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Day 2 at COP23: Indigenous peoples promote solutions as Paris Agreement momentum grows


Day 2: Tuesday, 7 November 2017

Indigenous peoples’ wisdom for climate adaptation – Indigenous peoples took center stage at the COP on Tuesday when they made a strong call to be part of the solution to climate change, emphasizing their traditional wisdom and practical knowledge about adaptation methods. “When we speak about sustainable development, we are looking after the management of our resources in a more orderly way,” said Janio Sangama, a member of the Kichwa tribe from the region of San Martin in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.

An intention to join Paris—The list of countries joining the Paris Agreement has been growing quickly over the last year, but there were only two countries that had not signed the agreement—Nicaragua and Syria. That changed last month, when Nicaragua joined the Agreement and today, the Syrian representative at the COP intimated, in a plenary session, that Syria also intended to join. At the moment, 169 countries have joined the agreement and the list is growing. Click here for a full list.

Climate solutions—Exhibitions have typically been a mainstay of climate conferences. Companies use the COP to show new ideas and products, many governments have elaborate displays, and organizations raise their visibility. Now, with a greater focus of the conference moving toward action and results, many exhibitions take on greater importance, often showcasing the latest technologies and strategies to deploy in efforts to address climate change.

There are exhibits on fusion energy, smart roads, sidewalks that absorb less heat, sensors that provide an early warning system for flash floods. There are groups pressing for reducing meat consumption, forest preservation and organic farming. We’ll be visiting some booths in more detail later during these two weeks.

A sprawling COP—The distances are vast at the COP, which comprises two zones separated by 1.4 kilometers. The negotiations, the media center, and press conferences rooms are in one zone, named Bula, and exhibitions and side events are in the other, the Bonn Zone. It’s about a 20 minute walk or electric shuttle ride, or it takes about five minutes by bicycles, which are provided for free.


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