Trip Description
COP 21 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and will be held this year in Paris, France from November 30th – December 11th. The event will bring together diplomats, business executives, heads of government and other delegates to discuss action on climate change. The objective of COP 21 is to form a legally binding and universal agreement on how to address climate change, involving all of the world’s nations.
The University of Connecticut will be providing funding for a select group of students to travel to Paris from November 30th – December 6th to attend events centered on the conference. In addition, students will have the opportunity to experience the culture rich, historic, and beautiful city of Paris. Events and cultural destinations that the students will be able to experience are laid out in a rough itinerary at the bottom of this page.
Rough Itinerary of Events
” * ” indicates an optional cultural event.
| Event | Location | Description | Dates |
| La Maison des oiseaux | Left bank of the Seine, Paris | An educational park focused on human impacts on the evolution of bird species, songs, nesting habits, migration, etc. | TBA |
| La Maison de l’Air | rue Piat | An indoor exhibition revolving around air quality and all living things that depend on the air. “The Pollution Zone” reveals household, local, and global air pollution and air quality issues. Sensory tour of air quality in Paris and atmospheric observatory also available. | TBA |
| Artists4Paris Climate 2015 | Greater Paris (from the Paris city center to the Conference site, in Le Bourget | Major contemporary artists are partnering with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to display art projects involving communities and social networks in public spaces. Art purchases will fund efforts to fight desertification and climate change in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. | Throughout COP21 |
| Art of Change 21 | TBA | Artists Laurent Tixador and artist collective Opavivará will build two bridges in public space representing the connection between COP21 negotiators and civil society. Additionally, artists launched a mobile app that will display numerical carbon emissions saved over the course of several months. | TBA |
| C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group | City Hall | A summit featuring the Compact of Mayors, a group of mayors and city officials who have pledged to reduce GHGs locally, improve community resilience, and present transparent progress. | December 4 |
| Solutions for Climate Change and Energy Transitions | Paris Grand Palais, le Bourget | In an exhibition space of 4,000m², students will have access to climate change-focused conferences, debates, activities, workshops, and cultural/artistic programs. Displays will demonstrate current climate initiatives. Students will have the opportunity to speak with climate experts. | December 4-5 |
| UNESCO “Earth University” (Université de la terre) | UNESCO Headquarters | Mobilization of governments, communities, and citizens around climate change and resiliency goals through critical assessment of political, economic, social, educational, and individual climates. Registration for events opens mid-October. | December 4-5 |
| Summit of UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments) Climate World Council | City Hall | The World Council will convene to make decisions on the World Organization’s policies and ensure the general policies are implemented. Will be followed by a Climate Summit, a PLATAFORMA event on Climate & Cooperation, a seminar “From COP21 to Habitat III: local governments and citizens at the heart of the challenges,” and a session sponsored by the City of Paris and the Standing Community on Gender Equality” regarding Women Leadership and Development. | December 4-6 |
| Health and Environmental Alliance: Climate and Health Summit | TBA | Discussions with policy makers about the ways in which climate change and greenhouse gas emissions are affecting health locally and globally. In addition HEAL will advocate for ambitious climate agreements. | December 5 |
| IARU Engagement Networking and Poster Session (Co-sponsored by Yale) | TBA | Forum focusing on tangible campus-oriented climate change solutions that will ultimately promote student awareness and environmental consciousness. | December 5 or December 6 |
| 2015 Global Landscapes Forum | Palais de Congres de Paris | This is a platform through which individuals and organizations with an impact on land use and development may convene to discuss landscape restoration, rights and tenure, finance and trade, and achieving climate and development goals. Registration ends 11/30 $50/student, $100/adult registration. Cost includes entry fee, food, and beverage both days of the event. | December 5-6 |
| *The Louvre | Right bank of the Seine, Paris | This history museum that includes artifacts from pre-history on through the 21st century. | TBA |
| *Musee d’Orsay | Left bank of the Seine, Paris | This is a French art museum that has an incredible collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces. | TBA |
| *Bibliotheque nationale de France | Quai Francois-Mauriac | The National library of France offers exhibition tours, including a botanical tour of the onsite urban garden, as well as concerts and lectures. | TBA |
| *Eiffel Tower | Champ de Marres | 5-15 Euros to climb or be lifted to the 2nd or 3rd floor. | TBA |
My name is Doug Titus and I am an Environmental Studies major. I just received an email from my professor about this trip and would love to be apart of a learning experience such as this, the only problem I am facing is that my passport needs to be renewed. I am wondering if you need all my passport information by Friday or if their is a way that I can give you that information in a couple of weeks once I renew it. This trip would be a great experience for me and to put my education into a real life scenario with climate change and its impact on the global scale.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your time.
Doug Titus
860-986-3515
If we do not yet own a passport can we give you our passport number once we get it in 3-6 weeks even though the deadline is today?
When are we receiving the acceptance/rejection letters? Will there be one?
this is a lot to read and nice to know