The world’s nations are struggling to come together to address multiple environmental crises. Recent United Nations-sponsored negotiations aimed at addressing climate change, plastic pollution, loss of global species, and expanding deserts have yielded limited outcomes or outright failures. This trend has persisted for three years since activist Greta Thunberg famously dismissed global talks as “blah-blah-blah,” becoming a rallying cry for young environmentalists.
Climate negotiations veteran analyst Alden Meyer described the situation as a collective failure of humanity to understand and address the gravity of the issues at hand. Over 20 experts interviewed by The Associated Press highlighted the broken nature of multilateral environmentalism due to cumbersome consensus processes, the influence of the fossil fuel industry, geopolitical shifts, and the sheer magnitude of the challenges being tackled.
While some progress has been made, particularly in the realm of climate change, it has been deemed insufficiently slow and fragmented by United Nations officials and other experts. Despite the challenges, United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen emphasized that the multilateral approach remains crucial for ensuring the participation of smaller and poorer nations alongside wealthier countries.
The current state of affairs stands in stark contrast to the optimism of the late 1980s and early 1990s when significant environmental agreements were reached. However, recent conferences such as the biodiversity COP in Cali, Colombia, the climate change COP in Baku, Azerbaijan, the plastics pollution meeting in Busan, South Korea, and the desertification conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia have failed to produce substantial agreements or solutions.
Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, lamented the lack of progress in these recent multilateral meetings, characterizing them as continued failures. The sentiment of unity and collective benefit that underpinned the Paris Agreement in 2015 seems to have waned, according to former U.N. climate secretary Christiana Figueres.
Juan Carlos Monterrey, a lead negotiator from Panama, who participated in all four recent conferences, echoed the sentiment that the entire system is fundamentally broken and that humanity has lost its way in addressing these critical environmental challenges.
During a desert meeting in Riyadh, Monterrey expressed the belief that countries like his own will need to address environmental challenges either independently or through collaboration with small groups of nations. While some advocate for the concept of “climate clubs” as a means of collective action, not all countries are fully onboard with this approach. Harjeet Singh of the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty emphasized the importance of exploring alternative strategies, referring to a climate-related case before the International Court of Justice. Figueres noted a significant increase in climate change-related legal actions worldwide, with one group of lawyers having filed 140 such cases. Former Ireland President Mary Robinson highlighted the limitations of the U.N. system while emphasizing its necessity. Al Gore stressed the need for innovative approaches to tackle climate issues effectively.
The process of decision-making within climate negotiations has faced challenges over the years, particularly regarding the adoption of consensus-based approaches over majority voting systems. Critics argue that consensus-based decision-making can hinder progress by accommodating the slowest-moving parties. Calls for implementing supermajority voting rules within the COP framework have been made, but past attempts have not succeeded. Gore and others have criticized the influence of a small number of countries and industries on climate policymaking.
Climate negotiations have evolved over the decades, culminating in the acknowledgment of fossil fuels as a primary driver of global warming and the need for a transition to cleaner energy sources. The shifting dynamics of global power and the diverse interests of nations have complicated the negotiation process. However, there is growing recognition of the urgent need for action on climate change at both national and international levels.
Experts remain hopeful about the prospects for addressing climate challenges, acknowledging the progress made to date while emphasizing the critical role of global cooperation facilitated by the U.N. Despite the obstacles and complexities involved, there is a shared sense of determination to combat climate change and safeguard the future of humanity.
“Hopelessness is to abandon the lives of people today,” expressed climate activist Mitzi Jonelle Tan. “To feel hopeless is to relinquish faith in my family, in our shared human experiences. To surrender is to forfeit life itself.”
