Delegates Clayton Scott, Noe Gonzalez, and Lucy Chin at the Young RINGO Booth, manned primarily by Washington University.

Clayton Scott and Beth Martin at the Young RINGO booth.

An amazing part of this conference is the interaction between civil society and party (state) actors. These groups work in tandem with one another in many ways, but at times their objectives and means of communication are in tension with one another.” – Lucy Chin, Washington University delegate

On my last day in Marrakesh, the French pavilion sponsored a talk which included a representative from the AfDB. He was quick to point out that implementation of adaptation and mitigation projects have to be culturally appropriate. There has been more investment in Africa than any other location, yet it still represents the largest population without access to reliable energy.” – Noe Gonzalez, Washington University delegate

When one thinks of green energy, they often think of it as a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but this isn’t always the case. For Zambia, a country almost entirely dependent on hydro power, climate change related drought has reduced energy production on average by 30%. Addressing climate change is more than just switching away from fossil fuels, but also providing dependable clean energy for everyone. ” – Clayton Scott, Washington University delegate

Week two team from WUStL: Jessmehar Walia, Anukriti Sud Hittle, Amanda Bender, and Nicola Salzman

Nicola Salzman, Jessmehar Walia, Anukriti Sud Hittle, and Amanda Bender attending week two of COP22, days after the results of the US Presidential election.

The results of the US presidential election, which happened during the first week of COP22, hadn’t escaped everyone’s mind by the second week. The sullen mood had turned into a grim optimism and acceptance of the work to come. A lot of conversation focused on sub-national climate action: what can be done within businesses, cities, and states?” – Amanda Bender, Washington University delegate

“We ran into Big Cheese and conservation superstar Inger Andersen, head of IUCN, and I asked her for a message for students.” – Anu Hittle

US Secretary of Energy expresses a need to innovate ways to utilize – not just store – captured carbon