At a session I attended late one night recently, I heard His Excellency, Anote Tong, the former president of Kiribati, speak about climate migration and the impact it is having, and will continue to have, on small island states. He said that, to him and his people, climate change isn’t an abstract concept; it is …
Category Archives: Block 3
US Pledge, Karneval, Schokoladenmuseum, and more!
Today we all awoke to a hum of light rain in the silent city of Cologne – a very large contrast from the noise and commotion we experienced yesterday. The overcast sky seemed to cover the city of Cologne like a warm blanket encouraging people to huddle inside on this cold, rainy Sunday in November …
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Relaxation and Reflection
Bula Vinaka, Today was a great day of relaxation and reflection in comparison to yesterday’s hectic atmosphere. Yesterday was Karneval in Köln and people dressed in costumes, like animal onesies and unicorns, ran through the streets screaming, singing, and dancing. On our way back from the Conference, we tried to ride from the main train …
Energy Research in the Koln-Porz and Bonn Area
This morning I commuted from Cologne to Bonn all by myself: an insignificant task for many, but a monumental accomplishment for a car-driving Tennessean such as myself. I was out the door this morning before most of my classmates because I was attending an energy research excursion sponsored by the EnergyAgencyNRW (Northwest Rhine Westphalia), a …
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Day Five – The US Climate Action Center & The Private Sector
It’s day 5 in Bonn and day 3 of COP23! After two days full of meetings, networking, and events, we did a variety of things today. Over the past few days, I have been focusing on researching private sector solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and particularly emerging business opportunities in low-carbon markets. Some …
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Indigenous Peoples’ Day at COP23
Coming to you from Bonn, Germany, 1 day late, it’s your friend Jordan Churchwell! I was going to write this post last night, but I knocked out from exhaustion with my laptop on me before it even turned on. So, well rested and more coherent, I bring to you the news of 10/07/17. This was …
Stay Optimistic!
Today was our third official day observing the UNFCCC COP 23. With only three days into the convention, it’s great to see every one of us has already become exceptional conference attendees, making meaningful connections and maintaining a busy calendar to gain a broad range of perspectives from various panel discussions and events in the …
COP23 Day 2!
Bula! (Hello in Fijian) As everyone in the class separates to embark on their second day of COP, we have one symbol to unite us: Pins reading “#WeAreStillIn.” Our class started the day off by handing out booklets to promote the Climate Action Center which opens it’s doors on Thursday and will act as …
First Day Exploring Bonn!
Today was the first full day in Germany! Many of us left the hostel at 6:45 am: a pretty brutal 11:45 pm for our bodies, in order to make it to the Bonn Zone to register our credentials. We were hoping to beat the crowd and we did! We were among the first to register. …
Being Awake
Today’s life lesson was about being awake. Whether it was being prepared for directions to the conference center or being aware of the new opportunities around us, we were reminded of the importance in taking ownership of ourselves and not to be ducklings following the direction of our Herr Doktor Professor. After a much needed …
