The second half of my time at COP went by much faster than expected, largely due to unforeseen circumstances but also because of my general familiarity with the venue. One of the largest aspects of this conference was networking, exercising communication skills, and maintaining professional relations. While in the Green Zone—the section of COP30 dedicated to interacting with civil society and businesses on climate-change action and showcasing developing solutions—I attended a COP and Coffee event hosted by Deloitte.
The global business management corporation held a morning discussion led by Dr. Freedom-Kai Philips, leader of the Global Deloitte Center for Sustainable Progress; Dr. Pradeep Philip, lead partner of Deloitte Access Economics; Maria Emilia Peres, Brazil Sustainability Leader; and Victoria Paz, finance lead of the Mangrove Breakthrough Hub. This discussion focused on funding sustainability efforts and effectively allocating finances to satisfy both investors and communities; financing mangrove agroforests was used as a prime example.
The conversation placed significant emphasis on collaborating with the private sector and navigating ways to receive or utilize funding, such as requesting business loans. Dr. Philips emphasized that it is critical to consider the way finance is deployed, what capital is put into, and how to ensure that the asset has “high integrity” in the eyes of insurers. While attending these discussions is essential to furthering my understanding of sustainable development, I find it equally important to engage in the discourse as well, and I held myself to a high standard of involvement as both a scholar and a delegate of UConn.
After the discussion, I reached out to Dr. Philips for follow-up on the measurement of “high integrity” environmental assets. He explained in depth how these resources benefit communities on the grounds of their permanence, additionality, and transparency in reporting.
Not only did this interaction provide valuable insight, but he also resonated with me and the other UConn COP students, and he was kind enough to provide us with a guided tour of the COP30 Blue Zone. I established connections and gained insight on many diverse fields and topics I likely would never have encountered otherwise. Although my Thursday and Friday explorations were unfortunately cut short due to the fire, I still made use of pre-established connections to further my COP experience. Earlier in the week, I had attended the Thailand Pavilion youth-led “Regeneration Generation” panel. Most of the students were from Washington University, and my engagement in their panel allowed me to follow up with an informative and engaging lunch discussion on Thursday.
All of these immersive opportunities and connections fueled my professional and academic growth in ways I never would have anticipated. COP30 provided me with invaluable opportunities, meaningful connections, and a deeper understanding of the global climate landscape—insight that will continue to shape my path as a student and a professional.
Toriana Grooms is a junior majoring in political science and English with a minor in German.