As COP15 gets underway, the Global Observatory's work begins: opening up the climate issue to the world, to help illuminate what is happening and why it matters. GO founder (and former President of Costa Rica) Jose Maria Figueres is moderating the opening civil society event; President Figueres has been a long time climate leader, having signed the first bilateral agreement on climate change ever, with the United States in 1994, and instituted the first price on carbon ever in 1995. Civil society is centrally involved in the climate negotiations: from scientists informing us on the latest developments of climate change, business leaders outlining how the policies can be structured to create a new clean economy, to young people calling for urgent action for protection of their future great expectations. This opening session is hosted by Prime Minister Rasmussen, and includes interventions by Wangari Maathai, David Blood, and Katherine Richardson, as well as NGO leader Kumi Naidoo, and two youth representatives, including one from the Maldives, whose country is so threatened by Climate Change.

Later today at 4pm, we have the first Global Observatory panel, in depth on the negotiations, from the perspectives of a leading negotiator, David Sandalow from the United States Department of Energy, a leading investor, David Blood of Generation Investment, Jessy Tolkan, a youth leader who runs Energy Action Coalition in the U.S., and Tom Brookes of the European Climate Foundation to speak to the building blocks of a global agreement, and to the pathways for clean development. We will be filming all of these events, conducting 1:1 interviews, and also our daily "Global Observatory" show with guest Frederic Hauge, and we hope you will join us! www.global-observatory.org.