Fatter Than an Indian Wedding: the Conference of Parties

Delegation of leaders at COP29.

(Photo: X/@COP29_AZ)

The Conference of Parties (CoP), taking place currently in Baku, is all set to make the world a little bit hotter. More than 50,000 persons were in town when last checked, even as more kept turning up. 

Since it started in 1995, CoP has been growing in size. Like a travelling show, it has gone around the world, touching countries and continents, hardly leaving out the preferred conference destinations, thereby growing in popularity and size. 

In the Dubai CoP last year, nearly a hundred thousand participants were registered, which was nearly twice the number at the previous conference in Egypt. In Glasgow, the number of registered participants was around 40,000, but like all CoPS, the number of visitors was a lot more.

Environmentalist Chandra Bhushan, who as Deputy Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and as CEO of iFOREST, has attended 16 of the 29 CoPs until now, says the actual negotiations are conducted by barely 10 per cent of the people present at the event. He feels the size of the CoP can be reduced by conducting many sessions virtually. However, he also feels that an annual gathering is important to take stock of the progress made and to develop future cooperation. 

Who are the Other ‘Participants’? 

Of late, climate funding has grown, unlike many other areas of international development. According to the United Nations, developed countries provided a total of $115 billion in 2022 in climate finance for developing countries. 

How much is $115 billion exactly?

Consider this: a prominent UN agency reported contributions totalling $8.92 billion in 2023. Governments, international agencies, foundations and philanthropic individuals are contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to the climate space. Many of them attend the CoP. If you were a grant-seeker, it would be naïve not to send your representatives to CoP, as they will run into a potential donor. 

Expanding Mandates 

The climate fund is a game-changer in the development arena. It is so powerful that social development organisations have altered their mandates to become relevant for climate funding. Organisations working in the areas of population, water and sanitation, nutrition, poverty alleviation – you name it – have been working overtime to find convincing connects with climate change as the driver.

They all attend CoP to understand the connect better, assess the competition, and talk about their expanded mandate. This is essential in ensuring the survival of agencies – even if it is against the idea of sustainability – to travel in large team sizes to raise funds as funding flows get diverted towards climate action. 

Instead of seeking potential donors in London or New York, it is easier to find them at the CoP.  The line “We met at the CoP” is capable of bridging all distances, opening doors, and, it is fervently hoped, the donor’s wallet. 

Then there are climate activists who travel all the way to briefly disrupt proceedings to attract the attention of organisers. They walk into panel discussions, and closed-door meetings, run on the stage or do something unexpected like raising slogans and showing placards for a few seconds before they are escorted from the venue. 

There is yet another lot who like to say they are at the CoP. Why they are at the CoP is nobody’s business, and what they do at the CoP is not for anyone to ask, but they are there in Warsaw, Copenhagen or Dubai, carrying the world on their shoulders. 

Funding Travel

The social sector is primarily donor-dependent. It is not so bad to travel on someone else’s money, and think of sustainability and climate change while exploring a new city in a distant country.

The carbon footprint analysis surrounding every CoP has not yet deterred organisers from limiting participation, capping travel, or changing the format of the conference. 

It is also the duration of the conference that makes CoP a carbon-intensive event. Not a day or two, the negotiations last two weeks in which delegates, heads of state, ministers and officials arrive and leave. Negotiations need time as officials and government representatives go over the detailed and complicated agenda, analysing progress reports and goals set by countries. It is the non-essential actors who end up overstaying.

Emissions 

Just as every year is reported to be warmer than the previous one, every CoP too is getting bigger.

Climate analysts reported the emissions caused by the Dubai CoP were more than any other, most of it caused by flights as well as long durations of stay. Private and chartered planes are known to be used by high-profile participants such as heads of state and business leaders while airlines deploy additional flights to meet the surge in demand for travel.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has admitted the carbon footprint of the conference is unsustainable. “There are reports of private planes and the CO2 footprint for hosting CoP. We need the right people around the table to make this work… ensure that the ones present are the ones necessary,” he said. 

Stein may not follow up on his observation as one reason why host countries want the CoP is the boost it gives to local businesses. Bhushan found hotels to be costing as much as $800 a night with the city witnessing unprecedented footfall.

The infusion into the national and city’s economy should have a lasting impact, considering Baku, once known as the Black City due to its oil pollution and grime, is now a city with pleasing views and waterfronts, charming hotels and cafes. Thanks to the CoP, the visitors will carry the new image to their home countries, and many more people will return to experience Azerbaijan. 

For a city that has in the past hosted relatively modest events like the Eurovision Song Contest and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Conference of Parties could put Baku in a different league.

What it does for climate change is another matter.

(Anupam Srivastava is a development communication professional, commentator and the author of The Brown Sahebs)