Prior to last year’s COP in Glasgow, expectations were quite high as the updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with strengthened emission reduction targets were to be presented there. Although this year’s event was supposed to be the implementation COP, the expectations and the associated excitement were not felt as strongly. Even during the run-up, there were many critical voices questioning whether the conference would succeed in achieving an outcome that would actually lead to action.

So, what did happen in Sharm-el-Sheikh?

The Egyptian Presidency put the highly important issue of “loss and damage”, i.e., the financing of compensation for developing countries for the climate damage caused mainly by industrialised countries, on the agenda. The good and extremely important outcome that followed, the establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund, was a victory for which vulnerable countries and their populations have fought for years. Work must now begin on the structure of the fund, its administration, governance, and the mobilisation of much-needed resources. However, in the negotiations, it was mainly the representatives of the wealthy countries who slowed down and blocked unprecedented measures in the areas of support for people displaced by climate-related extreme events, strong and transparent governance of carbon markets, and the phase-out of all fossil fuels. There are some good sources that describe in more detail the decisions and outcomes that (did not) take place. Some recommendations** can be found below. At the same time, however, this emphasis on the Loss and Damage also distracted from the immediate need to phase out the use of fossil fuels. The strong presence of representatives from the fossil fuel lobby, who also became heavily involved in the negotiations, was quite sobering.  

For us, the whole conference was quite overwhelming: It was the biggest COP in terms of people attending. As expected, this COP was used by Egypt as kind of a green-, youth- and human rights- washing event. If you approached the event with the naive belief that the host would attempt to provide a best practice of a sustainable conference, you were quickly brought back down to earth – considering, for example, the severely chilled premises contrasting with an outside temperature of 30 °C, the catering sponsored by CocaCola, organizers not using the event to brief the broader civil society concerning the climate crisis, and the mode of travel of most participants by plane, including some by private jet. In addition to the negotiations, which we were mostly unable to follow – either because they were too crowded and there was no more room for observers or because the discussions focused on details that were too specific to jump in without a particular background – there was an incredible number of extremely exciting, very inspiring, and sometimes highly emotional side events at the various country, project, and organisation pavilions. We tried to make the most out of the opportunity being COP observers through participating in numerous panel discussions, workshops, and expert talks in order to gain new scientific and social insights, make contacts for potential Master’s theses or internships, extend our network, and get to know further institutions and projects.

So, is it all that bad?

Although many aspects of our time in Egypt and at the COP were very frustrating (starting with the search for accommodation, as accommodation was repeatedly cancelled or special COP participant fees were charged, cancelled flights, the restrictions during protesting on the COP venue and the situation of human rights in Egypt reported by Egyptian human rights activists or general civil society), there were also hopeful encounters. Even though the negotiators still seem to have missed the urgency of the climate crisis, outside the formal negotiations there were clear and consistent messages about the urgency of climate action from scientists, NGOs, and climate activists. They rallied at the event to gather in small, peaceful protests. For the first time, there was a children and youth pavilion at a COP, which hosted the most frequented events and provided a learning and exchange platform for a huge number of well-educated, highly interested, and motivated young people taking the climate crisis serious giving hope that things will change in the future.

So, in order not to become too cynical, we would like to mention what good things also happened: The global energy crisis was widely acknowledged, parties were asked to seriously update their NDCs, a reduction in methane emissions was called for, the importance of forests was acknowledged (yipiieh), great value was placed on the global goal of adaptation, work on a just transition was taken forward, references to the new right to a healthy environment took place, and the revised text at least contains a nice little sentence about the oceans (whoopwhoop). However, if truth be told, things by and large did not really evolve beyond what we saw in Glasgow 2021. In fact, a lot of the final text was just copy and paste of the Glasgow decisions or the Paris Agreement 2015 with a few changes here and there. Figuratively speaking: Things that were already agreed were re-packaged and re-gifted.

Fortunately, during the first week, it was possible to arrange a meeting with Hon. Prof. Dr. Charlotte Streck, Co-Founder of Climate Focus and external lecturer at the University of Bayreuth, who provided us with answers to many burning questions about the COP and gave us a better overview of this huge event and all that is happening there. She confirmed our impression that “it [NDCs, the global finance goal] is all so far up [intangible], that in some way it becomes meaningless”. Sofía Gutiérrez, climate activist from Colombia, also explained our feelings well by saying: “We are good in creating new words”.

So, what have we taken away from all of this?

Action is needed! The activism driven daily, especially by international youth, motivates and creates hope. We are extremely grateful that our study programme has given us the opportunity for this experience, which is denied to many others, esp. those from groups and territories disproportionately affected by climate change (MAPA). But almost more important for us than simply being present at the COP is to “take home” the activism and put pressure on those who are stopping the process towards a climate-friendly, promising future for all.This might be in the form of protests or founding initiatives, but also further scientific involvement or hands-on work in one of the many great and inspiring projects or organisations that are already out there, or working daily for the transition to a more just and sustainable world.

Don’t hesitate to contact us in case of any further insights regarding our experiences at the COP27.

*Attendees

Week 1: Johannes Hendrik Lindes de Waal, Alina J. Domdey, Helen Giesecke, Susanne Grünewald, Sunil K.C., Alba Ortiz Naumann, Emelie Schuster, Christopher Shatto, Samip Narayan Shrestha, Tabitha Stimpfle, Veronica Vasilica, Vincent Wilkens

Week 2: Mehriban Aliyeva, Tolulope Israel Aluko, Mohamed Ibrahim, Mira Rodrian, Katja Scharrer, Clarissa Schmelzle, Justine Quast, Priscila Tamayo, Zachary Zeller, Sandra Zimmermann, Charlotte Müller

**Further reading

• “COP27 key outcomes: progress on compensation for developing countries, but more needed on climate justice and equity” (The Conversation)
• “COP27 RESCUED IN OVERTIME WITH AN AGREEMENT TO SET UP A FUND TO ADDRESS CLIMATE LOSS AND DAMAGE” (Climate Action Network Europe)
• ECO Newsletter for an update on each day of the COP27 (Climate Action Network International)

The post From Bayreuth to Sharm-el-Sheikh: GCEs at COP27 appeared first on Global Change Ecology.

Why did you decide to study GCE?
GCE was the only study program that I found which combined multiple different topics pertaining to sustainability. I have always enjoyed learning about a broad range of subjects and GCE offered exactly that.

What did you like most about GCE?
Like I said previously, the broad range of subjects is what I liked about GCE the most. However, I was always drawn to the Societal Change modules since they included ways in which we might steer away from the unsustainable path our global civilization is currently on. In terms of the study program itself, I particularly liked the teaching and examination format. It encouraged critical thinking and practical work, rather than the outdated rote learning and repetition of information. This is especially relevant in today’s world where information can be accessed in a matter of seconds using a smartphone and an internet connection while the ability to critically process that information is much more important.

How has your career continued after GCE?
After essentially a year of looking for a job I applied for a PhD at the Professorship of Ecological Services with Prof. Dr. Thomas Koellner as the supervisor. And for the past three years this has been my job. My contract has finished in February 2021, but I am still continuing to work on the PhD.

What is your current position? What are your tasks?
Currently I am partly employed as a GCE lecturer teaching the course M16 Modeling Ecosystem Functions with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). And the rest of my time is split between working on the PhD and caring for my newborn son together with my wife.

How has GCE supported your career?
GCE enabled me to do two internships, one at IPBES and one at UNCCD where I also worked as a consultant. I found these experiences at the UN extremely valuable and enjoyed them very much. GCE has also given me the opportunity to further my career by doing a PhD, as well as allowing me to give something back to GCE by becoming one of the lecturers.

What do you recommend to the current GCE students?
I would say, make the most out of the variety of courses offered by GCE. It is a rare opportunity since the vast majority of study programs force you to specialize in a single narrow field while GCE gives you the option for specialization, as well as a broader perspective.

The post GCE Alumni (12): PhD at the Professorship of Ecological Services appeared first on Global Change Ecology.

Why did you decide to study GCE?

It was actually a combination of two main reasons:

1) During my third year of studying a Bachelors in Land Resource Planning and Management in Nairobi, Kenya I took part in a 3 months internship in Freising, Germany through the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE). I was under the supervision of the Hochschule Weihenstephan Triesdorf peatlands research team and was fascinated by the excellent work ethics displayed by their team members. It was this experience that opened my mind to the possibility of studying in Germany.

2) Upon my return to Nairobi, I carried out an extensive survey of master programs that I could take in Germany. I felt that my bachelors gave me sufficient knowledge of how natural resources are managed only in my country and/or region. What I needed was a perspective on how environmental issues are managed and interlinked globally. Hence once I came across the GCE study program, it was a perfect match as it fit all the criteria.  

What did you like most about GCE?

If I could use one word-it would be flexibility. The GCE program gave me the choice to select the modules-environmental, societal or ecological- which I could specialize in. It was through this flexibility that I pursued my passion towards peatland management and how it is affected especially by human activities. Notably, the opportunities available through the program such as participating in class seminars, internships, summer/winter schools, elite network of Bavaria seminars, and conferences, broadened my mindset while expanding my social and professional networks. The interactive activities with classmates, lecturers, and colleagues from around the world inspired me to start thinking of home-grown solutions for global challenges such as climate change.

How has your career continued after GCE?

Upon finishing my master thesis, I applied and got accepted for a 6 months internship in the Forestry Department at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. After completing my internship, I was given another contract as a consultant working in the same department.

What is your current position? What are your tasks?

Fire Management, Peatlands and Climate Change Specialist at FAO.

My roles and responsibilities include:

-Support to finalize the organization of the fire danger rating workshop for Indonesia; collect lessons learned and manage generated knowledge to be shared;

-Produce materials as a result of the work for Indonesia; such as concept notes, guidance materials, best practice brief, and workshop results documents;

-Continue to liaise and support consultation efforts with Kenya land and fire management agencies, under the guidance of FAO-Kenya to finalize the preliminary report on fire management in Kenya and then promote discussions on findings obtained from the report with a view to exploring potential for further activities and potential projects;

-Finalize a draft concept for a fire management portal based on the existing and further review of data collection, management, validation and analysis of fire resource materials;

-Continue to collate fire emission factors for Indonesia and/or tropical regions for use in the EX-ACT tool;

-Support a review of emissions from fires, with an emphasis on peatlands, continuing the work that was initiated in 2020;

-Consider the options for including fire emissions into reporting GHG;

-Support to the planning and preparation of the World Forestry Congress (WFC) Forest Fire Forum

-Any other related activities, as required.

How has GCE supported your career?

For me it is the opportunities that arose from GCE that made it possible for me to apply and be accepted for an internship position at FAO. As an alumna, I still receive emails from the GCE student coordination occasionally providing links to available opportunities such as PhD positions, courses, or conferences which I find helpful.

What do you recommend to the current GCE students?

I have 3 recommendations; 1) Find your unique mix of modules and specialize in what you are truly passionate about, 2) Maximize on the opportunities that GCE presents to you-for instance the possibilities of attending summer/winter schools, conferences, internships, semester exchanges abroad and doing your master thesis with external organizations, and 3) Find time to interact with your course mates as well as other students doing different courses within the University of Bayreuth as this will enhance your intercultural skills.

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