Prince Albert is heading a Monegasque delegation in Madrid for the COP25 climate conference, and will be pushing for world leaders to consider the ocean more when making decisions about climate change.
In addition to addressing the conference, the Prince will speak at a round table on national plans to increase ambitions in 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, have zero disposable plastic waste by 2030, and implement a ban on fuel oil in 2022.
This, the 25th World Climate Conference, is a follow up to last year’s COP24 held in Poland and has become a crucial meeting to assist the UN in the next steps to be undertaken. A key objective for this year’s summit is to obtain full implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which was first signed in 2016 and is up for review in 2020.
In line with policies currently in place in the Principality, Monegasque representatives will actively participate to adopt guidelines and procedures in order to fully implement the Paris Agreement globally as soon as possible. They will be working with Mexico, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Korea and Switzerland on the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG), which is in charge of ensuring transparency of information on greenhouse gas reduction between nations and the measures they are taking to adapt to climate change.
Monaco’s delegation will also be particularly attentive to matters pertaining to the oceans, specifically mitigating damage and adapting to the effects of climate change. As founding members of the ‘Because the Ocean Initiative’ launched in 2015 at COP21, the seas are one topic that the Principality has special expertise and insight on.
“There can be no action to fight climate change and limit its impacts without looking at the ocean as a whole; its functioning in the climate system; the health of its ecosystems; its relationship to coastal communities; and all the economic activities that take place in and around it,” Prince Albert wrote in a preamble to Ocean for Climate, a recent report of the Because the Ocean Initiative.
In accordance with the Paris Agreement, members submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so that global temperature rise can be limited to 1.5°C. The first NDCs were prepared in 2015 and are set to be updated in 2020, and every five years thereafter.
The Because the Ocean Initiative’s Ocean for Climate report proposes that more governments incorporate ocean-related measures in their NDCs.
Monaco is a leader in supporting research in ocean climatic matters, gathering support and hosting meetings including the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report released in September.
Passing through Monaco: Gymnastic heroes Miss Val and Katelyn Ohashi
Miss Val was coaching UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi when her perfect 10 floor routine went viral earlier this year. While the Princess Grace International Gymnastics Gala on the weekend is what drew the pair to Monaco, they are using this trip as an opportunity to share a more important message to students: it is time we redefined the meaning of success.
Monaco Life: Welcome to Monaco, why did you decide to make the journey from the US?
Valerie Kondos Field (Miss Val): Thank you, I can’t believe I am here, actually. Monaco is even more beautiful than it is in the pictures. I am here because both Katelyn and I believe in the power of sport and how that can fortify you as a whole human being. I always thought that sport was a masterclass in life lessons, so we are always excited to be part of things that celebrate sport with our youth, like the Princess Grace International Gymnastics Gala. It’s an honour to be part of something that involves so many phenomenal international athletes.
Also, this is a gala that Princess Grace started and I feel an enormous sense of pride and honour that we’re able to represent America for her. I am old enough to have grown up watching her movies, so it’s very special for us.
Valore Kondos Field, photo: UCLA Alumni
Katelyn, you shot to fame earlier this year when your gymnastics routine went viral, receiving 150 million views worldwide. What was that experience like?
Katelyn Ohashi: In junior year my routine went viral as well with 80 million views before it was taken down because of copyright, but I wasn’t expecting this at all. So many celebrities began responding to it, and I immediately got flown out to ‘Good Morning America’ (television show). I remember thinking, “Wow this is really happening”. At first it was a bit overwhelming, but I am so grateful for all the opportunities that have come out of it.
You have since retired from gymnastics, but you have a blog called ‘Behind the Madness’ and you do inspirational talks for kids with Miss Val. What is the overriding message you are trying to share with students at the International School of Monaco?
Katelyn: Essentially, it is to redefine the definition of success and what it looks like to everyone. Also, it is important for these teenagers to solidify who they are within themselves and be confident in who they are.
Valerie, you have survived breast cancer and written a book titled ‘Life is short, don’t wait to dance’, in which you say that ‘choices’ play an integral role in life. Can you explain why choices are so important to you?
Miss Val: If you ask Katelyn or any other of my students what’s the one thing that I want to teach them, they will not say “How to win”. Rather, I say that everything you do in life is a choice, and every choice you make can have numerous repercussions and it will dictate the type of life you live.
The important thing to remember is that your choices start with your thoughts, and you can choose your thoughts. Katelyn is a perfect example of this life philosophy because she has had a lot of heartache, a lot of injury, and a lot of body shaming from the people that were closest to her. She could have chosen to go into a dark hole, but she chose to give them the benefit of the doubt and believed they weren’t trying to be hurtful, they were just trying to make her the best that she could be. She has lived her life with compassion and forgiveness and that is the reason why over 150 million people who saw her floor routine will say that it resonates with pure joy. And it is real happiness, because of how she chooses to live her life. Katelyn is a great ambassador for my coaching philosophy.
What is your message about social media?
As we have explained to the different classes we have spoken to in Monaco, the most important message that both Katelyn and I speak about is that it is important to put yourself out on social media and use it for good; to use it for ways to help shape the world with positivity. But every single time you put yourself out there, no matter how great your message is, you are going to get haters. And you just have to understand that hurt people do mean things because they themselves are hurting. So instead of lashing out, feel compassion for them. You don’t have to respond to them, just don’t let it affect you negatively.
Why have you taken it upon yourselves to deliver this message?
When Katelyn went viral, she and I talked about how the universe opened up this platform for her and she could choose to use it for anything. A lot of celebrities use it to talk about fashion and makeup and how to take a filtered selfie. But Katelyn chose to use it as a platform to talk about serious social issues that most, if not all, young people go through. I wish you could have seen the tears that were running down the faces of those children in the classrooms. We hit the nerve of so many young girls, especially with body shaming issues. The reason why I chose to retire at the top of my game was because I wanted to share my message on a bigger platform and talk about the issues that I have seen first-hand in coaching 18 to 22 year-olds for close to 40 years. I am giving a TEDX talk in December about how we have to change our definition of winning and success for our children, because there are more reports of stress, anxiety and suicide than ever before and that is on us parents, coaches and teachers. We can’t blame social media; we have to redefine success for our children.
So how do you redefine success?
Success can no longer be defined by winning, because it produces broken human beings, in all walks of life. I switched my coaching philosophy from focusing on winning, to focusing on developing champions in life for our world through sport. I figured if I could develop champions in life in the gym, then that champion mentality would translate to the floor. And I am so thankful that it did because it has given me a platform to say that we can develop champions at the highest level without compromising the human spirit.
How do you balance that with the challenge of being successful in life?
That is the key – you define your success. It is not defined by what your teacher, coach or parent wants, or what social media says. If you are trying to be healthy physically, success is not looking at a supermodel and saying, “If I get to that I will be successful”. So, the way you start as a parent or coach in developing a champion is you define success, and then you have to constantly examine whether the actions with your child are aligned with your goal, and what their definition of success is. It is a very different concept than what we have grown up with, and it is very different from the world in which I have been coaching in.
Surely it goes against the expectations placed upon you as a coach?
I am not hired to be a mentor, psychologist or best friend. I am hired to win. I just figured that I could win in a different way, and I am glad that I have proven that it is possible.
So, your colleagues don’t think you’re crazy?
They still think I am crazy and they don’t really get it, but as I discussed with Kobe Bryant recently (former professional basketball player), joy isn’t about giving everybody participation medals. Joy is doing the extra work it takes to really fill yourself up with pride, and that brings joy. So, one of the things I try to impart on children is that they need to figure out how to have a lot of fun, while working really hard. Especially with the things they least enjoy.
Valerie Kondos Field and Katelyn Ohashi were presented with achievement awards during the Princess Grace International Gymnastics Gala on Saturday night by Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Stephanie.
HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco has met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace, discussing everything from the Paris Agreement to the rights of French citizens working in Monaco.
A statement released by the Palace reads: “Our common destiny, forged throughout our history, is enriched by the constant cooperation between the two states, the development of Franco-Monegasque employment and the affirmation of shared great ambitions. These concern in particular the protection of the environment, the fight against climate change, the defense of biodiversity and the preservation of the oceans.”
The President of the French Republic and the Sovereign Prince of Monaco reaffirmed their commitment to work together in the implementation of the Paris Agreement, in view of COP25. They also decided to move forward together to develop, through a working group, the statutes of the Fondation Albert 1er, which is responsible for the Maison des Oceans in Paris and the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.
Meanwhile, the two heads of state discussed the negotiation of an Association Agreement between Monaco and the European Union, in which the Principality and the French Republic can develop a mode of cooperation adapted to the realities and challenges of the 21st century, taking into account the specifics of Monaco and their bilateral relationship; the evolution of the situation of French citizens living in Monaco for several generations, who contribute to the history, social and economic stability of Monaco; and the daily life of French employees who participate directly in its economic dynamism, and in particular the question of their possible access to preferential housing in neighboring communities.
Finally, Prince Albert II invited President Emmanuel Macron and his wife to visit the Principality of Monaco for an official visit.
Top photo: Prince Albert and President Emmanuel Macron, courtesy Prince’s Palace
Prince Albert is heading a Monegasque delegation in Madrid for the COP25 climate conference, and will be pushing for world leaders to consider the ocean more when making decisions about climate change.
In addition to addressing the conference, the Prince will speak at a round table on national plans to increase ambitions in 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, have zero disposable plastic waste by 2030, and implement a ban on fuel oil in 2022.
This, the 25th World Climate Conference, is a follow up to last year’s COP24 held in Poland and has become a crucial meeting to assist the UN in the next steps to be undertaken. A key objective for this year’s summit is to obtain full implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which was first signed in 2016 and is up for review in 2020.
In line with policies currently in place in the Principality, Monegasque representatives will actively participate to adopt guidelines and procedures in order to fully implement the Paris Agreement globally as soon as possible. They will be working with Mexico, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Korea and Switzerland on the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG), which is in charge of ensuring transparency of information on greenhouse gas reduction between nations and the measures they are taking to adapt to climate change.
Monaco’s delegation will also be particularly attentive to matters pertaining to the oceans, specifically mitigating damage and adapting to the effects of climate change. As founding members of the ‘Because the Ocean Initiative’ launched in 2015 at COP21, the seas are one topic that the Principality has special expertise and insight on.
“There can be no action to fight climate change and limit its impacts without looking at the ocean as a whole; its functioning in the climate system; the health of its ecosystems; its relationship to coastal communities; and all the economic activities that take place in and around it,” Prince Albert wrote in a preamble to Ocean for Climate, a recent report of the Because the Ocean Initiative.
In accordance with the Paris Agreement, members submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so that global temperature rise can be limited to 1.5°C. The first NDCs were prepared in 2015 and are set to be updated in 2020, and every five years thereafter.
The Because the Ocean Initiative’s Ocean for Climate report proposes that more governments incorporate ocean-related measures in their NDCs.
Monaco is a leader in supporting research in ocean climatic matters, gathering support and hosting meetings including the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report released in September.
Since 2008, the Mairie of Monaco has embarked on an environmental programme to combat deforestation by planting one tree for every birth in the Principality each year.
Called ‘1 Birth = 1 Tree’, this year’s edition was held in La Turbie near the Tête de Chien, the iconic 550 metre-high rock promontory perched above the Principality. It saw a symbolic planting of roughly 20 plants by Mayor Georges Marsan and members of the City Council including Jacques Pastor, Claude Bollati and Mélanie Flachaire.
A sign was also erected to inform the public of the environmental commitment to reforestation of the Monegasque City Council.
In all, a total of 983 trees will be planted locally to replicate the number of births in Monaco in 2018. Additionally, cedar and larch trees are being planted by the Principality in the Haut-Var to assist their reforestation programme and to show the cooperation between Monaco and its neighbours.
The trees are chosen specifically to adapt to their climates. For example, the strawberry trees planted locally do well in calcified, rocky soil and handle drought well. The cedars in the Haut-Var grow in higher altitudes and can easily cope with soaring summer temperatures and little water.
The ‘1 Birth = 1 tree’ initiative is part of a worldwide campaign ‘Plant for the Planet, sponsored by HSH Prince Albert II and with an end goal to seeing the planting of one billion trees. In the Principality alone, nearly 12,000 trees have been planted since 2008, showing the City Council’s firm commitment to the Prince’s policies and values.
Photo credits: Monaco City Hall. Top photo: Mayor Georges Marsan surrounded by members of the Communal Council Jacques Pastor, Claude Bollati and Melanie Flachaire, as well as representatives of the ONF and the Service of Civil Status – Nationality of the Town Hall of Monaco.
Sunday’s match between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain was called off as a result of the massive storms that keep pummelling the region.
In the midst of what has been so euphemistically called a marked ‘Mediterranean episode’ of filthy weather in areas over the past couple of weeks, the game scheduled between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain was forced to be postponed on Sunday due to red alert weather conditions.
More than 1,000 Parisian fans were in Monaco to attend the match and the cancellation was a huge disappointment. PSG is already on the case though, offering refunds or exchanges on tickets for those who made the trek.
No one is sure when the game will be rescheduled, especially as both teams have heavy schedules until the mid-season break coming up on 21st December.
Paris Saint-Germaine is the top ranked team in Ligue 1, winning four of their last five games and is a full five points ahead of number two ranked Marseille. Monaco, after a rocky start to the season, is finding its way again and is three points above the relegation zone.
Rainfall totals on Sunday alone were expected to be somewhere in the range of 200mm, and after the violent storms of the past week the extra water is an unwelcome visitor. Landslides, flash flooding and high winds have punctuated the systems that have torn through the region leaving destruction and sadly, death, in their wakes. At least nine people have perished as a direct result of the tempests, with 148 municipalities in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes declared disaster zones.
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