Day 1 at COP

   The first day of the COP21 conference hit the ground running. With less than two weeks to change the world, time is of the essence. The meeting was officially called to order at 10:00 AM, when outgoing COP20 president Manuel Pulgar-Vidal handed the reins to Laurent Fabius, and the 21st Conference of the Parties was called to order. Key members of the UNFCCC gave speeches, including Prince Charles of Wales and Christina Figueres. Following the inauguration ceremony, over 150 world leaders took the stage to pledge their support in stopping climate change. Highlights included President Obama's call for "A world that is worthy of our children. A World that is marked not by conflict, but by cooperation; and not by human suffering, but by human progress". Numerous other leaders echoed these sentiments and others. One thing was abundantly clear: The world is ready to stop climate change. The leaders of nearly every country in the world agree.

   One group of countries more acutely aware of this than any others are the Nordic Countries, whose sensitivity to climate change made them recognize the risks early on, and whose abundance of renewable resources allowed them to get ahead of the curve when it came to the climate. As of 2015, the Nordic countries (Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) already meet the expected emissions reduction to keep warming below 2 degrees. According to the Nordic Council of Ministers, the sole goal of the Nordic countries at the COP21 is to provide a real life example of practical sustainability, and to further increase their dedication to the environment.

    Of course, it's not only the Nordic countries that are leading the way, numerous countries are showcasing their programs; South Korea's innovative carbon sequestration program, Germany's massive $2.4 billion investment in developing countries, and Morocco's creation of the world's largest solar farm are all examples of the ways countries are battling climate change. One of the major challenges in a global response to climate change is that in many of the world's developing countries, growing the economy requires expanding access to infrastructure, and many of these countries lack the resources to provide sustainable infrastructure. In India, for example, more than half the population lacks access to electricity, and their solution is wide-scale construction of dirty coal power plants. This is where the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDC) steps in to prevent this from happening, providing funding to help developing countries use clean, sustainable energy sources as their economy expands. Germany, the UK, and the US are the largest contributors to the LDCF, together providing more than $500 million. The LDCF is a perfect example of how international cooperation can overcome individual barriers to progress, and this same approach is being used on a wider scale for the entire negotiation process.

   Even though the conference is just getting started, the potential for real progress is evident, and as the week continues, the potential only grows. We have a long way to go, but the dedication shown by so many countries makes the outlook for the conference optimistic; perhaps we can make a change.