Without Incentives: the Significance of Article 6.8: “Non-Market Approaches”
–Lucy Kramer, ‘26 I met Ghazali Ohorella in the back of the room at a late-night Article 6.8 negotiation. I was observing with Tomohiro Harada, who has been following Indigenous People’s participation at the UNFCCC process for years. He pointed to a man sitting at the other side of the …
Addressing the Twin Crises of Debt and Environmental Sustainability: Lessons from COP28
by Zoraiz Zafar, ’24 In the backdrop of the COP28 conference, a pressing issue that emerged was the twin crises of debt and environmental sustainability, particularly in developing countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This essay explores the intricate relationship between these crises and proposes a nuanced approach to addressing …
Echoes of Resilience: Indigenous Voices from South and Southeast Asia at COP28
By Jasmine Sone At COP28, I had the opportunity to speak with three extraordinary people: Chandra Tripura, who advocates for the Tripura community in Bangladesh; Pirawan Wongnithisathaporn, who represents the Karen community in Thailand, specifically the Pga K’nyaw; and Shree Kumar Mahajan, who speaks for the Newar community in Nepal …
Structures that Shape COP28
By: April Kwan The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28), located in the United Arab Emirates this year, was hosted in Expo City Dubai. The space was divided into two distinct zones that provide access to different events, the Blue and Green Zone. Getting access to the Blue …
What is appropriate clothing at the COP?
As you walk into the COP for the first time, it is hard not to be in awe of the thousands of people all representing their different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. One of the aspects that sticks out immediately is the wide array of clothing. Heading into COP 28, my …
Dr. Supachai Kid Parchariyanon
By: Connor Johnson Stumbling upon the Thailand Pavilion on the second day of COP 28, I listened to one of the most driven and unique approaches to creating carbon neutrality within the private sector by Dr. Supachai Kid Parchariyanon, or Dr. Kid as he is commonly known. Dr. Kid is …
What do we do Post-COP 28?: Dissemination and Climate Literacy
by Tristan Durocher ’25 We are now two days removed from COP 28, an exhausting summit extending an extra two days past the prescribed 12 days planned. Being on the other side, I’ve now had time to process, reflect, and understand that the responsibility of being a COP attendee doesn’t …
Awakening Connections: Embracing the Rights of Nature
By Jasmine Sone Among all the discussions at COP28, the term “Rights of Nature” caught me off guard, a concept foreign to me until that point. My initial feeling was one of confusion. Why is it necessary to advocate for the Rights of Nature in a world where its intrinsic …
Day 3 @ COP 28 – Tristan Durocher ’25
Today marked an attempt to start the day earlier, with a wake-up at 7 am and departure by 7:30, aiming to catch the RINGO briefing. Despite making good time on the metro, I didn’t quite make it on time. While in line at the EXPO center, I took the opportunity …
Responsibility at COP28: For Whom, For What?
by Lucy Kramer (Anthropology, ’26) The full U.S. delegation gathered at the final meeting for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement On the day before the final Global Stocktake text came out, the parties were lined up to give their interventions—at 1:00 am, when I left for the metro back …
The United States Disappoints at COP28 Yet Again
By Mckenna Ryan I’m writing on December 13th, the day after the official end of COP28, but negotiations still continue. This COP, the United States has established itself yet again as a guardian of the neocolonial global order. Throughout negotiations, it has been stubbornly committed to shutting down meaningful progress: …
No False Solutions: Climate Colonialism and the Grand Inga Dam
By Riss Banuelos The colonial-capitalist machine is the driver of climate change as it effectively exploits the earth and its beings, destroying countless lifeways. The prerequisite to extracting Nature’s resources has often been the removal and murder of indigenous and local people, severe environmental degradation has been a side effect …
Trade at COP28: Navigating New Frontiers in Climate Policy
by Zoraiz Zafar ’24 The COP28 conference marked a historic moment in the climate change dialogue, dedicating a day exclusively to ‘trade.’ This unprecedented focus reflects a growing understanding of trade’s integral role in addressing climate change. It represents a step forward in harmonizing economic and environmental objectives, acknowledging that …
Unearthing the Impact: Soil’s Crucial Role in Climate Change
By Jasmine Sone As I sit here contemplating the future of our food, a disturbing fact enters my mind: only roughly 60 harvests are left in our topsoil. That’s all. It takes 1,000 years to produce three centimeters of topsoil, and if the current degradation rate continues, it is projected …
Exhibit Adventures: My Top Picks from COP28’s Exhibits
By Jasmine Sone Step into the captivating world of COP28 exhibitions, where ideas are showcased in brilliant shades of sustainability. The halls of COP28 were not merely places for debate but also galleries of inspiration, with collections that echoed the heartbeat of our planet’s future. The vivid and inventive displays …
The Catholic Church’s Role in Climate Action
By Mckenna Ryan and April Kwan Even home sick at the Vatican, Pope Francis has been making a historical impact at this year’s COP. Since his 2015 publication of Laudato Si’: On Care For Our Common Home (six months before historic COP21, no less), Pope Francis has cemented the Catholic …
Can we see the broader failure?
by Lucy Kramer Really, it is quite difficult to decide where to start, when dealing with COP, and climate change in general. Coming into Dubai, I had just finished reading a book called Ishmael by Daniel Quinn about the two people of the world, the “takers” and the “leavers.” This …
In the Spirit of Talanoa Dialogue
By Riss Banuelos The Talanoa Dialogue is an Asian-Pacific-inspired storytelling process used in conflict mitigation, “Tala-” meaning story and “-noa” meaning without concealment or blame. This process was brought to the world of climate work as a “gift” from the Fijian President of COP23. The Colorado College delegation hosted two …
Day 2 @ COP 28 -Tristan Durocher ’25
Day two mirrored the start of day one: a lengthy metro ride to the venue followed by more waiting in lines for entry. Although my intention was to attend the RINGO morning briefing, we didn’t arrive until 9:30 am, thirty minutes after it had begun. Acknowledging this delay, I redirected …
Watch Live: CC Students Participate on Panel “Empowering youth engagement in climate action, solutions, and policy addressing global challenges.”
Two CC students, Zoraiz Zafar ’25 and Lucy Kramer ’26, will join others from Moravian University, Michigan Tech, Uinversity of Connecticut, and Monash University (Australia), in a high-profile discussion about how educational institutions can engage and empower youth contributions to work on climate action. Join this discussion live at 5:45 …
Surreal Moments, Real Impact: My Journey at COP28
Over the course of this ongoing block, I have had the incredible opportunity to attend COP28, the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Dubai, as part of our class, ‘AN380 Engaging COP28 in Dubai as Ethnographers.’ While I had been relatively aware of the grandiose nature of this global …
Day 1 @ COP 28 From the perspective of Tristan Durocher ’25
Day one was a whirlwind event, beginning with an almost hour long metro ride from our hotel to the COP 28 venue at Expo City 2020 . The metro ride was notably smooth, and although crowded at our stop, most people disembarked at the Sobha Realty, presumably for work, despite …
Are United Nations Climate Summits Growing Too Big?
Sarah Hautzinger (Professor of Anthropology) Each year, the signatory countries to the 2015 Paris Agreement and previous conventions gather in what is called a “COP,” for Conference of the Parties. COP28 in Dubai (Nov 30-Dec 12) is hosting a jaw-dropping number of attendees, reaching over 100,000 registered delegates (with some …
