The Conference of the Parties (COP) is an international climate summit. It is the world’s largest climate conference held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Every year, representatives from almost all countries, youth delegates, indigenous communities, climate activists, and experts gather at this conference to make decisions on tackling climate change; these decisions later serve as global climate policies.
I was born and raised near the Kapotakkho River in the coastal district of Satkhira. We have witnessed and dealt with various natural disasters. Life in the coastal region begins with a battle against nature. Saline water, droughts, floods, cyclones; these are everyday realities. Here, our mothers and sisters walk miles just for a jar of drinking water; school children cross knee-deep mud and long rivers to attend class; pregnant women face challenges to be taken to health centers at midnight through river routes, suffering immense hardship. The high salinity makes the water, soil, and even the air salty, resulting in poor crop growth and a food crisis for livestock.
Since 2017, through the youth organization Greenman in Satkhira, we have been working to address various adverse impacts of climate change. As part of that journey, I joined the Youth Fellowship of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) this year, which provided me with the opportunity to attend COP30. This COP journey has been one of the best experiences of my life. It was my first international representation also.
This year, COP30 was held in Belem, in the Amazon region of Brazil. COP is usually organized for two weeks, and I had the opportunity to attend as an observer during the second week. COP is generally divided into two zones: the Blue Zone and the Green Zone. The Blue Zone is where the main decisions of COP are made in high-level climate negotiations, agreements, policies, and commitments. Decisions such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), loss and damage funds, and adaptation finance are taken here; policy discussions and side events are also held in the country pavilions.
The Green Zone is the public space for engagement, innovation, culture, and exhibitions. It is generally open to all. We arrived in Belem two days before the start of the second week, which allowed us ample time to explore the Green Zone. There, we saw indigenous communities from the Amazon displaying and selling various handmade items crafted from forest resources.
However, the world had high expectations from this COP. Gilmar, a leader of the Indigenous Tupinamba community, criticized the excessive focus on climate finance at COP, saying, ‘We cannot eat money.’ He demanded that their land be freed from agribusiness, oil exploration, illegal mining, and logging. In addition, I tried to visit as many country pavilions as possible and spoke to their representatives. I tried to understand what strategies different countries are taking to tackle climate change. Each country’s geographical position and economic capacity determine its level of loss and damage, and naturally, its strategies vary as well. One notable thing I observed was that countries used their pavilions to creatively showcase their heritage, culture, and tourism. The very first pavilion on the left side after entering the COP venue was Bangladesh’s pavilion. I believe there was a great opportunity to showcase our country’s diverse beauty and culture. Along with highlighting our climate struggles, disasters, and losses, we could have beautifully presented our tourism industry and cultural heritage on such an international stage.
At ICCCAD’s COP30 Share Day Youth Fireside, I had the opportunity to speak about the struggles of coastal communities, the role of youth, and our expectations. Later, I had the opportunity to speak as a panelist in a policy lab titled ‘Youth-Led Pathways for a Just Transition’ at the Just Transition pavilion, jointly organized by the Government of Bangladesh, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and YouthNet Global. There, I spoke about temporary and permanent migration among coastal communities. Also, the vast river systems of the coast, including the Sundarbans, are our immense natural assets. If nature-based solutions are implemented properly, major changes can be brought to the lives of coastal people.
I also attended several open meetings on adaptation and loss and damage. I tried to understand how things work overall; how negotiators debate, counter arguments, and structure decisions. From the beginning, this COP was called the ‘COP of implementation’. Brazil's President Lula da Silva called it the ‘COP of Truth.’ But how true were those words in the end?
This year, 195 countries adopted the Belem Package as the outcome of the conference. It contains 29 decisions, including those on just transition, adaptation finance, technology, and gender-related measures. Countries were urged to make efforts to triple adaptation finance by 2035. A set of 59 voluntary indicators was adopted for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), covering water, food, health, ecosystems, infrastructure, livelihoods, and more. As part of the Belem Package, a Just Transition Work Programme was adopted, calling for fair and inclusive solutions for workers, communities, and sectors affected by climate transitions. A total of 122 countries submitted new or updated NDCs. While COP reemphasized the importance of keeping global warming below 1.5°C, I believe this is merely a political commitment. To protect the 1.5°C goal, emissions must be rapidly reduced, and forest conservation and emission reduction need enforceable obligations. But COP30 provided no such mandatory roadmap.
Thus, amid expectations, fire, and tough negotiations, the international climate conference in the Amazon came to an end. Every moment gave me important lessons that I believe I can apply while working on climate change issues in Bangladesh.
