written after we’ve parted from our most recent destinations: London, the Canary Islands, the German Alps, and New York City

After two weeks of following the COP21 negotiations, we were eager to hear the agreement outcome.  Leading up to reveal, the majority of field experts we talked to projected relatively unambitious and insufficient deliverables. Thus, we were surprised to find an outcome that most environmentalists deem a success! Here’s a quick breakdown of the deal:

• set a goal of limiting the rise in global temperature “well below” 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, with the aim of 1.5 degrees C
• established a climate finance fund of $100 billion per year by 2020 to assist developing with adaptation and mitigation practices
• reconvene every five years to update national emission reduction targets

President Obama considers the deal to be a “historic” success and attributes its inception to “American leadership.” He claims, “The problem’s not solved because of this accord, but make no mistake, the Paris agreement establishes the enduring framework the world needs to solve the climate crisis..It creates the mechanism, the architecture, for us to continually tackle this problem in an effective way.”

While commentary on the deal have generally been positive, the agreement is by no means perfect.  A panelist on NPR’s Diane Rehm show compared the delegates at COP21 negotiating an agreement to a dog walking on its hind legs– it doesn’t walk necessarily well, but everyone cheers because they are surprised that the dogs walk at all.

Bill Mckibben has critiqued the agreement, noting that “[COP21] didn’t save the planet, but it may have saved the chance of saving the planet.” He argues that while the agreement recognizes an end to the fossil fuel era, it does so at a pace too slow to avoid significant climate damage. Likewise, Bernie Sanders is unimpressed by the deal, stating that “the planet is in crisis. We need bold action in the very near future and this does not provide that.”

Regardless of whether or not this deal will be sufficient to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, the four of us have felt extremely lucky to be in Paris for this historic conference.  In ten years, COP21 will be mentioned in the textbooks that environmental majors at CC will be reading from. We have learned so much from attending side events, speaking with industry leaders, and debriefing with each other.  We are so thankful to CC for allowing us the opportunity to travel to Paris, and the environmental department for helping us along the way.

Au revoir for now!

Lily, Gabby, Zach and Elliott