Moana Effect - UNFCCC COP29

As COP29 comes to an end tomorrow—we need to remember how there still remains a deadlock on many agenda items; the divergence on climate finance negotiations are critical and can't be ignored.

Loss and damage still becomes an ongoing fight. "Money matters!" as I've previously said before going for #COP29 (see here). As of now, we know how instead of specifying a global target of at least $1 trillion in new funds for developing countries to combat the climate crisis, the text merely includes an "X" where the numerical figures should have been—the politics is so neatly seen on ground. I am concerned how the Small Island Developing States (#SIDS), #children, #women, CSOs and other actors are being considered amongst contentious talks at the UN Climate Change COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

I have, therefore, as an observer and delegate from University of Leeds - have written and published the following over the last two weeks—happy to share:

1. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝: Read here [published with The Conversation UK]
2. 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭: Read here [published with Priestley Centre for Climate Futures]
3. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞—“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝”: 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐮’𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: Read here [published with Policy Leeds]
4. “𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞”: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐂𝐂𝐂-𝐂𝐁𝐃 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐬 (2024). PLOS Clim 3(10): e0000503; co-authored with Molino J, Nestor MA, Cordonier Segger M-C: Read here [published with PLOS Climate]

Grateful to Priestley Centre for Climate Futures for this opportunity; and to my PhD supervisors Viktoria Spaiser, Richard Beardsworth and Cristina G. Stefan for the continuous encouragement; and the email exchanges that encouraged me to look into the nuances of different and dynamic political engagements on ground.

Further, grateful to the amazing people I met at COP29—meeting them have been personally empowering!! The pic below is of Sunny Kamuta Seuseu and Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) team whom I met at the Moana pavilion in COP29 of which I was inspired to write about the "Moana effect" in The Conversation.

The Moana effect: how small island developing states are bringing their struggle against climate change to the world

The socio-political and legal push by small island developing states and youth activists at the UN climate summit reflects the motivation seen in the Moana films.

The ConversationSusan Ann Samuel

As we look forward to COP30 - I reiterate - #Money matters!! #Justice matters!! #WE matter!!