Ten years ago, at COP21, the Paris Agreement was signed: a legally binding international treaty on climate change which aimed “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” However, earlier this year, scientists from the University of Leeds warned that we may only be three years out from reaching the 1.5°C limit through greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, delegates from the Global Tipping Points Conference, also earlier this year, released a statement urging for “immediate, unprecedented action” from policymakers, as we rapidly approach climate tipping points. It is clear that we need urgent, meaningful change while humanity still has some influence over rising global temperatures, as COP30 provides a key opportunity to commit to this.
As students and members of a university, we should care about what happens at COP30. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has established that education is a critical component to addressing climate change; it empowers people to take action, protect local communities, and combat climate doom. Thus, it is crucial that we ensure that COP30 demonstrates a commitment to climate education, embedding students into long-term plans for the global response to the climate crisis. Education is one of the key themes of COP30, to be discussed on 12-13 November, ensuring the role of students and universities will be part of the climate discussion. The broad themes also relate to many of the disciplines at King’s – from Justice and Human Rights, to Finance, to Health – further embedding the importance of students and academics to COP30.
Universities are also crucial for climate research and monitoring – as mentioned earlier with the University of Leeds and the Tipping Point conference, hosted by the University of Exeter. King's is no exception: researchers from King’s are leading a new international project to monitor the Amazon Rainforest’s climate tipping point, particularly relevant as COP30 will take place by the Amazon. While COP30 may seem distant to students in the UK, King’s is not, and the University is sending delegates from multiple departments to COP30. As members of the King’s community, we can influence and support climate research, discuss COP30 with delegates, and engage in climate action through King’s Climate & Sustainability, including through the COP30 resource pack. Ahead of COP30, Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA) at the University of Birmingham have published a ‘Bridging Research and Policy for Global Action’ report, which aims to bridge the gap between academic output and real-world policy. This is a key step to solidifying the significance of universities, including King’s, in creating robust, urgent, and positive climate policy, reaffirming why students should be attuned to the happenings of COP30.
Another reason why it is important for students to care and keep up with COP30 is to be critical of it. Among the incoming articles, press releases, and information about COP30, there will be shortcomings and concerns, and it is crucial that these are not overlooked, and the academic world should be apt at promoting and holding these conversations. Whose perspectives are absent from COP30, and whose are overrepresented? Looking back to COP29, the presence of over 1,700 fossil fuel lobbyists, whose interests are opposed to the urgent just transition needed, was an overrepresentation that may have weakened the outputs of COP29. Meanwhile, there were only about 1,000 delegated from the ten most climate-vulnerable nations combined. This inequality of representation at COP, especially the overrepresentation of the fossil fuel industry, is a concern we must be mindful of going into COP30. Only this month, Brazil has given permission for Petrobras to conduct oil drilling in the Amazon despite criticism from environmental campaigners, conflicting with commitments to be a climate leader. As students, we are in a suitable position to evaluate and criticise the shortcomings of COP30, and use this to push for further conversation and action to mitigate these issues.
Growing up, many of us were told that we should care about climate change because it will ‘affect our future’. It was presented as something distant, far-away. This is no longer true. The climate crisis is happening now, in the present, and has been for some time, seen in the increasing scale, frequency and intensity of natural disasters such as drought, heavy rainfall, and wildfires, in turn having a huge toll on people, communities, and the environment. It is crucial that we respond to both positive outcomes and shortcomings of climate action with urgency. The time to act on the climate crisis is now, and with COP30 less than a month away with delegates from across the world, COP30 is our opportunity to push for tangible global change for the climate, and that is something we should all care about.