With COP29 (the UN’s 29th annual international climate change conference) in full swing in Azerbaijan, we took to the streets of UEA campus to find out what students knew about COP.  

What is COP?  

Most UEA students were clueless on COP, with very few confident that they knew what it was, or what it stood for. Some students had a vague understanding, giving responses such as ‘I think it’s about climate change’ or ‘I know it’s for climate change and they have one a year’ however others confused the acronym with the nickname given to American police officers. COP stands for ‘Conference Of the Parties’ and refers to annual meeting of the parties of the UNFCCC.  

Which number COP is it this year, or where it is being hosted? 

Not one single student knew which number COP it currently is. Most students replied ‘no’ or ‘I don’t know’, and others attempted to guess, their estimations ranging from 16-28. Similarly, not one person we spoke to knew where this year’s COP is being hosted. 

Does COP work?  

The few students who had a rough idea of what COP was then went on to discuss whether it was successful at what it was trying to achieve, with most responses highlighting common criticisms of the conference. One student commented that ‘it raises awareness and shows the international community taking climate change seriously, however I don’t actually think it’s making a significant difference’ with them suggesting that ‘it needs to be more down to individual governments having the courage to internally radically change how they address climate change within their own country… but also then having an international plan to deal with things like tax avoidance, international travel or pollution, eco-genocide etc.’ Another student shared their views on the limitations of the conference declaring that ‘I think they could definitely do more, I think they could definitely meet a lot more frequently, propose a lot more policies, I think there is a lot of disagreement from them as well so they need to get that sorted out.’  

What should be the priorities of an international climate change conference?  

Despite knowing little of the conference itself, all students were able to express what they felt should be prioritised by international climate policy. Remarks included addressing specific issues such as ‘cutting back on single use plastics’, ‘reducing fossil fuel emissions’, ‘global warming’ and ‘pushing’ electric vehicles. In addition to this, some students suggested specific policies should be prioritised such as ‘potential sanctions for countries not following their climate goals, for them to show that they’re trying their hardest to reach goals before their set dates… and if Trump is elected and then he starts to refuse to attend and pull back just like he did before, then the US should receive sanctions.’ Other prime concerns for students were ‘educating people from a young age’, ensuring there are ‘various perspectives and to make sure all voices are heard’ and ‘the long term effects of everything’.  

COP29 is hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan this year from the 11th to 22nd of November.  

Image credit: Unsplash