I would like to share a moment, share a random instance, share a breath of fresh air, share a sensation- maybe it was a deep feeling or an emotions. It’s Saturday. I glance to the left and I see a six month old young man, an 89 year old wise women. I stare into the gentle gentle eyes of Archbishop Despond Tutu as he speaks so high pitch with the voice of a little girl; wow how we are all similar; all men, all women, all ages and cultures- we are family. Now family to me means nothing short of “life on earth”. My family is my life. My family is my inspiration, my support, my nourishment, my strength, my everything right. So if I can live for 5 beautiful beautiful people like I do my family- how can I ignore the rest of my family?

These negotiations are complex; whether china should be part of the developing nations, how the US will not give financial climate adaptation assistance to China unless they are transparent and show how and where they are using the funds, how china doesn’t seem to believe it’s right for them to be asked to change their cultural establishment, how Canada does nothing but follow every step taken by the US, how the developing nations are asking for billions to help the adapt to climate change. Sure they are layered and often overwhelmingly complex; how do you find fair solutions when the developed nations have a historic responsibility but no great sum of money can help a nation that is extinct. In all of this, in all of this “negotiating” there is one bottom line. The bottom line is we are all family. The family on the beautiful beaches in the Maldives are your cousins. Now it is no longer time to discuss how much money is going to whom and when- it’s about stopping climate change now. I truly believe we should be focusing on Green Technology sharing and carbon targets that are legally binding and enforceable. This would mean no one country can surpass the target what-so-ever. We need to first and foremost discuss how to stop climate change, once this is accomplished we can certainly move onto the idea of financial assistance to the suffering countries. I actually see both sides of these arguments that we are facing during the negotiations. I can see how this takes compromise and team work, because it truly is a very challenging task. It’s so predictable to know that we will be spending most of these two weeks debating who gets what money and how. . But I would love to see the international leaders focus on stopping climate change first and foremost.