Good COP, Bad COP
<p>The size of the event generated enormous media attention but also led some climate activists and observers to question <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-07/dubai-s-gold-gilded-cop28-summit-changes-climate-talks-forever" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">whether the process is worth the time, effort, and expense</a>. Based on more than 20 years attending such meetings, my view is that the growth in attendance is understandable, a reflection of the increasing recognition global climate change is an existential and urgent matter. While it may appear to be a large trade show or festival (even for many of those attending), the numbers only indirectly influence the outcomes — if at all.</p>
<p>The initial governmental climate meetings were modest affairs. Along with a few hundred others, I attended some of the negotiations leading to the 1992 Convention. The attendance grew over time to <a href="https://unfccc.int/about-us/about-the-secretariat" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">average about 25,000 </a>and varied with the agenda (some meetings had little of significance to negotiate) and the ease and cost of participation (e.g., travel to Bali versus Warsaw). A major meeting such as that in Paris in 2015 attracted 40,000. Meanwhile other forums negotiating climate change related issues (e.g., a <a href="https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=XXVII-2-f&chapter=27&clang=_en" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol</a> phasing down use of a powerful greenhouse gas) had far fewer participants.</p>
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