Earlier this month marked the end of the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP in Baku, Azerbaijan. The conference lasted for two weeks, and I had the opportunity to attend the second half as an observer. This blog is the third of three that I will write in reflection of this conference. When considering what else I could say about this experience, I decided to try and draw inspiration from past UConn student fellows. I spent the better part of an hour reading through articles from COPs past: Sharm El-Sheikh, Glasgow, Madrid, etc. Reading, I was struck by an incredible sense of familiarity. Many if not most reflections I read expressed the same sense of frustrated optimism, seemingly characteristic of these negotiations, that I felt shortly after landing back stateside. To me, it conjured the image of the Red Queen’s Race. Famous from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, it depicts a scene in which Alice is dragged by the Red Queen running as fast as she can, but when they stop, Alice realizes that they haven’t moved at all. When Alice asks why they hadn’t gone anywhere after running so fast for so long, the Red Queen replies “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.”

As I wrote in my previous blog, we find ourselves in a dire situation. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record. The previous record-holder it will dethrone? 2023. According to the 2024 UNEP Emissions Gap Report, in order to stay under a 1.5° C increase in global temperatures, the world must cut GHG emissions by 42%. Last year we released 1.3% more emissions than the year prior. Unfortunately, despite my natural inclination towards optimism, I had felt overwhelmingly stuck during this conference. Like Alice and the Red Queen, it seemed we were running as fast as we could only to end up in the same place we’d already been. Coming out of the conference, my general fear was that the UN’s grand gesture of an incremental approach may not be enough to meet this moment.

Thus, as negotiations dragged and parties entrenched, I looked outside the UN for answers. A main element of any COP is the information and experience sharing of people from all across the globe working to combat climate change. From what I gathered, real progress is made not in the grand negotiation halls but instead with small steps taken by regular people. I gather this not just from endlessly impressive strangers that I listened to on panels, or that I met walking from negotiations or between pavilions, but from the extraordinary cohort of students and faculty that I traveled to Baku with. I’ve met individuals who have devoted their careers to advocating for a more sustainable campus and a greater respect for our shared natural world. I’ve met with individuals who have devoted their careers to upholding justice and stewarding our planet for future generations. I’ve met with the future generation of leaders that will help get us unstuck, and I’ve never been more hopeful.

Despite the initial tone of this blog, I actually find myself in reflection having immense hope for the future and for our climate, much more than I had prior. This trip was not transformative to me as many of my predecessors have claimed, but instead it felt renewing. Interacting with a cohort so capable of meeting this moment renewed my conviction that shared commitment by passionate actors really can bring about a radically better world. I come from this experience with the genuine belief that the future really is in our hands, and that a future generation of leaders may be able to finally turn the page on the stagnation of the past.

Colin Piteo is pursuing a master’s degree in Public Policy from the School of Public Policy.

I was expecting a conference of this size to revive my faith in our governing bodies and their ability to engage collaboratively across political, geographic, and economic differences. However, the “Finance COP” fell short of the financing goal proposed and pushed by Global South representatives—$1.3 trillion in grants annually. The final and approved document met 20% of the original goal at $300 billion in loans annually and included the promise to accelerate to $1.3 trillion annually by 2035. Although there was positive progress made with NDCs and a new UN backed carbon market, it was disappointing to say the least. 

I am sad to report I have returned pessimistic in the faith of this conference, but with a renewed interest in local and individual action. The biggest thing I learned was that where our governments fail us, communities and individuals will rise to the challenge. I know this is a big statement to make. But at every point in the conference, I was faced with the fact that individuals are and must continue to be a part of climate action.  

On my first day at the conference, I heard “Transforming Climate Narratives for Healthy Environments” by Enkhuun Byambadorj, who is a youth activist and the director of operations and co-founder of Breathe Mongolia- Clean Air Coalition. During Byambadorj’s presentation, only a mere 15 minutes, she shared that the death toll in Mongolia due to air pollution is considered too low for officials to intervene. She has been specifically told not to use the number of deaths because it won’t engage officials while hundreds of thousands are dying. 7,000 people die each year in Mongolia due to air pollution, which is every 1 in 10 deaths in the country. In the grand scheme of 8 billion inhabitants, 7,000 may seem very insignificant. However, those are individuals who shouldn’t be boiled down to only a number and deserve justice by solving the issues that killed them. Her discussion on narrative demonstrated that when the Mongolian government intervened, they did so through surface level changes and did not address the root of the issue. Her coalition has only begun the work that must be amplified by others and continued by the Mongolian government. This is a perfect example of individuals stepping up to solve the issues they were once relying on the government to tackle. 

On my last day of the conference, I went to the People’s Plenary. This included a large gathering of individuals from grassroots movements, civil society organizations, and affected communities to share their experiences and demands. It was both empowering and disappointing to hear people pleading to be heard and respected during these talks. It reminded me yet again that individual action is at the core of this fight. To quote the moderator, “We intend to increase our numbers, to amplify our voices, to demand our space at the decision-making table all in defense of our planet. We are the guardians of the earth. We are the children of the earth. Let us stand united in defense of our planet.” This is a motivating quote that I will take with me to UConn.  

Hearing this was daunting and overwhelming to be completely honest. As someone who struggled with eco-anxiety, it is difficult to translate my fears into action when I am paralyzed by them. I am not saying that, as a student, I am going to solve every issue or that I have the means to. But the purpose of this fellowship is to open our eyes to the fact that we need to start educating our communities and foster an environment for more climate solutions to develop at UConn. I can say with certainty that, with the time I have left at UConn, I will be more attuned to climate action. 

Naiiya Patel is an Accounting major in the School of Business.

Reflecting on my experiences in Azerbaijan, I can trace my frustrations with the conference’s conclusion to the significant disconnect between the negotiations and all other events at COP29. The impactful panels and discussions I attended highlighted the urgent need for climate action to address the human rights violations that are experienced on a global scale. In comparison, negotiations were rightfully described by Power Shift Africa director Mohamed Adow as a “betrayal of both people and planet,” ending in a climate financial deal with only a small fraction of the original funding goal. The lack of urgency displayed by negotiators— specifically those representing the Global North—demonstrates the importance of community organizing and local change to combat inaction on a national level.

One powerful event I attended was the People’s Plenary, themed “Pay Up, Stand Up: Finance Climate Action, Not Genocide,” which broadened my perspective on interconnected justice issues and further emphasized the need for financial action. The plenary featured speakers representing various groups, including indigenous communities, people with disabilities, and populations facing genocide. A mantra repeated throughout the event was that there is no climate justice without human rights; the correlation between these two causes is evident in the ongoing genocide and ecocide in Gaza. Israel’s genocide has killed over 45,000 Palestinians and displaced over 1.9 million people, and its ecocide has intentionally destroyed the natural environment across the Gaza strip. It is impossible to discuss plans of creating a sustainable future without addressing current conflicts, such as the genocide in Gaza, which are inherently unsustainable. Therefore, plenary speakers urged for a reallocation of funding from enabling genocide to supporting climate finance.

However, the messaging of the People’s Plenary was not reflected in financial action at negotiations. The conference concluded with a financial agreement allocating $300 billion annually in grants and loans from the developed world to developing nations, with a plan for the figure to reach at least $1.3 trillion annually by 2035. This final settlement reflects a mere fraction of the financial goal established prior to the conference. It is disheartening to see that developed nations failed to meet the earlier objective because the dire circumstances already being experienced due to the climate crisis necessitate swift and extensive action.

The disconnect between COP29 events, such as the People’s Plenary, and negotiations is a concerning indicator of climate inaction on a global scale. But rather than dwelling on the existential dread this reality can elicit, it is essential to refocus attention on community-based advocacy and consider the value of smaller scale change. In a roundtable meeting, “Nature, Health, and Resilience in Cities,” there was a key focus on building resilience on a sub-national level and leveraging the power of cities to address the climate crisis. While there may be inaction at a national level, there is significant power in creating change at a local level, as it sets an example and adds pressure for action on a larger scale. Activist organizations can help to initiate this sub-national change to ensure a fair green transition despite institutional barriers and insufficient financial support.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/23/cop29-agrees-13tn-climate-finance-deal-but-campaigners-brand-it-a-betrayal

https://waronwant.org/news-analysis/cop29-climate-talks-fail-global-south-theres-hope

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker