Day 1

There's a strong juxtaposition between public transportation and the conference grounds. Collin, Filsan, Morgan and I were crammed on the metro like so many sardines. I tried to keep a hand on my bag as I watched the concrete tunnels flit by, plastered with graffiti. We arrived in a different world: a sprawling, modern series of buildings painted green, white, and beige. The only words on those walls were directions to meeting rooms.

It took two trains and a shuttle to arrive at the conference. The entrance was decorated by a field of pillars, each painted with the flag of a participating Party. It was a good space for a media stunt.

I was shuffled along by the crowd, so I didn't get a chance to see what this was about.

We passed the initial security check easily, but we were refused entry for the opening meeting. Funnily enough, it was easier to watch the meeting on livestream from a cafeteria nearby. The French chefs started carving a ham, even though it was 10 AM, and we took notes while surrounded by the smell.

The meeting had some mood swings. Manuel Pulgar Vidal, the President Elect of COP 20 in Lima, opened by praising the Parties' current INDCs. The current President Elect, Laurent Fabius, appeared less confident--that, or his English translator was, emphasizing the dangers of climate change in a watery voice. He called the stakes too high to "make do with a minimalist agreement." This was a sentiment repeated by hundreds of voices, in hundreds of accents, during the Opening of the Leaders events later in the day.

In short, all the official events were filled by promises and posturing. I should have expected this from an international conference--no one wants to step on any important toes--but it was frustrating to watch leader after leader become a broken record on that stage. Everyone can feel the impending disaster, but nobody wants to pay for prevention or cleanup.

I found that countries' representative pavilions were a little more grounded. I had the opportunity to stop by Korea's pavilion and speak with a scientist about carbon sequestration in paper and a greener method of cement production. He motioned to a humble glass display with small-scale models, a little like a science fair. I received two business cards and a flyer for his presentation on December 2nd. That's definitely going on my schedule.

The opposite end of the flashiness spectrum was not underrepresented, though. India's pavilion boasted touchscreen tables, tablet stations, and an impressive fountain with lights going through the water. I'll add a picture when I have the opportunity--by the time I saw the fountain, I was due at the US Center for a presentation on wetland carbon sequestration.

Few people arrived for this presentation, and they missed out. Dr. Judith Drexler from the US Geological Survey passed around samples of sediment and peat. They're unassuming clumps of dirt and clay that can store up to 100 grams of carbon per square meter in a year. It's estimated that there are around 550 gigatons of carbon stored in peatlands right now, and we're losing part of that every year to degradation and permafrost melt. My cousin, Cameron Blake, has been studying the effect of higher temperatures on the microbes within peat for similar reasons--if the microbes release the carbon stored in peat, we're in trouble.

One of the objectives of the panelists was to spread awareness. Many countries don't have the framework to report wetlands in their INDCs, and the IPCC has only just released preliminary reporting guidelines. If they can't understand the value of wetlands to our atmosphere, then at least they can understand the monetary value: reducing wetlands degradation can earn a country credits within the UNFCCC's carbon market. Dr. Emily Pidgeon has been teaching indigenous communities in West Papua how to use that trade infrastructure. Indonesia is home to mangrove forests, which are highly valuable carbon sinks, and Dr. Pidgeon helps local communities both preserve those forests and profit from their preservation.

I got the impression that the Party representatives could learn a lot by sticking their hands in some mud.