Updated 12.40pm
A young Maltese activist is among those present for the first meeting of nations who have agreed to a landmark climate change agreement.
Danika Formosa is attending the COP22 meeting being held in Marrakesh, Morocco as part of the Federation of Young European Greens delegation. The conference of nations which signed the Paris Climate Change agreement began yesterday and will run until November 18.
An official government delegation with representatives from the Environment, Finance and Foreign Affairs ministries and EU Presidency parliamentary secretariat is also attending the conference. Environment Minister Jose' Herrera will attend the high-level meetings scheduled for next week.
“It’s clear that many of the climate change issues we face in Malta are very similar to those faced by countries in the Global South,” Ms Formosa told the Times of Malta. “We could learn different mitigation techniques from these countries.”
The Paris Agreement requires signatories to come up with strategies to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and keep global warming below two degrees Celsius. 102 countries have ratified the agreement so far.
“The conference has been very hectic,” Ms Formosa said from Marrakesh. “Each day is dedicated to a specific theme and there are discussions taking place in different sectors.”
Ms Formosa described a bustling atmosphere at the conference, with delegates rushing from one session to another. "The first day was a bit overwhelming, but now that the agendas are organised it's easier to know which sessions I need to follow."
She praised organisers for their use of recycled materials in designing the conference venue, with most items made of paper or wood and a pavillion façade created using wood pallets.
"The restaurants, all chairs and tables are made from wood, which I think is really amazing," she said.
The first day’s theme was “Africa in Action” and Moroccan foreign minister and COP22 president Salaheddine Mezouar used his keynote speech to note that “this conference is being held on African soil, it therefore demonstrates a whole continent’s commitment to contributing to the global effort to fight climate change”.
Yesterday saw delegates discuss issues on the theme "Earth Info Day", with talks focused on key climate change indicators and the methods in which climate data is collected and measured.
Farming takes centre stage today, with delegates discussing agriculture and climate change in a series of sessions centred on the topic of "Farmers' Day".
Danika Formosa is an Environmental Engineering student at MCAST. She also serves as international secretary for Alternattiva Demokratika Zgħazagħ, projects coordinator for Sharklab-Malta and secretary-general for the Institute of Applied Sciences Student Organisation, IASSO.