Final Thoughts from COP 16

The SESEF delegation talking with Lord Christopher Monckton.

When you look at the statistics the chance of an average citizen having the opportunity to attend a United Nation’s conference is very slim, but the chance of a group of high school students having the opportunity to attend as official observers is even less likely. Although we may have only been able to attend for a week, the experience is something I’ll remember forever and look back on as one of the most amazing experiences of my life. This feeling is shared by all the students who were lucky enough to be chosen as delegates to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change summit in Cancun, Mexico, otherwise known as COP16. It required an intimidating amount of preparation that included a class, for most of us, where we were taught the basics about the COP conference and were introduced to some of the main issues that would be discussed at the conference sessions. We were overwhelmed with the enormity of the event that we were about to attend, but at the same time we were all extremely excited for the amazing opportunity. The first group of students left a week before us, sent back news of what they had seen and reported on what was happening already at the conference. Hearing all their tales of the goings on only made our feelings of anxiousness and other mixed emotion grow; 5:30am on Friday, December 3rd could not come soon enough.

SES delegates conversing at the Cancunmesse.

            Sitting on the plane descending into Cancun is something I will never forget. Not because of the amazing view of the Caribbean outside of the plane window, but because in my head I knew that I was arriving into something much bigger than I had been imagining all those months prior. After landing our group of students along with our leader, Patrice Callahan, headed to the parking lot of the Cancun airport to find a man name Luis Felipe because he was going to be our transportation from the airport to our hotel. On our way to the Xbalamque hotel in downtown Cancun city, our new friend, Luis, told us all about the history and structure of our new surroundings. His stories made the drive from the airport to the hotel seem nothing more then a few minutes. Our hotel was the opposite of what comes to the majority of Americans' minds when they think “Cancun hotel”. It was beautiful, and a very nice hotel. But it was in the dead center of Cancun city, which means we were no where near the ocean and our surroundings weren’t as Americanized as the rest of Cancun. The placement of our hotel was one of the many things that contributed to the overall amazing experience we had while staying in Cancun, Mexico.

SES Delegation members

The Brazilian pavilion at the Cancunmesse

SES delegate interviewing a Belgian party member

         The conference was something indescribable. There were so many different cultures and types of people all brought together and they were all working with the same idea. People drawn from all corners of the world working towards a more sustainable earth for not only their descendents but many generations to come. Walking into the conference center for the first time was something I cannot begin to describe; we were so nervous but at the same time  trying to look as if we weren't mesmerized high school students but worldly, intellectual individuals. Seeing all the delegates and party members for the first time, and hearing all the debates about sessions that were occurring, was overwhelming and intimidating. It immediately had me questioning my ability to carry myself among such interesting people. Throughout the week we immersed ourselves into the community that had already built itself the first week of COP. We came to recognize faces, make friends, and interview quite a few of the people we had the privilege to meet. We heard perspectives on climate change from places like Kiribati all the way to Germany. We had the opportunity to attend very interesting sessions such as "Future Bearers of Responsibility" and "The Human Faces of Climate Change".  We also had the opportunity to participate in actions, which were like demonstrations allowed by the conference. The ones we were a part of were specifically led by youth organizations. Mainly Youngo (the constituency of Youth related NGOs) set up the actions, but members of 350.org and SustainUS also participated. Being a part of these actions and working with the organized youth delegations helped to make us feel more a part of the conference.

Posters displayed at the Cancunmesse

Interviewing a delegate from Bolivia

       As the conference progressed we kept up with what was going on with the main negotiations at the Moon Palace resort. The plenary sessions, which included presidents and heads of state, were something to see. The speeches given by these articulate people were inspiring and moving but unfortunately didn't lead to an ending that most at the conference would have liked to see. COP16 in Cancun, Mexico ended with the Cancun Accord, which left a great deal up to COP17 next year in Durban, South Africa. A few of things agreed upon in the Cancun Accord included a total $30 billion from developed countries to undeveloped countries to support climate action up to 2010 and a hope to raise $100 billion in long-term funds by 2020. Also the parties under the Kyoto Protocol agreed to carry on with their negotiations with the goal of making sure there was no space between the first and second commitment periods of the treaty. Overall the view of the Cancun Accord from the perspective of a majority of observers was a feeling of disappointment. "More could have been done" was the most common response when participants were asked how they felt about the negotiation results at COP16. 

As we packed our bags that following Sunday morning we couldn't believe it was over. The trip we had been anticipating for months prior had already come to a close and finished before we knew it. All the stress and preparation we had experienced was going to be over as soon as we stepped on the plane later that afternoon. COP16 is something I will take with me for the rest of my life, and the people I met and information I learned changed me forever. Coming back to Minnesota and spreading the information I learned when I was there and telling people about what is going on at these conferences is something that we all put on the top of our priority lists.

  The whole delegation on the last day of the conference in front of the Mexican pavilian inside the Cancunmesse.

Written by: Anna C.