Today was my second day in Durban and began with an adventure trying to reach the COP17 registration area. Theoretically, there are shuttles to the conference center and other buses, including the fascinating option Paul and I took: the mini-bus. Essentially if you crossed a taxi with a bus, you’d get the mini-bus in South Africa. They sort of have a set route, but have flexibility in where they go and if they make a stop. Maybe 15 people can squeeze in the vans, which all seem around 10 years old and have various defects. In my case, the door could only be opened from the outside and seat belts were sparse. Primarily locals utilize this service, I’m guessing because tourists usually don’t stumble upon them, or potentially fear them. Our driver put on a show by zipping between lanes and drifting forward and then swerving away from the pedestrians scattered along sidewalks and medians. This is definitely a different form of transportation than we encounter in the U.S., and I’m thinking it is a slightly lower carbon option than personal driving. Whether it is worth the risk, I can’t say.

Once we escaped/disembarked from the mini-bus, we meandered over to the temporary registration building, which was essentially a white tent with tons of security personnel. I’ve heard that COP17 is supposed to be green, but that is hard to believe given the amount of temporary buildings included in the conference. All of the temporary buildings appear to be air-conditioned, with little insulation and a number of gaps, including purposefully open doors. Let’s hope this was just pre-conference chaos that will be mitigated as the conference progresses. In any case, the buildings obviously took a fair bit of energy to put up, and will use up energy when they are deconstructed. I’ve been taught not to judge a book by its cover, but the literal cover for this conference is less than promising.

Our afternoon was spent at the Faith rally at the big Mr. Price rugby stadium, which was organized by a local bishop. This event ran from noon until 6 and was a free concert and climate change rally. Many of the people were locals, although not that many people were there – maybe 2,000 max. While still a good number, the organizers were hoping for 40,000. Given the number of prominent speakers and music, including the likes of Desmond Tutu and former Irish Prime Minister Mary Richards, it was surprising to see so few people. Despite the low attendance, it was a fabulous event. The speakers were great and included many South Africans.

I was also moved when a group of cyclists presented a huge (5 feet by 15) banner printed with a petition and signed by a few thousand people, myself and Paul included. All told 20,000 people signed a similar petition. The banner was presented to Christiana Figueres, who is the head UN person at COP17, and the new COP17 President, Ms. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. Ms. Figueres seemed to get emotional about the signatures, and seemed to almost be crying at a couple of instances. All in all, the rally was a good and fun kick-off to the COP proceedings.