Author: Emily Nagamoto

Cop28 is over. The final text has been released, delegates are home, and my classmates and I are now Duke UNFCCC Practicum alumni. The day COP28 ended, someone in the researchers’ constituency group chat sent the link to this Guardian article about the winners and losers of COP28, and it seemed to sum up my own observations at COP pretty well. Among the winners: the fossil fuel industry and clean energy companies, and among the losers: scientists, youth… the climate. An interesting juxtaposition. 

I want to spend my last blog post reflecting on my experience as whole, on what I will say to people who ask what COP has been like, and on what will it take to actually fight climate change.  

First – what do I think about the agreements? It was disheartening to receive the news that fossil fuel phase out language was not included in the final document (although Luna’s blog brings up interesting points about translations and potentially celebrating incremental steps). It was also extremely frustrating to follow along with other scientists and researchers about the rocky negotiations regarding the Global Stocktake (GST), where the science was being misinterpreted, intentionally left out, and not acted upon. And this is all the more disappointing after spending the past week, after I switched with the second half of the Duke class on Dec 7, at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco, surrounded by intelligent, passionate natural scientists who have dedicated their lives to understanding more about our planet and the impact we have had.  

The experience of attending even just part of COP28 in person has been crazy. I was in spaces that I have only dreamed about, listened to so many different talks about so many intersections within climate change, and learned from so many different people. Some of the most impactful sessions that I attended were those led by indigenous leaders and community members from regions around the world, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from them and hear their stories.  

I’ve been thinking about who’s voice was not being heard at COP, who was a COP28 loser because they couldn’t even be here or couldn’t enter this space successfully. Ceci’s post talks about the very high barrier to entry, and from the language to the cost of being here to the lack of opportunity to get a badge, there were so many people who are being left out. And in that same vein, there were a few people whose voices were amplified, the COP28 winners.  

So what is next? Where do we go from here? What has become so apparent to me is the need for a full-frontal, multilateral and vertical effort from all people to fight climate change. From scientists to governments of all levels to farmers to artists to civil society to private companies to everyone – we all must address climate change and we must work together to do so. Dania’s post asks if COP is even the right method to keep going, and no one has all of the right answers. The past two weeks I have been inspired and disillusioned, excited and frustrated, but most of all resolved. We must fight for climate  action, for climate justice, for an equitable and just transition, for accountability and responsibility, for science-based action, for a livable future. COPs will not be the only solution, but I hope we can keep building off of the momentum from COP28. The titles (and contents) of Katie’s posts are words that I want to end on: the importance of thinking about who or what does your work serve and that the work continues after COP28. 

My final, final words – thank you again to our fabulous TAs Ina and Gabriela and our incredible instructor Jackson. Biggest hugs to my wonderful classmates who clearly (from all of my links) inspire me and push me to think more and be better – I’m ending my COP28 experience with gratitude and passion because of you all. 

I have been at COP28 for 4 days now (5 counting today) and we are far away from any agreement being reached. What I can say is that COP is much, much more than negotiations. There are what feels like an uncountable number of events going on in country pavilions and in the themed hubs, but also in side events and in the Green Zone. The massive venue is a swarm of people at almost all hours of the day, with constant lines: lines for entry, lines for the bathroom, lines for buying food. It is still mind boggling and hard to conceptualize that around 70,000 people from all around the world are here to talk about climate change. 

I have been trying to attend as many events and as diverse of an array of events as I can. Related to science implementation, I was able to sit in on informal consultations between parties and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on the frameworks that both groups were passing. It was actually riveting to watch and listen as negotiators would raise their paper nameplates and wait to be called on, express their comments from the voice of their country in the third person, and whisper around to the negotiators sitting next to them. The session was on fossil fuel emissions from international aviation and maritime transport, and it was clear that countries had different views on when and who should have to reduce their emissions.  

I also went to an event hosted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that reviewed the most recent Assessment Report (AR6) that was published in 2022 and talked about the upcoming special report on climate change and cities. It was a packed session with every single seat taken and every attendee engrossed in the presentation, underscoring again the importance of science and scientific reporting in the COP process. But I found that there are other smaller science bodies that also produce relevant, succinct information for negotiators, like the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). As part of a high-level round table on climate change in mountainous communities, I was able to observe as both groups gave presentations to heads of state and party delegates from mountainous countries, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Through rigorous science and purposeful science communication, these groups were able to explain how impacted mountainous regions are by climate change, instilling the room with a critical sense of urgency. Whether this feeling and this science will be translated into the final text – I am still waiting to see. 

Other events that I have been keeping an eye on are ones related to data, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). To my surprise, these were plentiful and intersectional. I heard from panels about climate data and health, about AI and early warning systems, about climate data and gender, etc. I even learned and practiced using a modified ChatGPT-like tool for young negotiators that can take documents like previous negotiation texts as inputs (check it out here) and can be asked questions or to do tasks. Outside of the negotiation rooms, it seems that data and science advancement are trying to be utilized to the fullest. 

To round out my mid-COP blog post, here are other rapid-fire observations from COP: acronyms and specific lingo are everywhere (just look at this blog post); dress codes thankfully are not strict and it is somehow a connecting experience to see state delegates wearing sneakers and Birkenstocks; every day is SO tiring; it feels like a tradeshow, especially in the Green Zone, where a lot of business have their products and services on display; it has been extremely empowering and inspiring to see so many powerful youth and activists here; food is not cheap in the venue; and finally, there are cats that are wandering around. 

It was a long first day in Dubai at COP28. Don’t get me wrong: I had an incredible time and am excited (with other mixed emotions) for the week to come. I have been dreaming about what an experience like this would be like, and despite the blisters on my ankles from my loafers and the jet lag from our almost 24-hour travel day, I am already thinking about how I can continue this work and come back in the future. Still, physically, mentally, and emotionally it has been overwhelming. 

Before arriving, I had no idea what to expect. Of course, I’ve been in a semester long class on the UNFCCC and I have followed climate change news for a while, but I still didn’t know what it be would like to sit in on real negotiations, to attend events sitting next to delegates from all around the world, etc. In the weeks leading up, I secured my visa, joined Whatsapp group chats for researchers and youth attending the conference, and tried to learn about organizations that would be in attendance and find a client to work with.  

Coming from a physical climate science/data science background, I realized at the beginning of the semester that I had no idea how this science is actually incorporated into policy and decision making. I have learned in most of my classes about the seminal works of scientists that have informed our understanding of the crisis we are in today – but the legal and political pathway for their operationalization was (and still is) unclear. And I think this gets to the route of the issue – why are we even on COP number 28 if scientists have been pointing to climate change for decades and decades? During our class, I learned about the complex pathways of science implementation and political decision-making within the UNFCCC (it was the topic of my final presentation – anyone at Duke can check it out here, or the UNFCCC website), and now actually being at COP28, I am eager to see how science is present in day-to-day activities especially though the Global Stocktake. Throughout my week here in Dubai, I will be tracking how science is operationalized and used in negotiations and throughout the COP process.  

But what was it like on my first day? It is a weird juxtaposition, landing in Dubai and being surrounded by new skyscrapers in the middle of the desert while listening to the COP28 opening session on the urgency of climate crisis, caused by our extraction, capitalism, and consumerism. It was also incredibly cool to be able to enter a UN facility, get a badge with my photo on it, and be able to walk around the massive Dubai Expo City complex knowing that I will be able to observe events that I used to only be able to read about on the news. I am excited, nervous, empowered, frustrated, and a whole range of other emotions just from the first day, and I am eager for the days to come. It is an incredible privilege to be here and it comes with a responsibility to advocate for climate action and climate justice, as well as share all that I experience with others. 

I want to end my first blog post by expressing my immense gratitude towards Dr. Jackson Ewing (our instructor), Gabriela Nagle Alverio and Ina Shih-Hsuan Liao (our TAs), and the Nicholas Institute for giving me and the rest of our class this crazy opportunity.   

Thanks for reading and stay tuned – check out our classes’ blog posts in the coming 2 weeks.