As the excitement builds for the opening day of COP29, I was reminded that COP29 may not be received in the same way by everyone, particularly by the locals of Baku.
For me, it means having the rare chance to observe and be a part of something as big as the United Nations Climate Change Conference. I was going to be in the presence of some of the world’s best thinkers and diplomats on a critical issue that I am extremely passionate about — the global climate crisis and climate (in)justice.
But what about the locals? How do they perceive hundreds of thousands of foreigners entering their space? How will hosting COP29 impact their lives and communities?
I was doing a little sightseeing the day before the conference and was able to observe the happenings around me. One particular observation lingered in my mind, it was a local having a conversation with a COP29 attendee. The local person shared that they were very disgruntled by the fact that COP29 came to Baku because among other things, it is difficult for Baku to handle such a large number of people. The COP29 attendee’s response reflected what I was also thinking about which was — wouldn’t having COP29 be a good thing for Baku? By “putting Baku on the map” and increasing tourism? The more that I think about my observation of the interactions between the local and COP29 attendee, I realized that the COP29 attendee’s mindset and my own were probably held by many, all which come from a place of privilege and power.
I went into COP29 with the hopes of being a part of a noble cause: how the world was going to respond to and be accountable for climate change, but I ended up not factoring how I could be part of the problem.
For this COP29, I continue to look forward to observing how the world is going to handle the climate crisis; however, I will also be questioning and following the impact of having COP29 in Baku on the local people and communities of Baku. Is the management of COP29 in Baku employing environmentally sustainable practices as we talk about climate change? I look forward to my students learning more about climate change as they follow COP29. Will negotiations result in mitigation plans that are equitable for countries and people that are most impacted by climate change?
Cuc is a Climate Generation Window Into COP delegate for COP29. To learn more, we encourage you to meet the full delegation, support our delegates, and subscribe to the Window Into COP digest.
Cuc (pronounced “Cook”) Vu is a graduate student in the STEM Education program at the University of Minnesota. Her research interest involves examining the phenomena behind inequities in representation of marginalized populations in STEM disciplines. Her favorite class to teach is “Nature in the Cities”, an environmental science course that focuses on science and conservation of biodiversity in the Twin Cities. This course covers the importance of socially responsible and culturally sensitive interventions to environmental problems.
