COP29 Blog: Paving the way for Civil Society

By: Ingrid Elena Manson González

When the Environmental Studies Department sent out an email announcing the opportunity to join the Tufts/Fletcher delegation heading to COP29, I immediately applied. I was eager to visit Azerbaijan, a region I had never been to before, and to experience the cultural diversity that arose from nearly 200 countries coming together. Most importantly, I was looking forward to learning from leaders from across disciplines, weaving together different perspectives to find solutions to tackle the climate crisis in a just and equitable manner.

I was filled with excitement when I was accepted to be part of the Tufts/Fletcher delegation at COP29. I want to take the opportunity to express my profound gratitude to Tufts University for allowing me to play a part in this amazing experience, to the Environmental Studies department which presented me with the option, and to Iniciativa Climática de México (ICM) for funding my travel and including me on their wonderful team.

My first day at the conference was a whirlwind of new experiences. Half the time, when I wasn’t jumping in and out of pavilions and side events, I was busy managing the Regional Climate Funds pavilion. This space was operated by several organizations from across the world, including ICM, to create a network of innovation and collaboration between parties and nongovernmental actors. A few events I attended featured discussions on the processes that different nations have developed in response to the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)—a policy that imposes tariffs on imported goods to reduce their carbon price to equal the carbon price of domestic products—the decentralization of COP30, and the goals and roadmaps of different nations regarding their National Determined Contributions (NDCs).

This last discussion really intrigued me, as it featured EU climate officer, Cristina Carreiras, the head of Guatemala’s Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Department, Andrea Fión, the president of ICM, Adrián Fernández, and the head of Climate Change and Development in Mexico, José Luis Samaniego. It was amazing to learn from these leaders and watch them share proposals and mutual advice on the upcoming renewal of their NDCs.

*NDC panel featuring climate leaders from Mexico, Guatemala and the EU*

I quickly realized how important international cooperation is, especially with climate change. It was amazing to meet the speakers first-hand and learn about their experiences in ensuring just climate transitions while addressing regional challenges. Most significantly, I gained cautious hope from watching Mexican government climate leaders successfully collaborate with civil society organizations, something I had deemed impossible growing up. Although challenging, a just climate transition in my home country finally seemed possible. This reaffirmed my commitment in this field and region.

A sense of determination stayed with me throughout the conference and was reaffirmed with each panel that I attended and every person I spoke to. As I reached the final day, I was filled with hope, despite the unlikely success of the multiparty negotiations. My arguably naïve vision of the future was fueled not by the conference itself, but by the passionate people and organizations within it. With this optimistic mindset, I entered my final event, titled “Building a Latin American perspective upon COP30: A platform for insights and ideas from civil society to strengthen climate action in our region.”

*Speakers at Latin American civil society event*

This panel flipped my perception of the COP and the global climate change landscape. In their presentations, each speaker acknowledged the recent advancements in climate action, such as improvements in NDCs, across Latin American regions. However, they mostly emphasized the serious challenges that lay ahead. The harsh reality of these challenges struck me as Alejandro Alemán, coordinator for Climate Action Network Latin America, mentioned the restrictions and monitored participation at COP29.

Discovering that all material contributed by participants had been pre-screened to avoid any mention of fossil fuel phase-out made me realize that the freedom of expression and the right to truth, which are essential for climate activism, were under constant threat. Worse yet, I learned that the presence of those who should defend these rights and advocate for just actions had been purposefully reduced in recent COPs. Under the influence of oil-producing host countries, pavilions and badges were widely available to corporations, but markedly reduced for academia and civil society. I fully grasped the power of oil and gas corporations in this space when Alemán explained how, alongside the negotiations in the blue zone, a restricted area designated for high-level meetings for delegates, fossil fuel companies were signing contracts to expand their operations in the green zone, a place originally designed for civil society organizations and the general public.

This deeply bothered me and made me question the purpose of the COP; a space once designed to place civil society alongside party leaders at the forefront of global decision-making had now become an event that prioritized private interests over public ones, despite their grave environmental and social costs. I suddenly worried about what would happen to the passionate protesters I had witnessed every day at the conference; people who voiced the unjust realities that their home countries were facing, now taking serious risks to express themselves. Once intended as a safe haven for civil society, the COP now seemed designed to limit and even repress it.

*One of the protests that I witnessed where citizens from the global south demanded a total of $5 trillion USD in climate finance annually from the global north governments*

Amidst my confusion and anger, each speaker began to introduce concrete actions that civil society could take to turn this narrative around. Felipe Arango, executive director of Transforma, strongly emphasized the importance of sustainably managing transition minerals in Latin America to ensure a just transition. Andrés Mogro highlighted the opportunity to make COP30 an inclusive and accessible space once again, along with the need to incorporate a multisectoral agenda in the development of NDCs. Mariana Gutierrez focused on the essential role that civil society plays in supporting government efforts to design and implement a net-zero roadmap.

Bit by bit, these tangible proposals renewed my hope. The path is challenging but clear. Leaders across disciplines must come together, not by signing agreements, but by sharing a vision for the future. To achieve the goal of a just and sustainable future, it is necessary to include a variety of perspectives, especially from those on the frontlines of climate disasters. In this process, civil society plays a critical role in highlighting different realities, connecting otherwise separate actors and implementing a bottom-up approach to influence the design and implementation of climate policy.

Civil society can revitalize a space that once welcomed its influence. To do so, however, we must demonstrate how powerful this influence can be. I have realized the importance of connecting with other students, organizations and institutions. United, our efforts can have a much greater impact. I was heartened to note that while party leaders negotiated and oil companies signed contracts, there was a much more subtle but powerful movement at COP29: the constant formation and strengthening of a civil society network.