COP-15 Day 5
Today started with the usual BCSE morning briefing followed by the BINGO morning briefing. I’ve been asked why I don’t write more specifically about what happens in these morning briefings. The short answer is that I can’t. It is common practice to consider NGO specific meetings to be confidential so that the NGO participants will speak with each other more freely. These morning briefings are an extremely valuable opportunity for various NGO groups from around the world to actually have an opportunity to talk to each other about what is happening within the same NGO community first. Without the confidentiality of these meetings, the NGO participants would be less likely to speak, which wouldn’t be helpful to anyone. Every NGO deserves this same opportunity and respect. For the most part, everyone complies and the whole process works.
Today much work was getting done, so many of the official delegate meetings were closed to NGO participants. Progress was made and 2 draft negotiating texts were released in the afternoon. The closed meetings gave me the opportunity to listen to scientists and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke at the U.S. Center.
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke @ U.S. Center
I watched Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke speak at the U.S. Center today and I highly recommend people watch it for themselves. Secretary Locke’s speech and other events at U.S. Center are being webcast live and are also available in a library at www.cop15.state.gov.
NASA/JAXA Presentation about Scientific Global Observations from Space at U.S. Center
The U.S. Center is filled with events where U.S. and other scientists are made available to discuss their findings with COP-15 participants. This afternoon I watched a U.S. scientist and a Japanese scientist as they explained how scientific global observations are made from space.
I also spent some time watching “Science on a Sphere”, the projection ball in the reception area of the U.S. Center.
Will Steger Foundation: Views from the American Heartland: Diverse Midwestern Views in Copenhagen
My day concluded by attending a press event hosted by the Will Steger Foundation that presented a panel of various midwestern views about how the region was dealing with climate change.
Tomorrow I am taking part in a UNFCCC Side Event panel. You can read more about it in the related Press Release on the Conservis website. Goodnight from Copenhagen.
