Climate Crisis or Climate Theater?
The Diminishing Value of COP Conferences
A few days ago, I was asked on Mastodon what I thought about the upcoming COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Honestly, I find it increasingly difficult to see the value in paying attention to COPs anymore. Take COP29 as an example: With Azerbaijan continuing to pour investments into its 'god-given' gas reserves and the world's second-largest carbon emitter electing a president who famously called climate change 'a big hoax' and vowed to pull out of the 2015 Paris Agreement again, it all seems like an exercise in futility.
The reality is, I'm not even surprised—let alone disappointed. The once-aspirational Conferences of the Parties (COPs), which were envisioned to be a vehicle for solving global heating, have become just another platform for grandstanding and greenwashing, where nations, and petrostates in particular, jostle for reputation points rather than meaningful action. What was meant to be a collective effort of nations to tackle one of the most pressing crises of our time now feels like an elaborate performance: bold speeches, headline-grabbing pledges, and business as usual once the cameras stop rolling.
In essence, COPs have become polished brochures of climate politics—designed to look good but lacking the depth of genuine substance. One cannot ignore the evident influence of petrostates and the big fossil-fuel corporations in shaping the COPs’ agreements. These corporations, with their vested interests, continue to lobby and block climate action, creating a paradox where those driving the problem are also shaping its supposed solutions. For this reason alone, they should be excluded from current and future discussions, making room for transparent, unbiased dialogue focused on real progress.