DAY ONE OF COP29!
What a surreal day- getting to speak directly with the US Delegation members being a highlight!
To say the first day at COP29 was overwhelming would be an understatement!
Overwhelming and awesome and exhausting. I am sitting here, reminiscing over what an insane experience it was, overcome with disbelief I was there, am here, get to be a part of it all. In a glorious haze of excitement and awe after a jam packed adventure of a day.
No words or explanation can really encapsulate the magnitude of people, of all the happenings and rush at a COP29 conference. I am tempted to describe it as a climate change amusement park- there is something interesting and eye-catching everywhere you look, countless events and negotiations and presentations all happening all at once- decorated party pavilions, NGO booths, art exhibitions, food stalls, press conferences sprinkled throughout.
Rivers and rivers of people. People in amazing business outfits, people from all walks of life, from all over the world.
Not only are there the sections and sections of specific panel rooms- special event rooms, official side event rooms, planerary halls (where the official negotiations happen), but then there are sections of official individual NGO booths interspersed outside those panel rooms and a whole section of Party Pavilions. It's like a science fair or book fair on steroids.
The imposter syndrome was real too and came in jaw dropping waves all day.
There were many points where I was most definitely walking alongside a super important party leader of some sort, being trailed by security guards and a team of people.
I was surrounded by important people all day- climate change celebrities. Just in awe of their outfits, their rush, the sheer immensity of intelligence and passion in the air.
It really is a choose your own adventure experience being a registered observer. In other words, I felt like a chicken with my head cut off the majority of the day, walking from area A to area B to pavilions to side events, press releases, trying to attend all the events on my disorganized, packed full schedule- frantically jostling between side event schedules, pavilion event schedules.
The venue is HUGE. A maze! My feet were blistered by the end of the day, my phone said I walked a total of 7.5 miles.
This is a longer debrief than expected so first, here are the main takeaways:
Got to speak directly, in a small, impromptu group with the US Party Delegation
The US is approaching COP29 with a “one administration at a time” and “Trump-proof” approach, meaning that it is still approaching with the same goals, negotiation strategies as planned, as under the Biden-Harris Administration
The blow-by-blow:
RINGO Constituency Daily Meeting:
Our CC delegation is badged as a part of the RINGO constituency so we began our day by attending that daily meeting, which went over the overall schedule of the day and provided a space for all of us registered observers to connect and share our specific interests.
The constituencies- groups of NGOs broadly clustered by interests or perspectives and officially registered with observer status by the UNFCCC, have coordination meetings each morning. These meetings serve to provide a platform of discussion about the ongoing negotiations, as well as facilitate networking and provide the opportunity to share search results.
There are nine official constituencies, Business and industry NGOs (BINGO), Environmental NGOs (ENGO), Farmers, Indigenous peoples organizations (IPO), Local government and municipal authorities (LGMA), Research and independent NGOs (RINGO), Trade union NGOs (TUNGO), Women and Gender (WGC), and Youth NGOs (YOUNGO).
Side Event: “High-level session on Innovation for Climate and Sustainability Action, Inner Development and Systems Change.”
Highlights from this:
Spoke of the necessity of integrating inner development, or equipping individuals and organizations with the inner qualities that enable them to take the kinds of action that will result in transformative efforts around climate change, with innovation and systematic change.
Caring: inspired action
Sharing: ability to give generously, receive gracefully, collaborate genuinely
Daring: being able to think big, tenacity to persevere
This is “the most decisive decade for determining humanity’s future”
“1.5 C is not just a goal, not just a target, it's a planetary limit.”
I could see why they began the talk by speaking about the importance of inner development, because the presentations on “where we are at” or harsh scientific climate realities in that setting caused me to be immediately overcome with eco-anxiety. I wrote in my notebook “I want to cry.”
Plenary Meetings: Official start to negotiations
Then, we wanted to attend the opening of the Plenary meetings, where the official negotiations among party leaders began and agenda setting took place. But the line was so long. We arguably caught the most symbolic part of it though, standing in a crowd just outside of the Plenary hall, watching the ceremonial passing of the gavel from the COP28 President to the COP29 President on a screen with the live broadcast.
COOLEST PART OF MY DAY!!! US Delegation impromptu, intimate table discussion!
Two other CC students, Professor Sarah and I had a amazing, serendipitous luck- we got an intimate, overflow briefing with two and later six party members from the US delegation on the impacts of the US election on climate issues and US presence at COP29. WE SAT AT A TABLE ACROSS FROM THE LEGIT U.S. DELEGATES REPRESENTING AND WORKING FOR THE BIDEN-HARIS ADMINISTRATION! AND THEY WANTED TO HEAR FROM US AS YOUNG PEOPLE!
When we arrived to attend the scheduled briefing with RINGO and the US delegation orientation in the wake of the US election was full, but a delegate from the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and a delegate apart of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate arranged to go to a different room with just a small group of us- I mean small as in eight of us in total! Eventually the rest of the communications team of the U.S. Party Delegation came in and spoke with us as well.
Their main points: approaching COP29 like planned, still as the Biden-Harris administration.
While there have for sure been shifts in U.S. positionality, the US delegation hasn’t changed its focus coming into COP29 despite the election outcome- the same goals, negotiation stances, principles guiding the robust, high level delegation remain strong.
“We are not walking away prematurely,” they said over and over again.
They have the approach of “one administration at a time” and are aiming to “do as much as we can in the next 70 or so days remaining” in the Biden-Harris administration
Partnerships are going to be a main focus, looking to others to push forward ambitiously- globally but also in subnational and private sectors of the US.
The Biden- Harris administration took an “all of America" approach to tackling the climate crisis, collaborating with stakeholders on all levels of the issue, hoping this engagement at the local level will ramp up amidst the new administration and with this robust support from the previous administartion.
They argue that the progress accomplished over the past four years will continue with or without US governmental leadership, focusing on the centrality and necessity of the private sector and subnational level (state and local governments).
“Need to expand [the metaphorical] tent” of climate action
One graduate student who went to COP22, that began the day Trump was first elected, argued that anecdotally she thinks that this COP so far in the wake of his re-election is “not as sad”
The delegates then turned to us- wanting to hear from Megan, Jess (my fellow classmates), and I on where we were at, any questions we had, anything we wanted to share.
Megan and Jess shared about how they have been overcome with not only the global climate implications of this election outcome, but how this will also impact their post-graduate pursuit of opportunities within the U.S. climate policy space.
In addition to asking questions about the U.S. election outcome, I asked the Party delegates how, despite the delegation wanting to maintain the same goals and negotiation plans, was the looming Trump administration going to influence the reception and legitimacy of U.S. negotiators among other Parties and if they were seeing that already. I am also curious about how it will influence other countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions.
I also shared, in a kind of vulnerable way, my level of disbelief and distraughtness with the election. I spoke of my process over the past week, ultimately grieving my previously held hope, not only for a Harris administration, but significant hope for really achieving 1.5C, as this, in my opinion, is far-fetched in the wake of another Trump administration.
Rather, I explained, I have had to adapt and reframe my hope within doing the best we can to stay as close to maintaining heating under 1.5C and mitigating damage within the reality of probably reaching, and exceeding tipping points.
Mitigated hope. That is how I think I will be approaching this COP.
Orientation Session for Youth: the most attended side event of the day by far- the room was packed!
I got to hear initial remarks from the Youth Climate Champion Youth Climate Champion the , Assistant Secretary General for Youth Affairs, the UN SG Advisory Group on Climate Change, and the UNFCCC Children and Youth Constituency (YONGO).
We also attended a side event hosted by Connected Advocacy for Empowerment and Youth Development Initiative (Connected Advocacy) and Global Law Thinkers Society (GLTS).
Then to cap off our day, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta gave a press conference.
Main takeaways from that:
“We Are Still In”- emphasizes US Delegation’s commitment to the work, to maintaining progress
It is most important to “Trump-proof” climate action
“Confident in that the US will continue to reduce emissions”
Spoke to the bipartisan nature of many IRA and clean energy policies
Spoke to the promising, outcompeting economics of clean energy transitions
Spoke to China needing to step up, with an “obligation” to “repropell action” and take account of reducing their emissions, being responsible for 30% of global emissions
“They have an important role to play, and I hope they play it.”
To quote my fellow classmate, Megan, “it seems like a lot of hot air.”
Other First impressions:
The greenwashing of this whole conference, the irony of it all, is glaring. I want to continue to keep my eye on this.
Walking in the venue, interspersed with all the COP29 banners are the sponsors, which are majority energy companies, such as SOCAR.
Everything down to the waste: there is so much single use waste, and of all places, of all people, the waste bins were not sorted- people didn’t sort their stuff according to compost, recycling, ect. SHEER IRONY.
Even the fact that every single one of these thousands of people, including us, took carbon-guzzling flights across the world to be here.
Overall, one of the craziest, most surreal days of my life. I feel like a sponge- wanting to soak it all in and document everything.
One day down, 10 more to go.
So interesting and informative ! Thank you Havi I can’t wait for the next update.