#1088 – Christine Loys: A message from COP 21, Paris, the Global Conference on Climate Change

NOTE: The important UN Panel on Climate Change in Paris, COP21, continues (this link provides much information about the conference). It was pushed off the front page by the Nov. 13 tragic attacks in Paris, but my friend, Christine Loys, brought it back to my own radar screen with a welcome recent and unexpected message.
Christine is a busy volunteer translator at the conference. Without further elaboration, here is the photo she sent, along with a few comments as a very active observer.

Here are her unedited comments. Perhaps later there will be some observations about the conference itself. :
For another week, I am involved in interpreting during the COP 21 from and to Spanish and/or English and into and from French. The Indians from Amazonia need interpreters from and to Spanish, Brazilian and English into and from French. Many do Brazilian and English but, to my great surprise, not so many do Spanish and English and French… so I got the position (unpaid) and I am the busiest of all the interpreters so far in that group!!!. It gives me the advantage to be able to speak my mother tongue, but more interesting, to talk to those caciques and responsible people regarding the dams that are the reason of a huge fight amongst the Primitive tribes and the Brazilian government. These Primitive Nations are quite isolated from the world and are not so much at ease when they meet important world leaders here. I suspect they provide good conscience but do not induce real decisions from the leaders to help them!!!
Yesterday, the Canadian Native tribes came to join the Amazonian tribes in their fight to survive in this hard world. The communication was very difficult. They call themselves brother and sister but they have little in common due to different History. However, it was moving to see them pray together and hug with their different attire… There was also the President of the International organization for Indian action from New York. The North Americans seem much more developed than the South Americans.
I have not become an expert but I have learned a lot and it is not finished yet for me…I have become curious and interested.
As for the atmosphere referring to the events earlier this winter here [in Paris, Nov. 13], people are still cautious, and talk about it all the time. We go out, but according to the statistics, it seems that many keep at home when they don’t have to go out….
I look around all the time, but I am doing million meetings (at COP 21… a potentially dangerous place if any…!) and there is no way to stop life…[or] stop my [working on] the movie.