The luxury of being a student at COP is a relaxed daily agenda. While official countries' delegates need to navigate a multidimensional game of chess between science, politics, and corporate realities, students can best form the fascinating part – learning and asking hard questions. I've attended COP29 for the entire two weeks and see COP as something to tackle in three parts: before, during, and after.
The scale of the event is not easy to comprehend. There are 198 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) brings together most of those parties. That includes all 193 UN members, two eligible non-member states (the Cook Islands and Niue), the Holy See (Vatican), the State of Palestine, and the European Union. This year, 133 entities had their pavilions, mostly countries, but also spaces for gatherings like the Ocean, UN, or EU Pavilions. Planning before the COP helps to focus amid endless events.
One famous general said, ‘Plans are useless, but planning is essential.’ Even though many things change before the COP, a student can get ready by laying the foundation for a successful few days by identifying people to have coffee with. UNFCCC regularly publishes the list of all registered participants, which may be helpful. There are usually a few dozen private companies as well as the world’s major NGOs. As such, one could find a few companies of interest and connect with the people before coming to the COP.
Despite hundreds of events, there are only a few main items to follow. In Baku, major topics were the new collective quantified goal (NCQG), loss and damage, and article 6. With one of these topics in mind, one could even go around countries’ pavilions and have in-depth discussions while learning about the country’s agendas (or the absence of one). Overall, a student can lay a successful foundation for COP by having a lineup of conversations with people of interest and having a topic in mind to follow.
During the COP, students in our group had three main approaches: follow one topic deeply, engage in various items broadly, or work for a client (an organization we all found and supported to various extents). My classmate Sameer Swarup took the first approach and closely followed the loss and damage processes. By the end of the conference, not only was he highly proficient in the subject, but he also knew the key actors involved. When asked for the interview in the corridor, he gave a brilliant answer with no preparation.
The second common approach was to look for events of interest broadly. As my master’s project topic is biodiversity credits, I was looking for related events. Furthermore, I wanted to see how COP is different from other conferences. Hence, I attended high-level opening statements, ministerial statements, and several press conferences. I also got to stop by for events in many pavilions, including the United States, Sweden, China, Indonesia, and more.
Thirdly, as part of the class, we needed to have a client and work with them (e.g., take notes on negotiations). As part of the Ukraine delegation, I organized a panel on the role of American universities in Ukraine’s green recovery. Kayla Fericy, a third-year PhD candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering, brought her invaluable technical expertise in water quality and offered her insights. I was also asked for some interpretation support. Hence, I shadowed our deputy minister at various talks where she made opening statements or spoke on a panel. Additionally, as a president of the University of North Carolina MBA Net Impact Club, I created content for the Net Impact Instagram.
In general, while COP is happening for eleven days, exploring the country outside of the COP is manageable to plan. It makes little difference whether you attend COP for five or four days, but it makes a huge difference whether you explore Azerbaijan for one or zero days. As such, with Jacob Wilentz, Duke ’24 alum, we had the pleasure of seeing the gorgeous sceneries of Azerbaijan. From the flame mountain with the constant burning of natural gas to the mesmerizing Caucasus Mountains, we were constantly impressed by the beauty of local views.
We also couldn’t avoid noticing lots of oil and gas extraction sites. One of the pictures I didn’t take was the COP29 sign in front of a petrol jack pumping oil. Not to diminish the critiques of a country’s economy, which is primarily fueled by oil and gas export, it’s important to see a broad picture (e.g., Azerbaijan’s oil and gas export is less than 1% on the world’s market).
Some other notable observations around Azerbaijan include countless surveillance cameras, metal detectors in the metro, and manicured Baku. As I have visited over 40 countries, I recall only three cities where one should take a bag through a metal detector when entering public transport, such as the metro: Baku, Moscow, and Shanghai. This peculiarity of having a high level of security plays a role in organizing such a sizable event. Not a single time have we waited in line for security or badge checks for longer than a minute or two. The accreditation, security, and shuttle organization of the conference were flawless. The presidency did a fantastic job on the logistics of the event.
Finally, the last part is after the COP. When prospective students reach out to me for advice, the one idea I always emphasize is thank you notes and follow-ups. When someone gives me their business card, I try to write a few words on the card right away, like ‘COP29, date, and a few topics we discussed.’ Starting with the people who impressed me the most and with whom I want to stay in touch, I would send a note to most people I met. As with so many things happening at the conference, it’s never too early to follow up.
The impression of COP29 results were highly polar. The presidency claims breakthrough and delivery of a new financial goal. However, contrary to the hosting country, many call this year’s COP a failure: ‘Three hundred billion dollars till 2035 is a joke, and it’s not something we should take lightly. I do not think it’s something we should clap our hands and force us to take it’ – said a delegate from Nigeria, Nkiruka Maduekwe, NPR reporting.
To conclude, despite all the valid criticism of COP, as a student, one still greatly benefits from observing such a vital event, regardless of the degree of the event’s success. From pure learning while attending events to getting to know other delegates, COP is worth your time as a student.
Dmytro (Dima) Zlenko is a third-year MEM/MBA student at the Nicholas School of the Environment and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Originally from Ukraine, Dmytro holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. His primary academic interest is guiding corporate and academic institutions through their low-carbon transitions, considering large-scale ramifications, including energy interdependence in war-affected regions. Dima attended COP as part of the Duke University’s U.N. Climate Change Negotiations Practicum and Ukraine’s delegation.