Thoughts on my experience at COP25

Ifeanyi Mbah

Last December’s climate change convention (COP25) may be over but for me, the lasting impressions linger vehemently. I had the opportunity of attending the 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a member of the delegation from Tufts University, through the Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE). The delegation comprised faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students, from the Tufts School of Engineering, School of Arts and Sciences, and the Fletcher School. I was a delegate in the Blue zone with observer status during the first week. The events took place at the IFEMA de Madrid, a sprawling spacious arena in Madrid (Spain).

The first thing that strikes you when you walk into the Blue Zone at the IFEMA, is the seriousness in the atmosphere. It is borne in the demeanor of practically everyone as they shuffle through, from room to room and pavilion to pavilion. Top officials, panelists, scientists & researchers, diplomats, journalists, university professors and students alike. Central to the COP are a few major events usually involving the COP presidency and leaders from other countries.

The opening ceremony started off great, with opening speeches from the president of the COP, the Chilean president, the Prime Minister of Spain among others. Of the many words spoken, a sentence that stuck with me was: “What we need is not an incremental approach (to solving climate change) but a transformative one.”

The highlights of my days throughout the week were the vast array of side events. Some of these were plenary sessions held at designated rooms while others were talks and exhibitions hosted at pavillions belonging to different countries, organizations and research institutes. Because there were several side events taking place, many of which took place simultaneously, I soon realized it was not only wise but necessary to be selective with what events I chose to attend.

The UN Sustainability Development Goals

My background as a Civil Engineering Ph.D. student doing research on the sustainable reuse of solid waste (coal ash and plastic) in concrete, heavily influenced my decisions. I opted for energy themed talks where green energy, nuclear and the future of coal energy, and more importantly, the already existing abundance of waste coal ash, were discussed. At one of such events, an elder statesman from Sudan raised a question I found noteworthy. Paraphrasing, he said, ‘the developed world has powered its technological development using fossil fuels, mostly coal, over the course of a couple of centuries. Why then are poor countries like his in the global south expected (or even required) to adopt cleaner but dramatically more expensive energy avenues?’. Other talks I attended addressed waste management, its impact on land and sea. Sustainability in building cities, present, and future.

As an aspiring academic with hopes of teaching as a professor someday, I found some of the events on education to be most enlightening. Discussions were often centered around topics such as STEM education, higher education, socioeconomic inequality, and climate change. These fora provided a chance for professors from across the globe to present research, share ideas and hold discussions at the intersections between sustainability, climate change, and pedagogy. Not all the events were formal as I also got the chance to chat and network with academics across nations and disciplines.

Personally, one of the standout moments was at a side event hosted by the Moana pavilion on the impact of climate changes on the real-time livelihood of its citizens. During this briefing, data-backed details were relayed regarding how much has changed with the people’s livelihood. To this effect, one of the panelists tearfully informed us of the imminent mass migration that is now inevitable due to rising sea levels at her pacific island country. This helped me come to the realization that a person’s perception of the current climate situation is highly influenced by how geographically privileged they are. Geographical privilege, so to speak, is the advantage of living in a place that is not experiencing perceptibly dramatic environmental changes, compared to other places. In other words, it is easier to question the reality of climate change in Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA), than it is in Port Vila (Vanuatu).

In all, the COP25 made a lasting impression on me and it was the highlight of my year. I got to meet new people, interact with intelligent thinkers and explore novel ideas. It was the sense of shared humanity that left me enthralled the most. Meeting new people, learning new names and memorizing faces. Seeing faces light up with a smile upon recognizing a face that only became familiar to them a few hours before. Forging bonds with kindred individuals you may never meet again, but trusting that the digital connectivity of today’s world will ensure you don’t remain strangers. It has made me more knowledgeable of the matters at hand and I am thankful for that. I remain optimistic, even though this stance may appear reasonably illogical, what with the gloom we seem to hurtle towards. The thing is, frankly speaking, I cannot think of any other way to be than to be optimistic. It takes courage to stare at impending chaos and choose hope, giving the improbability of triumph, but humanity is worth being courageous for.