Yesterday, 105 non-Party stakeholders and 210 Party representatives came together for the Talanoa Dialogue. Fighting negotiation fatigue, vitamin D deficiency, and hangovers from the CAN party the night before, these gallant individuals approached the dialogue with open hearts and minds. Luckily, ECO could follow along remotely – listening to all 7 work-streams addressing each of the 3 core questions of the Talanoa Dialogue: where are we, where do we want to go and how do we get there.
We heard about the desperate need to protect those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change through enhanced mitigation ambition and greater support. We heard the frustrations at the pace and scale of action and support. We heard calls for action from all sectors of the community – governments, cities, businesses, scientists, indigenous peoples, youth, and civil society. We also heard inspiring stories of how challenges have been overcome, the actions that are occurring and of the willingness to do more. Finally, we heard a strong collective call for leaders to step up and turn this Dialogue into action at COP24.
ECO would like to congratulate all participants on their willingness to open up and share stories in the spirit of the Dialogue. While new to many of you – it is important that we all open ourselves to new experiences and ways to communicate and build bridges. The Paris Agreement will only be successful if we are willing to embrace the collective challenge we face and move forward together. As the urgency to act increases and expectations ahead of COP24 intensify, remember the stories you heard in the room on Sunday.