Paris - Day Two

Today was the first day of COP - but different from COPs before because this time 150 world leaders spoke about their countries ambitions to start things off. Normally these airy, insubstantial barn-burners are delivered at the beginning of the second week - which was what I saw in Lima last year. But, the Secretariat thought that this year the leaders should give the negotiators a kick in the pants right off the bat.

Due to security concerns, and the fact that 150 world leaders were all bunched together in one spot, no normal COP attendee could witness the statements. But I did see Barack Obama deliver his wonderful speech at the US Pavilion where it was remotely webcast on a giant screen.

Left to right: Rachel Notley Premier of AB, Christie Clark Premier of BC,
Kathleen Wynne Premier of ON, Justin Trudeau PM o' Canada,
Philipe Coulliard Premier of QC, Brad Wall, Premier of SK

I did not see Justin Trudeau's speech because he decided to trade his place in the queue for an impromptu press conference - with five Canadian premiers joining him on the podium - for which impertinence the Secretariat rewarded him with a new spot at the very end of the list. It's 9:30 Paris time as I type this and I imagine the PM may be just getting to his statement now. I saw the press conference. I'm not entirely certain it was worth the long wait it earned for the PM.

Today I ventured on the subway to get to the COP venue. The easy way - line 7 up to a stop where shuttles pick you up and take you to the venue - is not as quick (maybe ten minutes longer) than the more complicated way that connects you with the high speed regional rail - line 8, then 9, then 4, then the Regional Rail - but the extra time, I have decided, is worth the reduced need to walk through vast underground tunnels and up and down multiple flights of stairs. My hip was killing me by the time I got back downtown today.

When I got downtown with my companion the Environmental Commissioner - we had intended to get off at the Place du Concord stop, but the train rattled right past it - and we emerged further down the Champs Elysee. It was great. Along with a baffling huge ferris wheel at Place du Concorde, there is stretched all along the Champs a gaudy, over lit series of "Christmas Villages" selling all kinds of amazing things. For a Monday night, the place was full of people, augmented every once in a while by a small clutch of camouflage-uniformed young men carrying very large guns.

Every world leader who spoke today opened his or her remarks (mostly his) with an expression of condolence for the people of France. The people I saw in the sparkly Christmas market would probably have appreciated the sentiment but are, so far as I can tell, taking it all in stride. Meanwhile, back at the COP, the negotiators complained that all the Leaders' speeches did was waste a day that could have been spent negotiating at the table.