EDMONTON – “We’re happy we’re not in Paris right now.”
You hear don’t often hear people say that, but for Terry Godwaldt, it makes sense. Godwaldt, a teacher and the head of the Edmonton-based Centre for Global Education, was preparing to head to Paris this week with three local students.
The group would be visiting the city for the upcoming COP21 conference on climate change, and to present a research report it had been working on for months.
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After the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, Godwaldt and his group had second thoughts. The trip was officially cancelled on Monday.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” said student Pam Masabo. Masabo was a researcher for the report, and one of the three Edmonton students who would be going on the trip.
“When you think about what happened there, it’s hard to put our disappointment ahead of their loss.”
The report involved contacting thousands of teenagers, online and by phone, to hear their opinions and ideas about reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Many schools and students worked on the project, but the Centre for Global Education led the way. Godwaldt and Masabo estimate around 25,000 hours of youth work went into the project.
“We’ve been working on this for 15 months,” said Godwaldt.
“It’s not very often that Alberta takes this kind of lead globally, especially on climate change.”
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Godwaldt and his students aren’t the only ones with second thoughts about visiting Paris. Student delegations from 14 countries had planned to attend the conference; now, only students from four countries – Peru, Sweden, India, and Ghana – will go.
“We’re disappointed, but we also understand the reality of the situation,” said Godwaldt.
While the group will not be heading to Paris for the COP21 conference, the report will still be presented. Masabo and Godwaldt, along with the rest of the group’s students, are planning similar projects for later this year.
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