As I write this blog on the plane ride home, my heart is heavy. I had this amazing opportunity to connect with climate leaders across the world and learn about the challenges and solutions in developing solutions for climate change. But there were no results so far. Negotiations have gone into overtime, and even today, the expected text has been pushed from being released from 10am to 5pm. It is likely that the 1.3 trillion dollar goal needed to support developing nations will not be reached. There are rumors of a walkout of major players, such as China.
In a word, I feel defeated. How can all these leaders not reach a consensus after 2 weeks of deliberating? In situations such as these, the robust lack of progress can be interpreted as the loss of that. In other words, if you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards. I sat in on the negotiations for Sharm El Shiekh. They have been meeting for the past 3 months, but cannot make any progress or agree, so they have to start over. Two days before the end of COP29, negotiators are giving thoughts on what should be included in the first text of the preamble. A similar result in the GST Transparency negotiations, where parties can not agree on a draft text, so they cannot decide whether to send it to the presidency. How can anyone feel good about this? Interestingly enough, the loudest voices in these rooms seem to be the biggest emitters.
According to Wikepidaia: Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs.
I took this practicum course because I want to use innovation to help adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change. I want to understand what the industry is lacking, and how policy can shape the solutions needed for climate change, and vice versa. I am disappointed because I did not see the core elements of public policy. There was no decision, action, or implementation in these negotiation rooms.Even more disappointing, it appears that the impact of public perception and influence guides decisions more than the to do the right thing. Specifically in the global north. Because of this, capable parties are not willing to concede for the greater good of the world. It is hard for me, as an engineer, to accept that politics is the driving factor in these negotiations, and the desire to solve climate change for the greater good. This can also possibly be due to all the promotion of and propaganda of COP29. “in solidarity for a green world” signs should be replaced with “I will only help to the extent that it does not inconvenience me”
To summarize COP29 negotiations in a phrase, there are too many chefs in the kitchen. Despite common interest among various parties, I am not surprised that 190 nations could not agree on a single issue. ‘Is COP working?’ The question I keep hearing. From my short time in the public policy space, I say no. We can not even find agreement among the biggest issues (NDC, NQCG, Contributor base) so the smaller, yet important issues of loss and damage, accessibility, and transparency are lost in the wind.
It is almost dystopian in the way that all the signs will be torn down. The oil refineries in Baku, turned off for these ceremonies, will be turned back on. Least Developed Countries will return home and struggle to provide their people with basic needs, such as the ability to store food after it is harvested. And some of the loudest voices will return home to wealth, emissions, and continue that built at the expense of everyone around them.
I don’t know where COP will go from here. It is my desire to attend COP30 in Brazil, and to continue to do work that improves the lives of those that need it the most. What is clear to me, is the COP29 is a very hunger game, and every year, the victors are developed nations that fight and throw tantrums to avoid helping solve s problem they are responsible for. But maybe I am just a jaded engineer ….
I like the imagery regarding the factories and refineries that were covered up with signs or decommissioned for COP. It’s sad when you have to hide who you are from others out of shame.