"The key to the energy transition now lies with citizens”

Nobody had even the remotest idea that the COP25 would end up being held in Madrid at the end of October. Not the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, not the 195 member countries or the Chilean government, and certainly not the Spanish government, citizens, social organisations, and companies. Absolutely nobody, you might say.

And getting everything in place within a month has been a real challenge. The time between the acceptance by the UN of the proposal by Spain - after the resignation from Chile - to host the summit on the same dates and with the same expected duration, has flown by and has thrown up more doubts than certainties. But COPs are of the utmost importance and should never be cancelled. There was only one thing written in stone. It had to start on the 2nd of December.

And so it did with everything in place and ready to go. Even the smallest details were in place in the halls of IFEMA in which, for two weeks, official delegations from 195 countries will continue to negotiate and decide what will be done in the coming years so that changes to the Earth's climate do not make life impossible for its inhabitants.

Government agencies, civil society organisations, the people responsible for setting up the halls, offices and stands, etc. that house the seven halls where the event takes place… Everyone came together so that when the time came to open the doors, each had a mission and could start working without further ado.

Of course, not all these people are professionals. Every day there is a large group of people, of different ages, appearance, men and women, all wearing the same yellow vest with two bands, one pink and one grey: Volunteers for Madrid.

Laura Cañete, coordinator of the Volunteers for Madrid at the COP25, explained that “there are 200 people, every day, 100 in the morning and 100 in the afternoon . The tasks entrusted to them basically consist of supporting the organisation, being a friendly face for visitors in the hall, informing them, guiding them on where the activities are held... Whatever the Summit organisers ask of us”.

Some are already veterans, because “Volunteers for Madrid has many loyal members who participate in many things. But there are others who volunteered especially for the COP. We have even noticed that people from outside Spain have come who have volunteered at other European COPs. And there is also a large group of young people who are very aware of the climate issue. So the profiles are very different and there is an amazing spirit amongst them”.

When it was announced that the COP would be in Madrid, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, immediately contacted the mayor of Madrid and the Regional President. The collaboration between these three administrations needed to be perfectly organised, and it has been. And one of the most immediate results was the invitation issued by the City Hall of Madrid for collaboration by the volunteers. “A platform was opened on the ministry's website, and people signed up very quickly. We even had to stop because the quota was already covered. In fact, such were the numbers that we can only give people one shift at the event to enable as many as possible to take part. They rarely get to take part on more than one day”. They are positioned throughout the Green Zone, dedicated to social participation and open to the general public via registration.

Each day, at the beginning of each shift, Cañete brings them all together and tells them what their tasks are and the specific issues for the day. “We look at what’s needed and match the tasks to the volunteers’ abilities. A totally work-in-progress spirit”. They are spread out throughout the Green Zone, which is dedicated to social participation and can be accessed by the general public via registration.

After the meeting, the volunteers disperse around the pavilion, where about 500 activities are planned for these two weeks and where they are easy to find when someone needs them.