A women and man sit beside each other at a desk with a closed agreement and single pen in the foreground. Flags for California, the US, Germany, and Baden-Wurttemberg sit in the foreground. Two additional leaders stand behind them to pose for a photo. The wallpaper behind them reads, "COP30 Belem, Germany Pavilion."

COP30’s Subnational Climate Leadership Spotlight

The United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) primarily centers the priorities of national delegates and their resulting climate commitments, however subnational parties, including states and cities, have risen to the spotlight of COP30. During week 1, leadership from the states of California, USA and Baden-Württemberg, Germany met at the Germany Pavilion to reaffirm their sister-state …

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Global StockTake, Loss and Damage, Nuclear at COP28

For context, Conference of Parties (COP) is a gathering of the world’s governing bodies and leaders where they meet to discuss regulation, and policy that attempts to mitigate, adapt, and build resilience against climate change. I would argue that the goal of COP is to resolve the issues brought forth by climate change, others would …

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Will more energy be a strength or weakness? Global South Perspectives from COP-27

COP-27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, was unique not only because it was in Africa but also because it felt like a COP for Africa. The continent of Africa and much of the Global South has long been left behind in almost every modern-day metric and index - GDP, HDI, Gini, etc. These countries are grappling with poignant issues of food, …

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“Keep Polluters Out, Let the People In:” A Rallying Call for Climate Justice at COP25

Since 1995, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has hosted the yearly Conferences of Parties (COP) to facilitate international climate policy. Organizations from around the world gather to set the agenda for coordinated action on climate change. Marking its 25th meeting, COP25 suffered multiple setbacks beginning during the planning stages and continuing …

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Blockchain for Climate Finance

The world is faced with an unconventional, unprecedented challenge – that of climate change – and needs unconventional ways to overcome it. The intersection of climate, finance and technology is doing just that, by turning to blockchain for climate finance. This was the hot topic at several discussion sessions at COP 24, and therefore, this …

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Progress and upcoming challenges: Defining the Technology framework of the Paris Agreement at the COP 23

The 2017 UN Framework Conference on Climate Change—Conference of Parties (COP 23)—was commonly considered a more “technical” COP with respect to the landmark COP 21, which resulted in the Paris Agreement (PA).  The importance of the COP 23 lay in the Parties formulating the “rulebook” for the successful implementation of the several mechanisms established in …

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A First Look at COP23: The Agenda, the Role of the United States, and Why We’re Hopeful

  (Photo above from Delegate Advisor Matt Irish of the plenary at COP23.)   On Monday, November 6, 2017, the delegation from Fiji will and formally commence the 23rd United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of Parties, where the nations of the world discuss, debate, and develop worldwide action on climate change. Among …

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Climate Progress Doesn’t Have to be Limited by Politics

In a time of high frustration over the state of US political engagement with climate change, it’s important to acknowledge the progress being made around the world on climate change and the environment. Even if, as Ed Waisenen noted in Climate Blue’s last blog post, environmental progress is stalled or reversed at the national level, …

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The Business of Free. Something to learn for climate change?

“We could have saved [the Earth] but we were too damned cheap.”  -Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., A Man Without a Country. Recently, I became aware of a Pew Research Center poll that found overwhelming support for requiring better fuel efficiency for vehicles (79%), funding for alternative energy (74%), and strong support for spending more on mass …

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