A Marathon Relay of Hope and Frustration: Tackling Climate Change

Some changes in life are like marathon relays: one person starts, then hands off to the next. In desperate situations, this marathon can breed impatience, misunderstanding, and sometimes hatred. Discussions and actions to adapt and mitigate climate change are one of these marathons.

Globally, we've experienced increased rainfall, droughts, hurricanes, typhoons, and hotter summers and winters in recent years. Developed countries can often cushion their citizens from these impacts and rebuild, but many developing countries are economically crippled, with significant loss of life from both primary and secondary effects.

Watching Severn Cullis-Suzuki's famous speech on the environment in 1992 and this DW documentary published 2023, it is chilling to realize the youths and civil societies are repeating the same messages with little progress. Lives are lost, while at the international policy level, debates focus on what we would consider to be minor details like wordings and commas. This can feel out of touch, right? Some youths get eco-anxiety, angry or others just get tired leaving the international processes for other avenues where they can see their impacts.

Having lost friends and feeling this frustration myself, I dug deeper to understand how to engage meaningfully and objectively. Here is the painful truth I discovered:

Multilateralism is a Slow Process

Reaching a common goal between two people or even one organization takes a lot of effort, patience, and understanding. Now, imagine over 180 countries and thousands of civil societies with different interests needing to come to a consensus. This requires extensive lobbying, consultations with every nations' capital, and side meetings, which take a lot of time. They are boring, exhausting and you need a team to be following since these negotiations happen concurrently. Thus, international policy formulation will always be slow.

The Enemy is Poverty, Power is Intoxicating

Imagine getting a job with the best salary, school fees for your children catered for, bonuses, paid vacations, and you have influence among your peers and in your industry. Would you want to give it up and look for another source of employment? At the end of the day you want to care for your loved ones and live a good life, no?

At COP28 in Dubai, I saw how oil exploration transformed the United Arab Emirates. Looking at its history, the oil discovery, stopped the skirmishes, unified the seven emirati states, it gave the nation its wealth, its power and voice on the global stage. What else can they invest in to give them equal power as of now? Everyone desires a good life for themselves or their nation, and the power to hold their own globally. If you were the leader, would you want to phase it out immediately?

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

When you see death reports from another part of the world, it might not impact you deeply because you're occupied with your immediate needs. Yes, you will empathize and feel it but human beings are innately selfish, you return to attend to your needs first. This is similar to how other nations respond when the youths and civil societies from climate-impacted states call for climate justice, decry ignorance through climate strikes, or loss and damage finance. Every nation prioritizes its own interests first, so even if we're heard, our needs come second.

Climate Change Deniers

Climate change deniers exist in many countries, influencing whether climate issues and funding are prioritized. They are voters. They put in power regimes that decide whether funding for climate-related projects in developing nations will(not) be funded. In addition, international policy formulation may be swayed accordingly.

My Point? What is happening is unfair and painful for sure. You can't compare human life to anything, but you have to keep doing what you're doing at your level. With the above factors, the change you want to see may be accomplished with the next generation or not. If you decide to stay, the process will be frustrating, but your expertise and experiences are important in shaping policy for the future. Your voice matters, however little you think it is. When it's time to leave the stage, ensure you've empowered atleast two people to take your place. Remember, Rome was not built in a day.