How to put into words what an amazing, transformative experience it has been to be at COP30 Brazil, the 30th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change? It was such a privilege to be part of 艾可直播 College and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society's observer delegation. You may not have heard of COP before, but you probably have heard of the Paris Agreement. That was a result of COP21.听
Some highlights for me were: seeing Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment of Brazil, speak in a session on the role of the global bioeconomy in developing a road map to the end of fossil fuels; hosting a panel at the UN Sustainable Development Goals [(SDGs) pictured above] pavilion on the role of higher education in preparing students to be climate innovators; watching negotiations including informal consultations and seeing firsthand how these decisions get made.
We were really lucky that BC alumna Catherine Goldberg was a climate negotiato for the U.S. at several previous COPs. She was able to do a prep session before COP30 to help us prepare, and met up with us during COP30 (pictured above with BC delegates).听
There is a lot of very valid criticism of the structure of COPs and who gets access and who doesn鈥檛. I think two things can be true at the same time: there were not enough indigenous voices (and others) being heard or being given access, and there was more indigenous participation at this COP than any previous COP. I think everyone was hoping that this 鈥淐OP of implementation鈥� would lead to bigger, bolder outcomes in the final texts and agreements the negotiators were working on, but I am heartened to see that there was substantial progress on just transitions and mapping towards an end of fossil fuels. Brazil described this COP as 鈥渕utir茫o global contra a mudan莽a do clima鈥� - global collective action against climate change. 鈥�惭耻迟颈谤茫辞鈥� is my new favorite word in Portuguese; it caught on throughout the COP with everyone talking about the beauty of the idea and the desperate need for this kind of collective action. I feel so hopeful knowing that so many governments, NGOs, NPOs, students, scientists, researchers, historians, and other people around the world are dedicating themselves and not giving up hope on mitigation and adaptation. It was an honor and privilege to be on this trip with my fellow BC delegates and among all the other delegates at COP30.听
I鈥檓 sure there are things I鈥檓 forgetting to say, but I will blame jetlag. All opinions are my own.
Outcomes Report of the Global Climate Action Agenda at COP30: 听
More information about the BC delegation:
