Today marked an attempt to start the day earlier, with a wake-up at 7 am and departure by 7:30, aiming to catch the RINGO briefing. Despite making good time on the metro, I didn’t quite make it on time. While in line at the EXPO center, I took the opportunity to network a bit. Later, I headed to the plenary rooms for the highly anticipated Al Gore speech. Entering the largest room I had encountered at the conference, I found probably hundreds of seats for negotiators and around 75 for observers. However, as this was not a negotiation session, I was allowed to stroll up to the front row. Before the talk commenced, my classmates and I took some photos in front of the stage and met with other students from Austin College and Swarthmore. Al Gore and Gavin McCormick took the stage to introduce the current state of affairs, energize the crowd, and showcase the latest data site using cutting-edge AI technology to identify global emission sites—named Climate TRACE. This website enables tracking of global emissions down to individual facilities in each sector worldwide. Utilizing various satellite technologies (infrared, satellite imagery, UV, and more), Climate TRACE presented a comprehensive view of all anthropogenic CO2 and other GHG emissions. The data revealed that only 14% of the actual total emissions were reported globally. With this new data, no country can hide from the truth. It was one of the most inspiring talks I have attended, so far, just a few feet away from Al Gore. Following this, I attended a smaller side event panel on Climate Justice, Human Rights, and Corporate Responsibility in L & D. Hosted by speakers from four different countries, the event featured personal experiences in various communities, particularly concerning women and indigenous peoples. Later, I headed to the US Pavilion for a NASA talk on TEMPO satellite development, allowing high-resolution imagery of all NO2 emissions in the US. This technology proves incredibly helpful in addressing the need for the removal of NO2 emissions due to their impact on public health. After a relatively slow lunch break, I resumed my activities, heading to the MTU pavilion for our C4 coffee networking with CC event. I engaged in a delightful conversation with Geoffrey Mbayo from Nairobi, Kenya, discussing our COP experiences and what we would take back to our respective countries. We reflected on our positions as youth and how we can leverage the opportunities presented to us. Following this, I stayed for the next two talks: a youth-led discussion on climate justice by high schoolers from the Greater Chicago Area and the Early Career RINGO daily debrief. Today marked my longest day at the COP yet, but I am nonetheless filled with excitement for tomorrow!
