COP30 really solidified that climate change is not going anywhere and that we are wildly under prepared for the consequences of our actions. The fires and flooding venue were a strong reminder that we need to act however, the negotiations were a little fruitless. But, the knowledge and culture sharing was truly once in a lifetime. There is something wildly special about tens of thousands of people coming together and be unified in the fact that we want something to happen and are dedicated to change.
Beyond just the personal growth opportunities of learning how to communicate with people across every culture and learning the basics of how a conference is run. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience to go to a major city in Brazil with people from all over the world to see and understand how we can come together and implement the solutions to the problems we have been discussing. The major thing that I took away from this conference was not what more developed countries are doing but what small island nations and countries in the global south are doing. They are the ones that have the opportunity to really drive immense amount of change and develop sustainability. I think I am the most excited about the solutions that they can come up with and continuing to break away from western perceptions of those countries. They are not helpless countries just looking for a handout in the form of aid. They are creative, solution oriented, bold, driven, and actively making changes to their ways of life. I think the key to a lot of what COP30 discussed is bringing in large business and giving them ways to see how they can support and participate in these spaces.
The biggest lesson that I continue to have in my life but has grown from this trip is that as a person of privilege it is my job to understand and listen to the struggles of those who aren’t as privileged. I have an intense feeling of responsibility when it comes to understanding what the world is going through and I tend to focus on the harms that colonization, imperialism, and generational corruption impose but I never really spend time understanding how those countries learned how to thrive amid western chaos and interference. I want to spend more time understanding how humanities is able to be resilient despite our prejudice. I think this trip had some really great examples of how we as a people can connect and grow with one another rather than against one another. I am excited and hopeful that there are more examples of this growth throughout the world.
Caroline Keary is a master’s student in the Social Responsibility and Impact in Business program.