The UNFCCC and Combating Climate Change

Introduction

COP29 has paralyzed me. Watching the UNFCCC at work is extremely frustrating and disappointing; anyone who denies this is lying, ignorant, or actively engaging in procedural abuse within the UNFCCC, and I am prepared to defend this perspective. Still, glimmers of hope emerged within the cave of darkness and despair. Here, I will do my best to relay my experiences and my suppositions regarding our ability to combat climate change through the UNFCCC.

The Cave of Darkness

We need to be level and honest with each other about the efficacy of our institutions: this is the only path forward to improving our institutions and underlying material conditions.

First, there was an insane amount of bad faith in the plenary sessions, and I witnessed this from every constituency. Going in, I was prepared for tension between the developed countries and developing countries. I was not, however, prepared for the magnitude of the “proxy wars” and “holy crusades” that went on during the plenary sessions. Some issues, by their nature, are less contentious than others. In practice, however, this was not the reality. Drafts developed over periods of years were essentially unilaterally discarded by states that, for whatever reason, wanted to impede action. These states, alternatively, could have chosen to work through the UN process and negotiate their differences with some sort of a basis. Instead, plenary sessions included states complaining about the procedural hostaging and then returning to preambular principles. After a bit of “hard work,” the tacit became the spoken: it was always meant to be pushed to Brazil anyways.

Second, there was outright sabotage by numerous actors. The presidency guarding drafts and refusing to communicate with the delegations and civil society? Sabotage. Delegations editing a draft without informing other delegates? Sabotage. OPEC nations refusing to interact with any text containing “fossil fuels” or “transition?” Sabotage. Movement politics protest groups with either blatantly unreasonable or watered-down messages? Distracting, at the very least. While I do not know as much about the inner workings of the topic as some others, the magnitude of the fossil fuel industry’s presence was a bit disturbing, especially when considered in the context of the presidency’s behavior and the stances of some countries.

Third, influencer/media culture was out of control at COP. It was essentially climate Comic Con with negotiations that happened to be occurring in the same space. Some pavilions recognized this and intentionally leaned into this with graphics that were tailor made for selfies and photos. At some point, you wonder if everyone just wants to see their friends/make connections rather than actually ameliorate the climate crisis.

The Glimmers of Hope

The trip itself was very fun, and I believe it was a formative life experience for me. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity. I am indebted to Jackson, Colleen, our TAs, and everyone else involved. Baku was beautiful, and I cannot wait to see where all of my talented classmates will go. Everyone is so kind and talented, and I really wish that this class could stay together for the rest of my semesters at Duke.

I think that COP29 being hosted in Baku was great for the locals. I saw many families attending the green zone with intrigue, seeing the plans for Baku White City and learning about climate change and cutting-edge business practices. Furthermore, it was a chance for the local population to interact with the international community; these kinds of ties are important for the future of diplomacy, and I believe these children and young adults will grow up to have a very different idea of the international system than their parents and grandparents.

Additionally, pavilions were filled to the brim with knowledgeable, enthusiastic speakers and staff. Discounting the few times where I had insane propaganda injected into my brain, I really learned a lot. I feel like I am closer and closer to an acceptable generalist view on all things climate and that I am closer to being an expert on nuclear energy, CBAM, and the Just Transition.

Conclusion

So, as a forum, the UNFCCC is not so bad. Practically, it is terrible, at least from what I have seen with my own eyes. There ought to be serious reforms at the fundamental level with the assumption that all parties will not be completely satisfied with the changes. COP needs to be leaner, “consensus” either needs to be abolished or regulated, and there should be a permanent UN body that teaches host countries how to host. Also, if the international community ever makes a treaty resembling the UNFCCC ever again, there needs to be an automatic updating of the contributor base based on agreed-upon indicators, with or without full consensus. Maybe this is controversial, but I believe that issue is at the source of the strife at recent COPs.

In terms of bringing countries together and allowing less influential countries an opportunity to be treated as equals with more influential countries, the UNFCCC is effective. It also allows for a transformation of local perceptions and increases global tolerance. However, it genuinely seemed unworkable in terms of reaching impactful, descriptive solutions for climate change. I would love to be proven wrong next year, but I truly wonder how many more COPs there will be.