Why COP29 in Azerbaijan matters to youth!

“You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.”

This is one of the most famous statements made by Greta Thunberg, a young Swedish climate activist and founder of the Fridays for Future movement, at the Climate Action Summit in 2019. There, she cast a spotlight on the current issue of intergenerational climate injustice. This topic also came up during the first session of the online event series about COP29, which was hosted by the Climate Action Working Group of Young European Ambassadors in the EU, UK and Belarus. The online event series aims to highlight the crucial role that Eastern partner countries and young people play in international climate action.

What is COP and why is it important?

Climate change is all around us, threatening ecosystems and human beings. As the AR6 (Assessment Report 6) of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) states: “Human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gasses have unequivocally caused global warming. […] Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people.”

The COP is a decision-making mechanism, established by the UNFCCC. The UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) is a treaty ratified by 198 parties (197 countries and the EU) which obligates its parties for action against climate change. The COP is its supreme decision-making organ, the Conference of the Parties. COP is a meeting focusing on climate change, held every year in a different city. The 198 parties who ratified the UNFCCC take part in this event, but also non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations and others, all managed by the United Nations. The meeting has the objective of reviewing its parties’ progress in climate protection, setting global climate policy, calling for action on the pressing issue of climate change and educating people around the globe about climate change. It is uniting the world to talk about climate and climate change and therefore of great importance.

Past accomplishments of COP

From the first COP in Berlin in 1995 to the upcoming COP in Baku this November, let’s dive into some of the major climate accomplishments. 

The Kyoto Protocol was signed at COP3 in Japan, which set the foundation of the carbon market and saw industrialised countries approve legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. COP15 in Denmark was another landmark achievement with the signing of the Copenhagen Accord to keep the maximum global average temperature rise below 2°C compared to pre-industrialisation levels. After 20 years of negotiation, world leaders adopted the Paris Agreement at COP21 to develop long-term strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, paying special attention to renewable energies. For instance, the EU aims to become the world’s first climate-neutral economy and society by 2050.

How can youth engage at COP?

Before explaining how youth can actively participate at COP, it is important to emphasise why young people should get involved in climate action in the first place. If climate change is not limited to 2 degrees compared to the pre-industrial age, young people and even future generations will suffer disproportionately more from the consequences of global warming – even though they didn’t cause climate change!

In addition to this, the average age at COP is around 40. The people who shape policy-making at COP therefore make decisions that, for the most part, have a significant impact not on their lives, but on the lives of young and future generations. In order to combat this intergenerational climate injustice, young people must be involved in policy-making at COP.

But how can young people do that? 

COP seems to be such a formal event on global scale, but the good news is that there are multiple ways for youth to actively engage at COP: 

• International Youth Climate Delegate of the United Nations: At COP28, 100 young people participated in this capacity. Delegates from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Indigenous Peoples and other minority groups have priority in the selection process.
• Climate Champions Youth Fellowship: The programme creates a pathway for young professionals to work within the team supporting the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions for COP29.
• Young and Future Generations Day: This day is celebrated since COP21, in order to emphasise the power of youth in intergenerational climate discussions. 

No one is too small to make a difference

Throughout the history of COP, many agreements have been signed but, nowadays, in the urgent circumstances in which we find ourselves, it is more crucial than ever for politicians and civil society to commit to action. Let’s remember that as young people we also have a say and there are multiple ways to get directly involved with climate issues and COP. Lastly, keep in mind Greta Thunberg’s words: You are never too small to make a difference!

If you want to find out more about COP29 and Azerbaijan’s progress in the fight against climate change, join our next online event “Azerbaijan – The host country of COP29” which will be held on 1 July at 18:00 CET. 

Register here: https://shorturl.at/67xuT