Yukon delegates on why they're going to COP21

It's just 20 days away now, but some Yukon delegates going to the Paris climate summit are a little vague on what exactly they'll dothere.

"The invitation was extended, and we haven't heard anything since," said Yukon Liberal leader Sandy Silver. "We don't know the travel plans, we don't know where we're staying."

Silver was invited to the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) by Premier Darrell Pasloski, who also invited NDP leader Liz Hanson. Pasloski later invited Council of Yukon First Nations Grand Chief Ruth Massie, as well.

With Yukon's climate change youth ambassadorand officials from the Yukon Climate Change Secretariat also going, the Yukon delegation will fill more than a few airplane seats.

Pasloski estimates the Yukon delegation will consist ofabout 10 people, but he doesn't yet have a final tally, or an estimated cost for the trip. Nor does he have aconference itinerary.

"I think that as we get closer to the dates, that will become clearer and certainly the agenda will be very public," Pasloski said.

A learning experience

Even though none of the Yukoners will be at the main negotiating table, it's a worthwhile trip, said Hanson.

"Whether it's the economics, about resource extraction, sustainable development, whole issues around global poverty, all of those are impacted by climate change," she said.

"We can expect that there will be many opportunities for us to learn from people from around the globe."

Lewis Rifkind, with the Yukon Conservation Society, recognized the "irony" of flying a gang ofYukoners across the world to attend a climate conference, but he called it an "incredible opportunity" that shouldn't be passed up.

"Sometimes we're in a bit of a bubble up here," Rifkind said. "Hopefully [delegates] get to meet with people from Scandinavia, from Northern Europe, from Russia, and see what they're doing to reduce climate change and to reduce fossil fuel consumption."

"There's a lot being done in very similar jurisdictions."

The COP21 conference runs Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, in Paris.