\n<\/strong>Sarah Schechter \u2013\u00a0 Environmental Studies and Anthropology<\/em><\/p>\n
We constantly hear the phrase \u201cthink globally, act locally,\u201d but how do we actually put that into practice? When we act on a local level we are trying to benefit the town or municipality that we are working with, but what if that\u2019s still too large of a scope?<\/p>\n
Walking into Day 1 of\u00a0COP25<\/a>\u00a0I was unsure of what to expect, in awe of the bright lights and intricate booths. One was made from cardboard, another had a wall of plants, and still another had a giant Earth sitting in a dish of ice.<\/p>\n I made my way to the\u00a0Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change<\/a>\u00a0(IPCC) booth, prepared to discuss volunteering with them later in the week. I was then introduced to the Vice-Chair of the IPCC, Dr.\u00a0Youba Sokona<\/a>, who asked the group \u201cWhat are you doing on an individual level?\u201d We started to answer with what was being done in our communities, but he adamantly asked again, \u201cBut what are\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0doing?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Impacts of Climate Change on Moana and Pacific Island Nations<\/strong> Part of the magic of COP is finding out about little happenings from talking to different people you meet. Towards the end of the day, a group of the\u00a0UConn@COP25<\/a>\u00a0Fellows and I were tired, hungry, and mentally drained, but we met a funny man from the Himalayas who convinced us to stay longer.<\/p>\n He told us about his work in planting millions of mangrove trees in the Pacific Islands region and why this was so important to restoring coastal ecosystems and maintaining indigenous communities. His passion for the oceans drew us to stay and participate in the ceremonial welcome event at the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, which was happening in 10 minutes. It started out with the island natives performing songs and saying blessings in their indigenous languages. They also taught us traditional greetings in these languages as well. I quickly learned that the term \u201cmoana\u201d is used to describe the sea or the ocean and that these island communities from countries like Fiji, New Zealand, and Tuvalu are very proud to be presenting a unified front focused on the importance of oceans at COP25.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thinking Beyond Borders & Labels \u2013 The Reality of Climate Migration<\/strong> What I was most excited about seeing at\u00a0COP<\/a>\u00a0was the involvement and discussions of climate migrants. During previous years at the COP, the term \u201cclimate migrant\u201d wasn\u2019t mentioned quite as much as it already has been in several of the opening panel discussions at\u00a0COP25<\/a>.\u00a0 The concept of environmental migration \u2014 a very politically \u2014 and socioeconomically-charged issue \u00a0has been swept under the rug. But as our seas rise, more people from island nations and coastal communities are being forced to move inland or to mainland countries to look for new homes -two examples of this displacement are the Carteret Islanders and the people of Bangladesh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 42 Hours in Madrid<\/strong> I\u2019m a law student at\u00a0UConn Law<\/a>\u00a0working at the\u00a0Center for Energy & Environmental Law<\/a>\u00a0so I was eager to learn about legal frameworks for implementing climate action. The\u00a0EU pavilion<\/a>\u00a0hosted a side event, Fighting Climate Change: The Legislative Response addressing a proposed EU Climate Change Law.\u00a0Yvon Slingenberg<\/a>, Director of International, Mainstreaming and Policy Coordination at the Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) in the European Commission, talked about a proposal to implement a system of tariffs on goods coming from countries that have failed to make their emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement. That would be real change in policy to put a financial penalty on countries doing business in Europe to force climate accountability. I\u2019m eager to learn more about the EU Climate Change Law and watch how it is debated and what provisions are enacted in the weeks to come.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Lauren Pawlowski \u2013\u00a0 Environmental Studies and Economics<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Some](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/By-Mara-Tu-768x1024.jpg\")
\n<\/strong>Megan Ferris \u2013 Environmental Science<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Louanne Cooley \u2013 School of Law<\/em><\/p>\n