2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30)

The Conference of Parties (COP) is one of the largest negotiating sessions dedicated to supporting the global response to climate change. With almost universal membership and participation, 198 countries and over 25,000 individuals come together to create global climate policy, with previous accomplishments including the Paris Agreement and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. This conference is an attempt at global unity to fight back against the existential crisis that is climate change and environmental destruction, discussing solutions to protect the future of human existence.

Topic: Unequal Responsibilities Between Countries and Global Climate Finance

The climate crisis is not an equally shared burden. Low income countries like Somalia and Afghanistan have faced their worst droughts in decades, creating struggling conditions in already vulnerable regions. All of the top ten most vulnerable countries emit the least greenhouse gases, while the biggest contributors to the problem, like the United States, face far fewer repercussions. This is a multifaceted problem, created through poor geographic locations that are impacted by changing climate patterns and a reliance on raw materials that break down local environments at the cost of groundwater pollution, deforestation, and more. Policymakers see an innovative solution through global finance, and the pre-existing UN mechanisms of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). With a circular economic model, countries with ample resources will provide financial assistance to the most vulnerable, creating a system of mutual benefit that addresses the disproportionate consequences faced by developing countries. Using climate finance as a guiding system, delegates must work together and respond to the asymmetrical effects of climate change.

Background guide coming soon!