In less than one week, COP 25 will commence in Madrid, Spain. Initially to be held in Santiago, Chile, the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) was relocated due to the civil unrest in Santiago. The Conference of the Parties began in Berlin during March of 1995 as the first convention held by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The function of COP is to review the communications and emissions inventory of separate represented nations, and assess them according to UNFCCC goals.
As the largest grassroots network of science advocates around the world, March for Science is committed to amplifying the science behind COP’s initiatives, such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. Perversely, even widely acclaimed evidence-based initiatives like these are under threat. Two weeks ago, President Trump officially served notice that the United States would pull out of the Paris Agreement, causing an international uproar. This is one of the primary reasons why March for Science will be traveling to Madrid – so that we can broadcast our support for urgent science-informed public policies.
We have also partnered with UNFCCC’s official youth forum in Madrid, the 15th Conference of Youth (COY15). Following our momentum from hosting the MFS Media Zone at the UN Youth Climate Summit in September, we have the privilege of hosting the MFS Media Zone at COY15. High level interviews and panels with the world’s leading youth advocates will be broadcast to our Facebook community this weekend – please stay tuned for our finalized program!
Over the next few days, our team will be coordinating with partner organizations and coalition movements to establish our presence at the events being held throughout the duration of COY15 and COP 25. Follow us on social media @MarchForScience and keep an eye on our blog to get a glimpse of how we will be building momentum for the movement at this year’s annual United Nations Climate Change Conference.
