COP 29: Our Reflection

During my attendance of COP29's second week, I navigated both the green and blue zones while exploring Europe's presence at this COP where the conference's overarching theme was climate finance. I have explored and engaged with initiatives that different European countries, such as France and the UK, are implementing. From discussing the initiatives to address the effects of climate change on agricultural production in England and carbon capture in Italy, I realized the importance of international cooperation to realize these projects. The projects require the expertise and resources of many different actors. Without international organizations that create conferences like COP29, states would be unable to socialize and diffuse essential norms to plan financing for these critical initiatives.

On the third day, I was at the green zone and spoke to Andrew Moffat, a member of the United States' special presidential envoy for climate from the Department of State. I candidly asked him about what he thinks the role of these conferences is, even if they are not always successful. He said that even if nothing successful came out of this specific conference, it was still successful. When I asked him why he thinks this, he said that because it is just about states showing up every year. The consistency of these conferences builds relationships and builds trust. When that trust is established, there is pressure to conform and cooperate for the sake of the greater good. This really changed my perspective about these conferences' effectiveness and how I view diplomacy in the international sphere altogether. It couldn’t be more clear that we still need these conferences and these forums to build relationships and trust continuously on the world stage.