What am I supposed to do with my feelings?

By Margherita Tommasini I experience panic attacks. I already share this struggle with the people I love, so it does not really matter if now the Internet will know about it. I sort of knew what I was getting into. Last year I attended COP21 in Paris. I did not have accreditation for the Blue Zone, but I spent the three weeks in the Ville Lumières engaging with different levels of civil society...

The Power of Media and COP21: A Reflection

By Jenna Farineau “The media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty look innocent, and that’s the power. Because they control the minds of the masses” - Malcom X Because they control the minds of the masses. The existence of COP21 stands tall upon the shoulders of the negotiators, Heads of States, the French government -...

Philippines Solidarity Action COP19

by J. Taggart Wass After Monday’s empowering speech by the Philippines lead negotiator Naderev ‘Yeb’ Sano and his decision to fast in support of his home country until a meaningful COP outcome was in sight, the youth of COP 19 decided to show solidarity for Yeb and the Philippines by participating in a voluntary fast for climate change.  Just as lunch was in session Anjali Appadurai,...

Media Messaging: The silent, subtle art of loudmouthing the innocent

by Anjali Appadurai If there's one lesson we learned loud and clear at this COP, it was how important a role the media plays in determining the world's perception of the dangerous game being played out in the negotiating rooms. Throughout the COP, misguided messaging was a huge obstacle to a united civil society front. We saw a multitude of messaging angles on each major issue within the...