Since 2014, the Engage4Climate Network has been working to create engagement opportunities to bring together stakeholders of all types with leaders of all levels of influence. This effort is intended to manifest one core principle, which we believe is also necessary to effectively counter dangerous climate disruption:
By virtue of being alive, you are an environmental stakeholder; that is your legitimacy, and your right to speak, and to participate. Anyone who says you are not legitimate is delegitimizing themselves. We can innovate faster, in more places, in ways that benefit people and communities, if we include everyone and give genuine space to every worthy idea.
This is the logic of Article 6 of the 1992 Climate Convention and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement. This is the logic of Action for Climate Empowerment, the ECOS Community, and the Engage4Climate Toolkit. This is why we are working to open the civic space and establish an Open COP process.
The Open COP is really a series of stakeholder engagement strategies, coordinated through the above coalition efforts, and allowing active ongoing communication between the negotiating process and stakeholders around the world.
The Open COP will operate through…
1) Live from COP25
A daily live briefing on progress and themes at work in the COP process, with real-time engagement from stakeholders. Live from COP25 briefings will feed into and also draw from the other elements of the Open COP process on this list. Live from COP25 daily briefings will also be posted, with varying form, depending on the content, participants, and events of the day, at Engage4Climate.org
2) The ECOS Community
A coordinating body for Education Communication and Outreach Stakeholders, with daily coordinating meetings. The ECOS Community has as part of its core mission the ongoing support of Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) activities that connect people to policy. The ECOS Community is online at ClimateECOS.org
3) Engage4Climate
Stakeholder Meetings using the Toolkit, connecting communities around the world to the COP25. The Toolkit is designed to support a wide range of meeting types, convening stakeholders and leaders in values-driven future-building discussions that can feed useful action recommendations to policy-makers. The Engage4Climate Toolkit is online at Engage4Climate.org/talanoa
4) A Virtual Bridge to the COP
A wider effort to create opportunities for virtual engagement across the landscape of the COP25. The Virtual Bridge will include coordination of schedules and links for live-streaming, with thematic events in other locations around the world. ECOS team-members at the COP will help to coordinate daily schedules and thematic exchanges online.
5) Earth Intelligence podcast
A podcast that will draw from the Live from COP25 briefings and foster a year-round discussion about rapid climate-smart innovation. More information about the Earth Intelligence podcast is available at EarthIntel.org/podcast
Focal Points
In order to ensure timely and efficient communication between stakeholders around the world, leaders of local events, broad coalitions, and the ECOS delegations inside the COP25, we will designate Focal Points on both sides, whose role is to act as a primary contact point for communications between ECOS/Engage4Climate events around the world and Open COP briefings and team-members at the COP25. The Open COP team (Engage4Climate and ECOS) will be providing guidance for Focal Points to maximize useful contact between stakeholders and COP25 delegates. Focal Points will need to make a commitment to provide timely communications and to act as conduits, not gatekeepers.
If you are interested in being involved
… please contact the Engage4Climate Team using the form below:
Engage4Climate.org 