COP29 Reflections

Read the COP29 reflections from Angela Zhong, a passionate advocate for climate action and a senior at Harvard University. Angela, who served as a UNA-USA Campus Fellow in 2021, shares her insights on the outcomes of this year’s negotiations and the challenges ahead in the fight against climate change. Her perspective brings a valuable lens, shaped by both her academic experience and her involvement in the global youth movement for sustainability.

COP29 Reflections:

As the negotiations come to an end, I am frustrated by the amount ($300 billion) and the form of funding (non-concessional loans) being pledged—a meager quarter of what is needed. More importantly, I am alarmed by the lack of buy-in from countries in COP processes. This year’s edition was marked by a boycott from Papua New Guinea, an early exit by negotiators from Argentina, and walkouts by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). While I hope this trend will be reversed at the highly anticipated COP30, the recent elections affecting 49% of the world’s population leave it unclear what direction new leadership will take.

When explaining COPs to the general public, I often encounter justified confusion about what they are and whether the UN process has any real impact. I admit that much more needs to be done—we are currently failing the global majority. However, we must also acknowledge the counterfactual: a world without a Loss and Damage Fund, the Kyoto Protocol, or the Paris Agreement. That would be an even more dire reality.

Climate change represents a classic tragedy of the commons. It is imperative that proportional representatives from all stakeholders—youth, the petrochemical industry, least-developed countries, and others—be included in negotiations to create an efficient, coordinated response that keeps the planet aligned with the 2-degree pathway.