The tagline of COP25 is “Time for Action.” This motto expresses the need for increased ambition across country’s commitments to decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Although negotiators worked late into the night for approximately 14 days, after a firsthand view of the COP it is hard to say if “action” was achieved.
But let’s start from the beginning… Duke offers a unique and interdisciplinary course on the background of the UNFCCC, the yearly Conference of the Parties (COP), and the politics involved in international climate treaties. Throughout the course, we were introduced to the Kyoto Protocol, the Montreal Protocol, and the most recently relevant Paris Agreement. During the semester we delved into the most important pieces of the Paris Agreement (adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, and carbon markets to name a few). While sitting in the classroom, it is certainly no stretch of the imagination to foresee the roadblocks involved in international policymaking. However, spending a week at the COP provided a crash course in the true technicalities and intricacies of international agreements.
Over the course of COP Week 2 there were multiple protests and demonstrations – both inside the conference venue and outside its walls from Madrid to Chile. Clearly, civil society is demanding more of international governments regarding climate pledges and action. In particular, the youth movement and indigenous people were key drivers of the protests. Unfortunately… governments move slow. Negotiations over a single word of text can take weeks, if not years to agree upon (for example, “shall” indicates a permissible commitment and “should” implies more of a pledge). When you take a step back to consider the almost 200 countries with a stake in the game, a distinct point of view, and hardlines to follow from their administration it is amazing anything is approved at all! Throw in the various language barriers (most negotiations are conducted in English) and it seems near impossible.
During Week 2, our small group of Duke students were lucky enough to meet with various US party delegates, former US negotiators, NGO observers, and academic professors. These different perspectives helped clarify my COP experience. Most agreed that progress can appear slow, but the international treaty framework is only one step (albeit an important step) in a larger process to address the climate emergency. For me, this is where the disconnect between civil society and government policy seems to lie. Protestors demand action NOW, but even if the Paris Rulebook is completed today and countries commit to immediately ratchet up their NDCs, implementation would not occur for years. I do not think civil society is misguided in demanding more from international governments, but after COP25 I believe more than ever that each person, private sector corporation, NGO, and government must actively play a part in solving the climate crisis.
So, while I did not necessarily see much “action” at COP25, I now have a better understanding of the role of international treaties in addressing climate change. The Paris Agreement (and its corresponding rulebook and NDCs) is not the singular solution. Personally, I am emboldened more than ever to pursue innovative solutions to climate change outside the world of politics.
