COP29 is possibly the grandest and most extravagant thing I’ve ever been a part of. I have been able to travel across the globe to a magnificent city and not only meet new and inspiring people, but make connections that can move my life in a way I’d never imagine. So, with that being said, it’s hard to try and make a dispatch about my Baku experience. However, I’ve found that essentially, you can boil the COP29 experience down into 3 key concepts: Connecting, Learning, Growing
Connecting
Connecting is more than just exchanging business cards or getting someone’s WhatsApp only for a day. Connecting is the feeling that you get when someone relates to an experience you had, when someone finally explains something to you that you’ve been struggling with, when you’re given a perspective that you’ve never been given before from someone who is from the other side of the world. Being able to talk to someone, whether it’s just a quick chat or a scripted interview, is the thing that makes COP worth going to.
People bring up the emissions that are used flying people to a country and the irony of it being more carbon neutral if there were online meetings. However, the connection that you get from sitting down with someone, getting to talk to them in a 1-on-1 scenario, and getting to know the background of their organization is something you can only get in person. I made a point of talking to as many people as possible from all over the world, and it has inspired me to stay engaged in this work.
Learning
I learned so much at COP – about climate change, climate justice, and climate education. I attended sessions at several pavilions including Save Soil, Action On Food, Thailand Pavilion, African Union, and many more.
But as importantly, while I was learning about carbon credits, I also learned how to network. While I learn about the Paris agreement, I also learn how to talk to the press. The skills I developed at COP I will carry forward and use throughout my life, to advance climate justice and other issues I care about.
Growing
When I first went to COP, even though I knew a decent bit about climate justice, climate education, and climate in general, I never would’ve imagined that I would know as much as I do now in this short week. Every second you’re there, you’re growing your skills at a rate that I haven’t experienced anywhere else. Because I was able to go to COP29, I have grown to be a speaker, a panelist, a more climate-educated individual, and a youth activist.
COP29 has given me a space to connect, learn, and grow on a scale that I’ve never seen before. When it comes to something you care about. Whether it’s a COP, a meeting, a panel, a discussion, or anything else you can find, climate related or not. Try your very hardest to use it to learn everything about from every perspective, connect with people to understand those different perspective, and grow to be the type of person that can use those connections and information to do good wherever you may find it.
Thank you to It’s Our Future
Thank you to Thornwood Highschool
Thank you to my friends, family, and fellow COPpers
and thank you for tuning in!