Well my bags are all packed and I am getting very excited to travel to Doha later today. Our travels today and tomorrow will take us through Frankfurt and then on to Doha for the conference where we will reunite with Parker and meet Marla. I am very eager and cannot wait to get to Doha. On the other hand I am not really excited for an entire day of travel and two long plane flights. I have nothing against flying as I’ve done it many times before; it’s just the hectic frenzy that always accompanies traveling abroad. Waiting for hours at the airport just to wait hours on a plane just doesn’t entice my adventurous spirit. Not to mention the piles of school work that wait for me back home as finals get closer and closer. But it will all be worth it when we touch down in Doha Saturday night local time. From Marla’s blog posts and news from other websites it looks like the COP is going strong and there’s a lot going on over there. I’m looking forward to taking in everything I can and reporting it back here to you. My next post will be from Doha, Qatar! 

Well the time has finally come. The 18th Conference of Parties has officially been opened on Monday in Doha, Qatar. The two week-long conference will aim at ratifying international climate change legislation as well as discussing the future of the globe. Marla has safely arrived and has already made a few blog posts. Check out her blog for coverage of the first week of COP. Nikki, Parker, and I will be travelling to Doha next week when we will take over for Marla.

                This COP takes place weeks before many doomsayers predict the world will end on December 21st, but I hope no one involved in the negotiations shares this belief. It does cause some concern after super storm Sandy hit the east Coast weeks ago and more extreme weather is predicted for our future. Rising levels of greenhouse gases lead to increased global temperatures. As more temperature and energy is stored by the earth and its atmosphere, the potential for more violent weather only increases. It is not obscene to say that more severe weather is on its way. Whether it is in the form of another super storm, massive droughts  or rising seas the potential for disaster is growing every minute.

 At these meetings of delegates from around the world real change can be made for a positive future. Limits on greenhouse gas emissions can be put into place. While this may seem as only delaying the destruction of our planet there are other researchers and scientists who are looking into producing large scale industrial plants that will remove CO2 from the atmosphere and recycle it for other uses. If time and money is invested in these and similar ventures there could be hope for the future without drastically changing our current lifestyles.  To catch up on the latest at COP 18 check out Marla’s blog or the UNFCCC official website.