dec 6
Patrick got an early start today and went to the YOUNGO (Youth NGO) meeting, went to a Swedish talk about the Arctic, was involved with a workshop geared towards improving US/Chinese youth relations, and attended a talk given by President Zuma, Christiana Figueres and others.
Dec 5
This was the first day for Kiersten, Patrick, and Matt at the COP. Check out the blog for more details about the day. (more pictures coming)
Dec 2 - Dec 4
Here's a bunch of pictures from the last few days. It's taken so long to get them up due to travel and the internet is mostly slow here. It's taken a while to find a good enough connection to put this all up.
American Chemical Society Headquarters
Last Friday (Nov. 4) Kiersten DeBlaker, Patrick Lestrange, and Matt Denardo visited the headquarters of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington DC. They did a writing exercise led Rachael Bishop, Manager of Public Policy Communications for the ACS, and worked on improving their interview skills. The students got to put those skills to the test later that afternoon when they interviewed staffers of legislators working on climate legislation. A lot was learned on this trip and everyone came away with a clearer understanding of the issues surrounding the upcoming Conference of Parties.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Kiersten DeBlaker and Patrick Lestrange visited NOAA in August of 2011 and interviewed Dr. Pieter Tans. Dr. Tans is a senior researcher there studying greenhouse gas emissions. He spoke about his work, his interpretations of how the general public understands climate change, and his expectations for COP17.