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Promises, Power Outages and Pins
I was excited to arrive at this year’s meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in November, but also a bit hesitant. I went in bright-eyed and ready to learn about all the ways to achieve global cooperation and to make a difference, but I left with more questions than I had anticipated. I was told that COP30, taking place in Belém, Brazil, the gateway to the Amazon, was symbolic. I could understand the intention behind that, but attending in person made me question whether it was the right setting for an event of this size. Belém was a welcoming city, and the people were some of the kindest people I have ever met. The city is rich in culture and biodiversity, and the Amazon is a central player in global climate. Most afternoons, the sky opened to deliver heavy tropical rainstorms. It was a constant reminder of the Amazon basin’s scale and power. Being here reinforced that climate change is not only a scientific issue; it is cultural, social, political and deeply tied to place.The two-week event came with real infrastructure limitations, social inequalities and climate impacts as the city “expanded” to host the thousands of delegates who traveled there for the conference. This made me wonder whether bringing tens of thousands of visitors to this region caused more burden than benefit for the people who call Belém home. After speaking to many locals and Indigenous people, I saw a mixed bag of feelings regarding the location of this COP. Attending the opening day of COP30 was impressive. The Blue Zone, limited to badged participants, felt like its own little world. It was housed in a massive tent filled with pavilions that countries and institutions put together. They hosted panels, ran events and promoted climate projects. However, behind the bright colors and large displays, the negotiations themselves felt distant, unclear and inaccessible. Most people I spoke to did not know what was actually happening in the negotiation rooms. Information was vague. Updates were slow. The transparency that I expected felt elusive. This surprised me, because I had expected a much higher level of openness from a conference built around tackling the global climate crisis.COP30 was supposed to be the Implementation COP, where plans discussed in previous years were meant to translate into concrete, measurable actions. After being there in person, I am not sure that happened. Many conversations felt repetitive, and panelists throughout the venue discussed problems we have known about for years. Solutions were discussed, but actual agreements seemed to stall.
Maya Prunty moderates a discussion of top ocean issues at COP30, Nov. 12, 2025.
One statistic kept echoing in my mind: there were more than 56,000 people registered for COP30, and one in 25 was a fossil fuel lobbyist. That is a shocking figure for a climate conference. It made me question how genuine the negotiations can really be when so many voices represent the very industries driving the crisis.In addition, the Blue Zone had a rocky start, with the electricity not working and no air conditioning in vast swaths of the tent. Some panels were canceled, others rescheduled, and some people had to yell to be heard while dealing with the intense heat inside a tent with limited airflow and no working microphones. Sweltering heat aside, the experience highlighted how an annual global conference still had a multitude of logistical problems, which makes coming to agreements and learning how to improve much more complicated.Outside the Blue Zone, the Green Zone was very different; it was smaller and open to the public. Members and local organizations filled the space with honest and urgent talks. Many of the programs were held in the native language, Portuguese. There were some events held in English, and the stories shared in them were grounded and truthful. These stories were shared by those living with climate impacts each day, yet these speakers were not in the Blue Zone, where decisions were being shaped, a contrast that was difficult to ignore. Many panels at the Ocean Pavilion, where Scripps was based, and across the Blue and Green Zones, were thoughtful, impactful and driven by both scientific evidence and community knowledge. The presence of Indigenous leaders and youth activists added honesty to conversations and was a powerful reminder that climate change is everyone's responsibility. In addition, the people who presented and those who worked behind the scenes cared deeply about the work they were doing, and it showed tremendously. Their commitment was clear and inspiring. Those voices were the strongest part of the entire conference. Surprisingly, the buzz in the Blue Zone was not about which panel would be next, but concerned pin trading — an activity that was taken very seriously at COP30. Many pavilions gave away custom pins, some considered rare or highly sought after. I will admit that they were cute and could be fun to receive, but for me, the excitement wore off quickly once I saw how much attention pins were receiving — a distraction from the substance I had hoped to engage with. The pin mania created a transactional dynamic which felt off to me, as my intention of being at COP was to learn, connect and have meaningful conversations. While pins are fun souvenirs, it feels a bit odd to expect one or receive one for attending a panel or discussing an issue that I was genuinely interested in. It made me realize how easy it is for distractions to take away attention from the real work that still needs to happen. It also made it feel odd when leaving a panel, after listening to a powerful message, and then everyone crowded around the person at the front desk, palms outstretched, ready to receive their token. There were meaningful outcomes that do deserve recognition, for instance, the United Nations reported that with current climate pledges, the world was back on track for a 12% reduction in emissions by 2035, based on an updated NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) Synthesis Report. Brazil had also announced the official recognition of 10 Indigenous lands during COP30, an exciting milestone for Indigenous rights, cultural protection and conservation efforts. I am not a cynical person, but I left with lingering questions after my attendance. Are COPs worth the enormous financial, environmental and political cost of hosting them? Are they fulfilling their intended purpose when progress on critical issues, such as transition away from fossil fuels, continues to stall year after year? Would it be more effective to not host these COPs and instead use the funding to make a positive impact on climate change, on developing communities, on those who are feeling the effects of climate change at this very moment? Would it be better to host an online learning panel session and cut back on the major carbon footprint each and every one of us contributed to while attending COP? At the next COP, should we exclude pins? I gained a lot of insight from my experience at COP30, both positive and complicated. I am grateful for my opportunity to attend the conference, and I am so thankful for being able to experience it. I acknowledge the privilege that I had to be there, and I am excited to share what I learned with my own community. I am more aware than ever that climate action requires far more than the promises made in negotiation rooms. It requires accountability, transparent communication, listening and the inclusion of communities who live with the consequences of climate change every day. – Maya Prunty is a student in the Master of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation program. She is pursuing interdisciplinary research that blends marine science and communication to create equity-centered conservation messaging for diverse communities.
Maya Prunty moderates a discussion of top ocean issues at COP30, Nov. 12, 2025.
One statistic kept echoing in my mind: there were more than 56,000 people registered for COP30, and one in 25 was a fossil fuel lobbyist. That is a shocking figure for a climate conference. It made me question how genuine the negotiations can really be when so many voices represent the very industries driving the crisis.In addition, the Blue Zone had a rocky start, with the electricity not working and no air conditioning in vast swaths of the tent. Some panels were canceled, others rescheduled, and some people had to yell to be heard while dealing with the intense heat inside a tent with limited airflow and no working microphones. Sweltering heat aside, the experience highlighted how an annual global conference still had a multitude of logistical problems, which makes coming to agreements and learning how to improve much more complicated.Outside the Blue Zone, the Green Zone was very different; it was smaller and open to the public. Members and local organizations filled the space with honest and urgent talks. Many of the programs were held in the native language, Portuguese. There were some events held in English, and the stories shared in them were grounded and truthful. These stories were shared by those living with climate impacts each day, yet these speakers were not in the Blue Zone, where decisions were being shaped, a contrast that was difficult to ignore. Many panels at the Ocean Pavilion, where Scripps was based, and across the Blue and Green Zones, were thoughtful, impactful and driven by both scientific evidence and community knowledge. The presence of Indigenous leaders and youth activists added honesty to conversations and was a powerful reminder that climate change is everyone's responsibility. In addition, the people who presented and those who worked behind the scenes cared deeply about the work they were doing, and it showed tremendously. Their commitment was clear and inspiring. Those voices were the strongest part of the entire conference. Surprisingly, the buzz in the Blue Zone was not about which panel would be next, but concerned pin trading — an activity that was taken very seriously at COP30. Many pavilions gave away custom pins, some considered rare or highly sought after. I will admit that they were cute and could be fun to receive, but for me, the excitement wore off quickly once I saw how much attention pins were receiving — a distraction from the substance I had hoped to engage with. The pin mania created a transactional dynamic which felt off to me, as my intention of being at COP was to learn, connect and have meaningful conversations. While pins are fun souvenirs, it feels a bit odd to expect one or receive one for attending a panel or discussing an issue that I was genuinely interested in. It made me realize how easy it is for distractions to take away attention from the real work that still needs to happen. It also made it feel odd when leaving a panel, after listening to a powerful message, and then everyone crowded around the person at the front desk, palms outstretched, ready to receive their token. There were meaningful outcomes that do deserve recognition, for instance, the United Nations reported that with current climate pledges, the world was back on track for a 12% reduction in emissions by 2035, based on an updated NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) Synthesis Report. Brazil had also announced the official recognition of 10 Indigenous lands during COP30, an exciting milestone for Indigenous rights, cultural protection and conservation efforts. I am not a cynical person, but I left with lingering questions after my attendance. Are COPs worth the enormous financial, environmental and political cost of hosting them? Are they fulfilling their intended purpose when progress on critical issues, such as transition away from fossil fuels, continues to stall year after year? Would it be more effective to not host these COPs and instead use the funding to make a positive impact on climate change, on developing communities, on those who are feeling the effects of climate change at this very moment? Would it be better to host an online learning panel session and cut back on the major carbon footprint each and every one of us contributed to while attending COP? At the next COP, should we exclude pins? I gained a lot of insight from my experience at COP30, both positive and complicated. I am grateful for my opportunity to attend the conference, and I am so thankful for being able to experience it. I acknowledge the privilege that I had to be there, and I am excited to share what I learned with my own community. I am more aware than ever that climate action requires far more than the promises made in negotiation rooms. It requires accountability, transparent communication, listening and the inclusion of communities who live with the consequences of climate change every day. – Maya Prunty is a student in the Master of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation program. She is pursuing interdisciplinary research that blends marine science and communication to create equity-centered conservation messaging for diverse communities.
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