COP27: A View From Inside The Negotiations
Victoria Mitchell
Former Queen’s University Belfast student, Stuart Best, provides an exclusive interview from Sharm El-Sheikh. He highlights the key role that students can play in counteracting the climate crisis.
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COP27 has been making numerous headlines worldwide with an agenda focused on creating a global network. Over 230 representatives from all seven continents have been in attendance, emphasising the importance of fighting climate change collectively. But what has it been like for the people present in Egypt itself? The Scoop spoke to Stuart Best from the United Nations, to gain an inside perspective of the conference.
“What you see on the outside or in the news is quite detached from what actually goes on in the negotiation rooms.”
Can you outline your role in COP27?
I work for United Nations Climate Change so I’m working on the negotiations side of COP, and my specific field is climate adaptation. I began working for the UN in 2021, having completed my undergraduate degree at Queen’s, and my Masters in the Netherlands.
As a recent graduate, why do you think it is important to have young people partaking in the conference?
It is vital as we are the generation that will live with the impacts of climate change. As well as engaging in activism, I would encourage young people to pursue careers in climate change and to get involved from ‘the inside’.
“We are the generation that will live with the impacts of climate change. ”
For you personally, why has it been important to be “inside” the conference?
What you see on the outside or in the news is quite detached from what actually goes on in the negotiation rooms. How countries come to their actual outcomes is a more complex and interesting process than the headlines often suggest.
What do you think have been the most “complex” issues and challenges this year?
The biggest issues at this year’s COP have been climate adaptation, climate mitigation and climate finance, and whether countries can agree on how to move these forward in a way that keeps the 1.5 degree goal of the Paris Agreement within reach. Often the challenges come down to very technical details that you never read about on the news, as well as the design of the system that requires every country to agree before things get decided.
One issue that has made a lot of headlines is the “loss and damages” debate. Why is this so controversial?
Some of my closest colleagues are working in Loss and Damage, and I must say they aren’t getting much sleep! It is a challenging issue as it considers ‘who is responsible’ for climate change and what should they ‘pay’ in compensation. But there seems to be some movement from developed nations and we have seen some convergence over the last week.
As COP draws to a close, what is your reflection on it? In particular, some commentators are suggesting it was less star-studded than previous years and lacked the impact of COP26. How do you respond to that?
It is true that there weren’t as many big names as attended COP26-no David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg or King Charles! However, we enjoyed welcoming the new Brazilian President Lula who made important pledges to halt deforestation of the Amazon, and was greeted like a celebrity.
From my perspective in the negotiations, whether celebrities are here or not doesn’t make much difference. Although they can help highlight specific issues, it is more about the actual deals that are made in the negotiating room. This is why I encourage anyone with an interest in environmental issues, regardless of background or experience, to get involved in climate initiatives.
Indeed, Stuart’s call to action is an important one as we look forward to Waste Reduction Week and Green Week on-campus. COP27 may be ending but there is still much local action to be taken.
Victoria Mitchell is The Scoop’s Science and Environment Deputy Editor, and an MA English Literature student at Queen’s University Belfast.