About a year ago I participated in an unforgettable trip to Spitsbergen (or Svalbard in Norwegian). The magic was in the beautiful landscape and the rich wildlife, as expected, but also in unexpected things such as living on a ship with 54 other researchers for two weeks. There was so much to learn from so many different disciplines!
12 December 11.40. The suspense is rising. I am sitting in the overflow room – one of the big plenary rooms where we can watch the action of the Paris Committee on screen. The meeting is scheduled for 11.30 but we do not know if there will ‘just’ be the…
It is 21.00. The Committee of Paris is about to start. This is COP President Fabius’ construction for the second week of negotiations. At least once per day all delegates are gathered in the big plenary and observers are welcomed in the room (and on webcast mind you). The purpose…
Saturday5 December. Morning. I see to my great amazement the first twitter I see having just in Paris is that the ADP text, the draft negotiation text, has been submitted to ministers. The French presidency had set Saturday as a deadline for the negotiations on the text to be concluded…
In an article of the Guardian, the French minister of environment, Mr Laurent Fabius, urged the climate negotiators to work harder as the progress is too slow. Well, as I write this I am sitting in the Thalys on my way home. This train certainly has picked up the pace….
A long evening walk along the Seine is perfect to clear the mind from all the big impressions. The terrorist attacks have already been mentioned before in previous blogs, but I find Paris still very accessible. Not at all how I imagined a ‘city under siege’. I was standing on…
After arriving by train in Paris last night, I immediately travelled through to the COP venue at Le Bourget, which is just outside of the city centre. The whole train ride was hopelessly delayed because of copper thefts on the Belgium railroad. But thinking I could quickly swing by the…
This morning, Wageningen UR presented itself at the Dutch Climate House at COP21. Unfortunately, our Chair of the Board of Directors, Louise Fresco, who was supposed to open and introduce the meeting, could not make it, due to severe delays of the Thalys between Brussels and Paris yesterday. All the…
Had a special meeting at Place d’Anvers, near the Sacré-Coeur, last night. I went to have dinner with two students from the ‘green office’ of Wageningen University (and one student is the son of good friends of mine, which made it even more special). They are here in Paris to…
Last night I woke up because of a huge bang. Immediately I sat upright in my bed. A bang in Paris cannot mean anything good in this day and age. Tensely I listened to what would follow: screaming, or not, sirens, or not. It remained awfully silent. After a few…